How to protect yourself from EMR

Last month, TERRAN DAILY explained how electromagnetic pollution can negatively impact us all. Here, she explore some practical measures we can all take to protect our families from the adverse effects of electromagnetic radiation.

Sources of exposure to artificial electromagnetic radiation (EMR)

Problematic electromagnetic radiation in our homes can have many sources, and some are unexpected. Nick Pineault, in his very readable The Non-Tinfoil Guide to EMFs, talks about four types of electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs) that have been linked to adverse health: radio frequencies and microwaves (RF), electric fields (EF), magnetic fields (MF), and dirty electricity (DE).  

Most of us think of harmful or potentially harmful EMFs as radio frequencies from cell phones, Wi-fi, etc., but the other three also have negative effects on our health and well-being. In fact, well-known building biologist Oram Miller holds that magnetic frequencies are the most harmful, suppressing the immune system and increasing the risk of cancer.¹ Magnetic frequencies and radio frequencies reduce melatonin production and disrupt our cells’ calcium channels,² leading to the same negative effects. 

Electric fields are the most common in our homes, but have not been the subject of much research. Dirty electricity can be a big problem for attention and behavior in children, and also appears to be a factor in several chronic diseases like diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Let us take a closer look at each of these.

1. Radio frequencies and microwaves

RFs are generated by smart phones, tablets, Wi-fi, Bluetooth, baby monitors, cordless phones, wireless electric meters (smart meters), microwaves, and cellular phone networks (4G and 5G).  Quite a lot of research has been done on RFs and their links to brain tumors and other cancers, depression, insomnia, decreased fertility, impaired fetal development, and behavior and learning problems in children.

2. Magnetic fields 

MFs are produced by electronic device power supplies, speakers, computer hard drives, appliances with electric motors, induction cookers, your home’s electrical panel, electric blankets or heating pads, faulty wiring, and high voltage power lines near the home. Magnetic fields of various intensities have been linked with childhood leukemia and adult cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, insomnia, decreased immunity and, in some people, elevated blood sugar.³

3. Electric fields

EFs form around household wiring, power strips, ungrounded electronics, cords and power supplies, lamps and lighting.  They are not as well studied as other EMFs, but some sources link EFs to decreased melatonin production, chronic fatigue, insomnia, restless leg syndrome, allergies, hyperactivity, depression, and headaches.⁴

4. Dirty electricity

DE is electrical current that fluctuates with mini-power surges rather than flowing continuously and smoothly. It is generated any time an electrical current is transformed from AC to DC or DC to AC, as in solar panel inverters or power supplies for electronic devices, or when current is switched rapidly on and off, as happens with energy-saving light bulbs (CFL, fluorescent, and most LEDs), dimmer switches, variable speed motors, and energy efficient appliances. Dirty electricity has been linked with unstable blood sugar, sleep disturbances, attention and behavior issues, depression and fatigue.^{5, 6}

Our lives have become intertwined with all these devices that emit potentially harmful EMFs. Unless you want to go to the wilderness and live off the grid, there is no way to turn back the clock and return to life without electricity, appliances, computers, cell phones, and internet.  But there is a lot you can do to minimize your exposure, and your children’s exposure, in day-to-day life. 

Tips to reduce EMF exposure in your home

1. When possible, eliminate the source of EMFs.
2. When you can’t eliminate the source, or choose not to,
   a. Decrease the amount of time you are exposed, and/or
   b. Increase the distance between you and the source.
3. Give special thought to areas of your home where you spend a lot of time, especially down time – where you and your children sleep, meditate, play, relax, or study.

Remember that these tips are especially important for our most vulnerable family members: pregnant women, babies, children, the elderly, and people with chronic illness or health problems, including depression, anxiety, fatigue, and insomnia.

Our lives have become intertwined
with all these devices that
emit potentially harmful EMFs. 

