Healthy Home Healthy Family Book

Electromagnetic Fields

Did you know?

Occasional exposure to high electromagnetic fields is not likely to pose a health risk to most people; however exposure to high magnetic fields over a long period of time (such as when sleeping) are when problems are likely to arise.  From mobile and cordless phones to overhead power lines, baby monitors and electrical appliances, we are exposed to multiple sources of radiation on a continual basis.

In the past 100 years, we have progressively added an enormous amount of man-made signals to the natural electromagnetic background of the planet to the extent that there is practically no where left that is not being influenced by it in some way. The frequencies of greatest concern are those used in telecommunications, household appliances and building wiring.

Sources of Electromagnetic Radiation in a Building:

Here are some sources of electromagnetic radiation likely to affect a building. For a detailed discussion on all sources both in and outside of a building, refer to the book Healthy Home, Healthy Family.

• Appliances and building
• Wiring
• Baby monitors
• High voltage transmission & power lines
• Mobile phone towers
• Phones
• Radioactivity
• Smart meters
• Wireless technology

Health Concerns

Electrical hypersensitivity was first documented in the 1970s. Since then, there have been a number of studies into this phenomenon with the majority coming from Sweden who recognise it as a disability (Swedish Association for the ElectroSensitiive - FEB).

Headaches, Difficulty concentrating, poor memory, dizziness and confusion. Tingling or pricking sensation of the skin. An natural warmth or burning sensation of the face (a rash may develop)Ringing in the ears, Sleep disturbances, Dryness and irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, ear and/or sinuses, Impending flu-like symptoms that don’t eventuate, Body aches and pains, jaw and teeth pain, muscle tremors and spasms, numbness and tinglingHeart palpitations, arrhythmias, chest pain and breathing difficulties. A doubling in the incidence of childhood leukaemia (when kids are exposed to more than 4mG) (Powerwatch, 2010). Mounting research indicates a possible connection between mobile phone use and specific forms of brain tumours namely gliomas and acoustic neuromas (Swedish Professor Lennart Hardell, 2008). There is a growing body of evidence to indicate that magnetic fields of around 12mG may increase the rate at which breast cancer cells multiply as a result of their ability to suppress the ‘anticancer’ hormone melatonin (Blackman et al, 2001 and Harland et al, 1997).Government agencies around the world including the US National Institute on Environmental Health Sciences and the UK National Radiological Protection Board Advisory Group on Non-Ionising Radiation (AGNIR) now agree that magnetic fields are a possible carcinogen. In 2002 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified 50Hz magnetic fields as a possible carcinogen (International Agency for Research on Cancer, 2002).

Testing Your Home

Electromagnetic field testing is a complicated procedure that requires a good understanding of the electromagnetic spectrum, an ability to identify the various frequencies likely to affect the built environment, use of highly technical and often expensive equipment as well as shielding techniques. A building biologist will be able to test your home for electromagnetic radiation arising from household wiring, mobile phone towers and geopathic stress. The cost will vary depending on the size of the home or workplace.

Solutions

This will depend on the source, type of frequency and, in the case of microwave emissions from mobile phone towers and cordless phones, the power output. Read this book for detailed solutions!

Chemicals

Pesticides, building materials and paints, household furnishings, as well as personal care and cleaning products cover the majority of chemicals most people are likely to be exposed to. These volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are responsible for much of the indoor air pollution commonly found within a home.

Source of Chemicals

Here is a partial list of chemicals likely to be in your home. For a detailed discussion on these and many other sources such as toys, pesticides, food packaging, cookware, clothing, bedding and the like, refer to the book Healthy Home, Healthy Family.

How Toxic Are Your Products?

Where personal care products list their ingredients on the packaging, manufacturers of cleaning products are not obliged to. As such you don’t know what you are really being exposed to. There are 3 ways to assess how toxic the ingredients in your product are:

1. Check the label on your cleaning product for warning signs such as POISON, TOXIC, CAUTION, CORROSIVE or WARNING.Skin Patch Test When using a product for the first time, it is always recommended that you do a skin patch test. Apply a small amount of the product on the pulse area of your wrist. Leave on up to 48 hours (unwashed). If the skin becomes itchy, red, and/or painful you are likely to be allergic to it and need to remove it immediately.
2. Obtain the Material Safety Data Sheet for the product directly from the manufacturer whose details will be on the label. Once you have the list of ingredients in the product, you will need to obtain the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for each individual ingredient.
3. Here is a brief list of potential websites where you can access this information.
   ChemSupply: www.chemsupply.com.au
   Environmental Working Group: www.cosmeticsdatabase.com
   MSDSXchange: www.msdsxchange.com/english/index.cfm
   National Library of Medicine: www.householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/index.htm
   Scorecard: www.scorecard.org
   Toxicology Data Network: http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov

Testing Chemicals

There are a variety of means by which a building biologist can assess chemicals in a building. Most requires sophisticated and expensive equipment. The cost will vary depending on the type of chemical you wish to assess and whether you want instant results or require data logging capabilities. For details, click here.

Solutions

When it comes to volatile organic compounds the warmer the room, the greater the rate at which they “off gas” into the air. New building materials and paints can take years to off gas. As such, ventilation is the key to reducing one’s exposure especially in a new or recently renovated building.

Pesticides, building materials and paints, household furnishings, as well as personal care and cleaning products cover the majority of chemicals most people are likely to be exposed to. These volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are responsible for much of the indoor air pollution commonly found within a home.

Occasional exposure to high electromagnetic fields is not likely to pose a health risk to most people; however exposure to high magnetic fields over a long period of time (such as when sleeping) are when problems are likely to arise.  From mobile and cordless phones to overhead power lines, baby monitors and electrical appliances, we are exposed to multiple sources of radiation on a continual basis.

In the past 100 years, we have progressively added an enormous amount of man-made signals to the natural electromagnetic background of the planet to the extent that there is practically no where left that is not being influenced by it in some way. The frequencies of greatest concern are those used in telecommunications, household appliances and building wiring.