EMF primer – Living among the waves series (part 2)

Living among the Waves  – a multipart series focusing on the electromagnetic environment and what that means for our health and well being.

Living among the waves series will heighten your awareness of the invisible, but real, affects of radio frequency radiation (RF).  We pass through countless electromagnetic fields (EMF) daily and perceive nothing.  Does that mean RF has no effect on our bodies and the bodies of our children either born or developing?  Is there a causal link between RF, EMF and illness?  If we want to make lifestyle changes to limit exposure, what should those changes be?

To answer these questions and more, it behooves us to understand what Electromagnetic fields (EMF) are and how they are so prevalent in our lives.

An electromagnetic field is a physical field of energy produced by electrically charged objects in motion.  It consists of electric and magnetic components that are interrelated and propagate (move) through space as waves.  Electromagnetic fields are created by the interaction of electric charges and their associated electric fields, as well as by moving charges and their associated magnetic fields.

Electromagnetic fields are fundamental to the understanding of electromagnetism, which is a branch of physics that deals with the study of electric and magnetic phenomena.  They play a crucial role in various aspects of our everyday lives, as well as in many technological applications.

The electric component of an electromagnetic field is produced by electric charges, whether they are stationary or in motion.  Electric fields exert forces on other electric charges and can influence the behavior of charged particles.

The magnetic component of an electromagnetic field is generated by moving electric charges or by changing electric fields.  Magnetic fields can induce electric currents in conductive materials and interact with other magnetic fields.

.Electromagnetic fields propagate through space as electromagnetic waves, which can have various frequencies and wavelengths.  This spectrum of electromagnetic waves spans from extremely low frequencies (ELF) to extremely high frequencies encompassing familiar names like: radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays.  Each portion (set of frequencies) of the spectrum has distinct properties and applications.

Understanding and controlling electromagnetic fields have led to many technological advancements, such as radio communication, television, wireless networks, medical imaging (MRI), cell phones, and countless other applications.

Devices and technologies that make use of EMF are diverse and found in all aspects of our lives.  This is mostly due to the convenience that EMF affords.  EMF is at the core of all wireless communication.  The ability to use a piece of technology without any attached wires is a valuable attribute of EMF. The convenience and mobility this affords in our daily lives is remarkable.

EMF is at the heart of all electronics and the innumerable number of printed circuit boards tucked away inside all manner of devices.

The past few decades have seen an increase in EMF radiation in all areas of our lives.  From the time of birth an infant is lovingly placed in a crib with a wireless baby monitor. The house network is available to stream soothing music to wireless speakers in the baby’s room.  The room is softly lit with LED lights using a power supply.  The room is on the side of the house where the power meter is located. The parents have a wireless alarm system monitoring the windows and doors, and whenever the baby is attended to the adults are carrying their cell phones in their pockets.  This infant is in a continual bath of EMF radiation.

Take a moment and consider all the devices that you have at home and the office that use batteries.  These would include any item that requires a charge in order to operate.  Depending on your stage in life you might have a slew of baby related devices including a baby monitor and toys.  With older kids the electric toothbrush is popular as are radios and bedroom clocks and any number of flashlights.  Rechargeable Scooters are everywhere and who could live without a cell phone and the many devices with which  it interconnects.  In school and at work it has become common place to carry a Personal Data Assistant (PDA) like an iPAD and laptop computer.

Depending on your profession you may have to carry any number of wireless tools to perform your job.  In the medical field consider the sheer number of devices that are used to gather vital statistics and illuminate surface areas for examination and treatment.  In the construction and manufacturing fields most, if not all, previously cord-powered tools are now wireless.  The airline industry is also no stranger to cordless tools used to maintain and clean aircraft. In the home, particularly the kitchen, there seem to be any number of battery powered devices.  Who could live without a cordless vacuum cleaner, floor steamer, and hand held spot vacuum.  Law enforcement seems to have a never-ending need for hand-held devices to support their activities.

The number of devices which need batteries is seemingly never-ending.  This is great news for the battery manufacturers as they continue to develop new battery chemistries to store and release energy.