Specific strategies for reducing exposure 

1. Eliminate the source  

• Use ethernet connections for your computers. Many homes have ethernet ports throughout the house, or you can run cables to necessary locations. Ethernet cables and connectors are readily available online.
• Choose “dumb” televisions and appliances instead of smart ones. Smart appliances are a source of RF and dirty electricity.
• Have your smart electric meter changed to a traditional analogue meter. Smart meters are a strong source of RF and also produce magnetic fields and dirty electricity. In some places, electric companies are required to make the exchange if you ask for it, though you may need to persist with your request.
• Try putting away your microwave. Going back to conventional cooking is not as inconvenient as you may think! 
• Dispose of the baby monitor. Standard baby monitors emit as much RF as a cell phone, and infants are especially vulnerable. Hard-wired baby monitors are safer, or maybe baby can sleep near enough to you that you can hear her cry. 
• Use old fashioned incandescent light bulbs instead of CFL bulbs (the curly ones) or fluorescent tubes, especially in relaxation and study areas. Many of us changed to CFL as they use less electricity. But we didn’t know that they emit lots of dirty electricity and have been found to contribute to attention and behavior issues, sleep disturbance, depression, fatigue, irritability, and even unstable blood sugar.⁷

Give special thought to areas of your home
where you spend a lot of time, especially down time
– where you and your children sleep, meditate, play, relax, or study.  

• Use off-on switches instead of dimmer switches. Like CFL and fluorescent lights, dimmer switches work by very rapidly switching current on and off, which creates dirty electricity.
• Unplug lamps and other electric devices when not in use, or switch them off at the wall,especially in the bedroom at night. They produce electrical fields even when turned off and may interfere with sleep.
• Have an electrician check your home for wiring errors. Errors can produce strong magnetic fields, which have been linked with several cancers and also reduced melatonin synthesis.⁸ 

2. Reduce the amount of time you are exposed or increase your distance from the source

• Cell phones are a part of life, but they are also a strong source of RF. 
  
  Never keep a cell phone in your pocket or immediately next to your body when it is connected to the network. Keeping cell phones in an RF blocking pouch is the safest, but even putting them in a shoulder bag or backpack is better than right next to your body in your pocket.
  
  When talking on the phone, use wired earbuds or the speaker phone, rather than holding the phone to your ear. Bluetooth earbuds are problematic. They emit weaker RF than the cell phone itself, but are right inside your ear, close to your brain, so not the best choice.  
  
  Sleep with your cell phone turned off or in another room. If you need the alarm or some other function, sleep with the phone in airplane mode. 
  
  Consider keeping your phone on airplane mode or in an RF blocking pouch, except when you need to make a call. You can check your messages and email at intervals.  

• While working on your computer, use a wired ethernet connection or work with the Wi-fi turned off when you don’t actively need it. 
  
  Even if you use ethernet to eliminate RFs, your laptop’s hard drive produces magnetic fields that can be harmful. Your lap is a sensitive area, near reproductive and other organs, so place your laptop on a desk or table. EMR barriers are available for maximum safety. Using a barrier, you can even safely rest a laptop on your lap.

Sleep with your cell phone turned off or in another room. 
If you need the alarm or some other function,
sleep with the phone in airplane mode. 

• Smart meters are a source of RF, MF, and EF.  If you must have a smart meter, sleep, meditate, study, play, or relax as far away from it as possible, and/or consider getting a smart meter shield, available online.
• Solar power inverters are a strong source of dirty electricity, so try to locate them away from daily household activities.
• Your home’s electrical panel is surrounded by a strong magnetic field. Arrange your home so that you and your family are seldom within 4 feet of the panel, especially during downtime activities.

• Electronic power supplies are a source of magnetic fields when in use. I used to meditate with my computer charging in an outlet near my head, and wondered why my meditation was disturbed!  Since I moved it to an outlet in another room, meditation is much easier.
• Your microwave oven produces both RF and a strong magnetic field. If you choose to use a microwave, your EMF exposure can be limited by standing at least 6 feet away from it.
• High power lines are a source of a very strong electromagnetic field and are associated with increased risk of childhood leukemia, miscarriage, and even Alzheimer’s disease.⁹ When choosing a home, avoid areas near high power lines.
• Power strips produce electrical fields. As with electronic chargers, avoid sleeping, meditating, studying, playing, or relaxing near them, unless they are unplugged or turned off at the wall.
• If you have a smart TV, don’t allow children to sit close to it.  Give them a designated seat several feet away.

