5 Ways to Lessen EMF Exposures (and why we should)
EMFs. It's a word that gets bantered around by the media more and more but do you know what it actually means? And should you be worried about what EMFs your kids are being exposed to? This is what I'm going to answer in this article.
So what are EMFs exactly? EMFs is short for electromagnetic fields.
The World Health Organizationexplains, one of the main characteristics which defines an electromagnetic field (EMF) is its frequency or its corresponding wavelength ‚ "the frequency simply describes the number of oscillations or cycles per second, while the term wavelength describes the distance between one wave and the next."
So an EMF is a region of space where electric and magnetic forces interact. This could be an area found near magnets, broadcasting antennas, electrical substations and the like.
Since the wireless revolution EMFs are also found much closer to home. They are literally in your home thanks to wireless technologies like cell and cordless phones, smart meters, WI-FI, wireless laptops, wireless routers, baby monitors etc.
When you add these exposures to pre-existing non-wireless technologies like power lines, electrical wiring, electrical appliances in the home, that makes for a lot of EMFs.
Are these technologies dangerous?
Yes they are. Unfortunately our governments took a back seat on the protection front a long time ago. When cell phones were first introduced into the US market in the early 80s, they were exempted from premarket safety testing. Study after study shows the adverse biological effects of radio frequency (RF) radiation, the type of radiation emitted by cell phones.
And its not just cell phones and RF radiation the problem. ELFs, or extra low frequency EMFs from power lines, electrical wiring, other electrical appliances in the home are a real problem. The adverse effects of these exposures has been known about for decades.
Yes they are. Unfortunately our governments took a back seat on the protection front a long time ago. When cell phones were first introduced into the US market in the early 80s, they were exempted from premarket safety testing. Study after study shows the adverse biological effects of radio frequency (RF) radiation, the type of radiation emitted by cell phones.
And its not just cell phones and RF radiation the problem. ELFs, or extra low frequency EMFs from power lines, electrical wiring, other electrical appliances in the home are a real problem. The adverse effects of these exposures has been known about for decades.
Don't the safety guidelines protect us?
The recently published BioInitiative Report 2012 is the most up to date and reliable source of information that currently exists on this issue. The BioInitiative Working Group (BWG), who published the report, is comprised of 29 independent scientists and health experts from 10 countries. These are all eminent scientists and public health professionals. The BWG, in its first report, which it published in 2007, said:
The 2012 report shines the spotlight on the link between exposure to EMFs and Autism, Fetal Exposure, Fertility, Alzheimer’s Disease and other neurological and autoimmune disease effects.
The BWG found that in some cases the current safety guidelines were found to be 1000s of times too lenient!
The recently published BioInitiative Report 2012 is the most up to date and reliable source of information that currently exists on this issue. The BioInitiative Working Group (BWG), who published the report, is comprised of 29 independent scientists and health experts from 10 countries. These are all eminent scientists and public health professionals. The BWG, in its first report, which it published in 2007, said:
"The clear consensus of the BioInitiative Working Group members is that the existing public safety limits are inadequate for [EMFs]"In the 2007 report the link between EMF exposures and cancer was already clearly identified.
The 2012 report shines the spotlight on the link between exposure to EMFs and Autism, Fetal Exposure, Fertility, Alzheimer’s Disease and other neurological and autoimmune disease effects.
The BWG found that in some cases the current safety guidelines were found to be 1000s of times too lenient!
Should we be concerned for our kids?
There is real cause for concern. The BWG identified children as a particularly vulnerable population. The studies show that children are affected by EMFs in a shorter time than adults. Also because today's kids are born into this EMF world their lifetime EMF exposures will be much higher than children born only 10 or 20 years ago.
What can be done?
You need to take EMF protection into your own hands. The best place to start is at home, here's how:
1. Banish wireless toys
More and more video games use wireless, which are a source of RF radiation. Where possible replace wireless games with a wired version. For instance the Playstation3 exists in both wired and wired versions. Some games you can’t do this. If they’ve already got the games, limit their use and make sure the games are unplugged when they're not using them.
2. Remove cordless phones and WiFi from your home
Do you really need cordless phones and WiFi? I agree they are convenient, but they are just not worth it in terms of the health risks to you and your children. Replace your cordless phones with corded ones and use a hardwired connection for your WiFi. Eliminating these devices will significantly reduce your EMF levels in your home. If you are using a digital baby monitor, same advice.
3. Minimize Computer radiation
If you've hardwired your computer that's one problem solved. But computers give off EMFs at all different frequencies. Maintaining a safe distance between your computer and your child is the key. Laptops and tablets might look cool but they expose your child to magnetic and electric fields at very close proximity. With EMFs, distance is everything. Prefer a good old-fashioned desktop with wired peripherals. Also keep those transformer units (the little black boxes that are part of the cable) away from your child‚ and your child's body parts.
4. Get tough on cell phones
Kids love cell phones but they need to made aware of the dangers. If your kids haven’t already got a cell phone refrain from giving them on. If they've got one make sure they practice safe cell phone use for more tips on this, see my last article here.
5. Measure
To deal with the EMFs effectively in your home you need to know what the EMF levels are, particularly in your child's bedroom. Either hire an EMF consultant or buy an EMF meter. A good choice is the Cornet ED78S which measures both RF radiation and magnetic fields. Go over your child's bedroom, in fact all, living rooms.
No matter what you do at home, your kids are still going to be exposed to these EMFs at school and elsewhere. True. But EMFs work cumulatively. That's to say all these different exposures add up. So what you do at home will have an effect. It will almost certainly have the biggest effect because EMF exposures at nighttime have been shown to be particularly harmful. That's why its important to have an EMF cleanup in their bedroom.
Lloyd Burrell is the owner of http://www.electricsense.com. He started his website after becoming sensitized to EMFs in 2002 . He now brings awareness to this issue by writing about it on the Internet and he has just published a book entitled How to Beat Electrical Sensitivity, available on his website.
image: Creative Commons on Flickr, by teddsantana.com
http://www.non-toxickids.net/2013/06/5-ways-to-lessen-emf-exposures-and-why.html
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