When cordless devices are in use they all produce EMF.  Many cordless devices not only produce EMF as a byproduct of operation, but are designed to generate very intense EMF as a critical component of their use.  Consider a cell phone that could not communicate with a tower, or a wristwatch that could not communicate or an iPad or laptop that couldn’t reach a network.  Communicating on a wireless network requires a device to generate significant EMF to reach the antennas of the network.

Construction tools that are wireless generate large quantities of EMF due to the amount of electrical current the tool requires to operate.  EMF is generated in the battery pack from the battery chemistry.  EMF is then generated by current flowing in wires from the battery to the tool’s circuit board.  The circuit board produces EMF from the electronic components on the board.  Finally the motor or other electrically activated mechanism produces EMF as it operates.  In a power tool there can be multiple sources of EMF each varying in field strength.  Even when a tool is not being used many expensive construction tools have a wireless monitor circuit that communicates to a monitoring station on the construction site to guard against tool theft.  So, the tool is generating EMF even when it is not in use.

EMF is not unique to just cordless devices.  EMF is generated whenever electrical power moves through a conductor.  A plugged in lamp in your room or office will generate EMF the moment it is turned on.  Not only will the bulb generate EMF, but the wires leading to the lamp will generate EMF as will the wires in the wall attached to the outlet.  EMF is generated by each conductor from the lamp back to the generator from which the power originated.

The strength of the EMF is proportional to the amount of current moving through the wire.  So, the amount of EMF generated around an extension cord is much less than the amount of EMF near the power meter of your house.  The power meter for your home feeds all the extension cords in your house and everything else that needs power.  So, the power meter has more current running through it than just your lamp’s extension cord.

EMF is also generated by antennae arrays like cell towers and radio/TV stations.  Each cell tower is a significant source of EMF.  So are cell phones, laptops, iPads, and any other wireless computing device.  Other sources of EMF are Microwave ovens, and access point routers found in the home, office, stores, and other businesses like restaurants and book stores.

When considering the many sources of EMF radiation trying to avoid EMF is a daunting task.

There is a growing scientific and social interest in the influence of EMF radiation on health, even upon exposure that is significantly below the generally accepted applicable standards. The intensity of electromagnetic radiation in the environment is increasing and has currently reached astronomical levels never before experienced.

The most concerning aspect of EMF and its’ impact on living organisms, is its direct tissue penetration.  The current established standards of exposure to EMF are based upon the thermal effect. It is well known that weak EMF could cause all sorts of dramatic non-thermal effects in body cells, tissues and organs.

It has been over a decade since the International Agency of Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization (WHO) classified radio electromagnetic fields to a category of 2b as potentially carcinogenic.

EMF can be dangerous not only because of the risk of cancer, but also other health problems, including electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS).  Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) is a phenomenon characterized by the appearance of symptoms after exposure of people to electromagnetic fields.

EHS is characterized as a syndrome as opposed to a disease with a broad set of non-specific multiple organ symptoms including inflammatory processes located mainly in the skin and nervous systems, as well as in respiratory, cardiovascular, and musculoskeletal system.

It is important to note the symptoms of EHS may be associated with a single source of EMF or be derived from a combination of many sources.

It is important to note the symptoms of EHS may be associated with a single source of EMF or be derived from a combination of many sources.

The number of people suffering from EHS is growing describing themselves as severely dysfunctional, showing multi organ non-specific symptoms upon exposure to low doses of electromagnetic radiation, often associated with hypersensitivity to many chemical agents (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity-MCS) and/or other environmental intolerances (Sensitivity Related Illness-SRI).

The environment in which we work and play is literally full of radio frequency energy.  The number of transmitters and receivers is staggering.  In addition to the devices that are purposed to be transmitters, there are sources of radio frequency energy that are not purposed to be transmitters.  Items like light bulbs, power cables, hair dryers, clothes irons, furnaces, air conditioners, electronic devices, clocks, solar cells, electric vehicles, radios, battery chargers, electric tooth brushes, etc.   Each of these devices generates radio frequency energy.

These are items that we come into contact with in our homes, that we have control over  We can, generally,  choose to turn on or off these devices.  There are even more devices that we come into contact with when we leave our homes and perform daily activities.  So, it is a reasonable question to ask if there are negative affects associated with all of the radio frequency energy that we encounter every day.

The Living Among the Waves series will continue with an exploration of what research has established as dangerous to health.