The man allergic to the modern world : Electromagnetic hypersensitivity means Peter, 42, can't use ANY electric gadgets - and can't go outside his house in case he walks near a wifi network
- Peter Lloyd is unable to use any electrical gadgets like TV or mobile phone
- He cannot use mains electricity to heat or light his home in case he gets ill
- Former personal fitness trainer first noticed symptoms in his mid-twenties
- His condition has gradually deteriorated and he is now unable to walk
- Mr Lloyd faces eviction by landlord who is unhappy he does not heat home
- He is fighting campaign to be moved to wooden hut in an isolated location
By Gemma Mullin for MailOnlinePublished: 19:47 GMT, 16 October 2014 | Updated: 06:16 GMT, 17 October 2014
A man suffering from a rare and cruel condition known as electromagnetic hypersensitivity cannot go outside his house in case he walks near a wifi network.
Peter Lloyd, 42, has been confined to a sofa in his home in St Fagans in Cardiff, and is unable to use any electrical gadgets like TVs, phones and CD players in case it causes a severe reaction.
Visitors have to leave mobile phones and watches outside and he cannot use mains electricity for heating or lighting his home – forcing him to wash with water heated on a gas cooker.
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When Mr Lloyd, who is now unable to walk, moved to his current home in 2009, he had to be wheeled up the Taff Trail at night to minimize the chance of contact with electricity sources.
Leaving the house could cause him to come into contact with someone on a mobile phone, a passing car, a power drill or even a wifi zone.
To pass the time he reads around 100 books a year – often by candlelight when it gets dark.
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‘I had difficulty talking – what I called “thought block”.’
Mr Lloyd added that he remembers trying to write out a cheque in a nutrition shop and ended up messing it up six times.
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‘As time went on I realized it was becoming sensitised to more and different frequencies and devices.
‘My natural reaction was to believe I could cope, but the situation just got worse. I would get intense headaches in the front of my head.’
As a keen reader he regularly looked at magazines like New Scientist and Scientific American.
‘I came across some articles that described my symptoms and I found out as much as I could about electromagnetic hypersensitivity,’ he said.
After spending three years living in Spain, Mr Lloyd returned to Cardiff, where he eventually lost the ability to walk.
His landlady, who lives in London, has taken a possession order against him after becoming unhappy that the house is not being heated and he now faces eviction.
Cardiff Council, which has legal responsibility to rehouse him, has not come up with an accommodation offer that is suitable for his medical needs.
It is likely that after his eviction date on Tuesday, Mr Lloyd will end up in a hospital – an outcome which fills him with dread because of the severe ill-effects he knows he will suffer from proximity to medical machines.
Instead he wants to be rehomed to a purpose-built isolated wooden hut because of the severe pain he suffers.]
His brother Stephen Lloyd has been supporting him with his campaign along with Cardiff West MP Kevin Brennan.
Cardiff Council said it would not discuss individual cases.
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WHAT IS ELECTROMAGNETIC HYPERSENSITIVITY?
The term 'electrical hypersensitivity' was first used in 1989, while 'electromagnetic hypersensitivity' - EHS for short - was coined in 1994 to reflect sufferers’ sensitivity to magnetic as well as electric fields.
As early as the 1930s, however, EHS symptoms were observed in people working with radio and electricity, and with military radar in the 1940s.
Environmental EHS appeared in the general population from the 1970s with computers.
It increased in the 1980s with mobile and cordless phones, and with wifi from 2000.
Thousands of people are now linked with EHS support groups in 30 countries.The first started in Sweden in 1989; the UK group began in 2003.
Sweden recognised EHS as a functional disability in 2002. The Canadian Human Rights Commission did likewise in 2007.
In 2009, the European Parliament voted for persons with EHS to be recognised as disabled.
Despite having official recognition, many doctors still know little or nothing about the condition.
The NHS does not recognize it as an official condition and neither is it recognised as a disability in the UK.
Up to 5 per cent of the general population believe themselves to be affected by electro- or radio sensitivity and experience flu-like symptoms, headaches, lethargy and nausea when exposed to various electrical appliances.
ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES
Electromagnetic waves are everywhere and we are constantly bombarded by them from space.
Although there is no evidence of any permanent damage to the body from electromagnetic waves, some people have reported that they feel unwell when they are within reach of wi-fi or, occasionally, other types of electromagnetism.
Wi-fi uses the same type as mobile phones, TV and radio signals
They are all different in wavelength, so have different properties.
Wi-fi waves are higher in frequency than mobile phones and are intense due to the amount of info they carry.
So far research has not provided any official statistics.
As early as the 1930s, however, EHS symptoms were observed in people working with radio and electricity, and with military radar in the 1940s.
Environmental EHS appeared in the general population from the 1970s with computers.
It increased in the 1980s with mobile and cordless phones, and with wifi from 2000.
Thousands of people are now linked with EHS support groups in 30 countries.The first started in Sweden in 1989; the UK group began in 2003.
Sweden recognised EHS as a functional disability in 2002. The Canadian Human Rights Commission did likewise in 2007.
In 2009, the European Parliament voted for persons with EHS to be recognised as disabled.
Despite having official recognition, many doctors still know little or nothing about the condition.
The NHS does not recognize it as an official condition and neither is it recognised as a disability in the UK.
Up to 5 per cent of the general population believe themselves to be affected by electro- or radio sensitivity and experience flu-like symptoms, headaches, lethargy and nausea when exposed to various electrical appliances.
ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES
Electromagnetic waves are everywhere and we are constantly bombarded by them from space.
Although there is no evidence of any permanent damage to the body from electromagnetic waves, some people have reported that they feel unwell when they are within reach of wi-fi or, occasionally, other types of electromagnetism.
Wi-fi uses the same type as mobile phones, TV and radio signals
They are all different in wavelength, so have different properties.
Wi-fi waves are higher in frequency than mobile phones and are intense due to the amount of info they carry.
So far research has not provided any official statistics.
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