One way to restore the body’s
electrochemical balance costs nothing at all
– walk barefoot on the Earth! 

Special considerations for fertility and pregnancy

If you are pregnant, hoping to conceive, or you are a man of reproductive age, please use the above tips to decrease EMF exposure in general, and take extra care to protect abdominal and reproductive areas. Be sure not to carry cell phones in your pockets or use laptops sitting directly on your lap.   

EMF harmonizing or neutralizing devices

There are many devices on the market that use chips, diodes, crystals, shungite, and frequencies to “harmonize or neutralize” artificial EMFs. Some of these products have been developed with careful research and testing, while others may have been developed based on hearsay or speculation. It is important when considering these products to look for tests conducted by reputable independent laboratories. Do the websites show any tests? What were the tests measuring? What were the results? 

Then use your common sense and intuition to decide if it is a product you choose to spend your money on. Several of the most reputable of these companies emphasize that their products should not be used as a substitute for reducing your EMF exposure. Since none of us can eliminate our exposure completely, either inside or outside our homes, these products could be a good addition to using EMF reduction measures.

The surface of the Earth is electrically conductive,
and is constantly emitting negative ions,
which can be absorbed into the body through direct contact with your feet.
These negative ions counteract the oxidative stress
caused by exposure to artificial EMFs, toxins, and stress,
decreasing inflammatory responses
and strengthening the immune system.

Time in nature

One way to restore the body’s electrochemical balance costs nothing at all – walk barefoot on the Earth!  The surface of the Earth is electrically conductive, and is constantly emitting negative ions, which can be absorbed into the body through direct contact with your feet. These negative ions counteract the oxidative stress caused by exposure to artificial EMFs, toxins, and stress, decreasing inflammatory responses and strengthening the immune system.¹⁰ And if your time in nature takes you away from cities, cell phone towers, wind turbines, and other strong sources of EMFs, you can tune into the Schumann Resonance, Mother Earth’s heartbeat, as well. Why not consider an EMF detox vacation? Get away into nature, walk barefoot, and leave your smart phones at home!

¹ Miller, O., 2022. Magnetic Field EMFs (at 60 Hz AC), Create Healthy Homes.
https://createhealthyhomes.com/education/magnetic-fields/

² Brendel, H. et al,2000. Direct suppressive effects of weak magnetic fields on melatonin synthesis in the pineal gland of Djungarian hamsters, Journal of Pineal Research. 29,4: pp. 228-233.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1034/j.1600-0633.2002.290405.x

³ Pineault, N., 2017. The Non-Tinfoil Guide to EMFs, pp. 66-95. 
www.https://theemfguy.com/learn/

⁴ Ibid, pp.126-127.

⁵ Havas, M. and A. Olstad, 2008. Power quality affect teacher well-being and student behavior in three Minnesota Schools, Science of the Total Environment, 402:2-3, 157-162.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969708004634

⁶ Havas, M., 2007. Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity: biological effects of dirty electricity with emphasis on diabetes and multiple sclerosis, Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine, 25,4: pp. 259-268. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17178585/

⁷ Lear, R., 2019. Dirty Electricity: Invisible Role in the US Health Crisis?, Dramatic Rise in Chronic Disease Project, Brown University.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336778115_Dirty_Electricity_Invisible_role_in_the_US_Health_Crisis

_⁸ Miller, O., 2022. Magnetic Field EMFs (at 60 Hz AC), Create Healthy Homes. https://createhealthyhomes.com/education/magnetic-fields/

⁹ Blank, M., 2014. Overpowered: What Science Tells Us about the Dangers of Cell Phones and Other Wi-Fi-Age Devices. Seven Stories Press, New York.

¹⁰ Chevalier, G. et al, 2012. Earthing: Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth’s Surface Electrons, Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2012: 291541. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3265077/

Illustrations by JASMEE MUDGAL