Can the electric and magnetic fields (EMF) to which
people are routinely exposed cause health effects? What are sources of EMFs, and
when are EMFs dangerous?
EMF (or ElectroMagnetic Field) is a broad term
which includes electric fields generated by charged particles in motion, and
radiated fields such as TV, radio, hair dryer, and microwaves. Electric fields
are measured in units of volts per meter or V/m. Magnetic fields are measured in
milli-Gauss or mG. The field is always strongest near the source and diminishes
as you move away from the source. These energies have the ability to influence
particles at great distances. For example, the radiation from a radio tower
influences the atoms within a distant radio antenna, allowing it to pick up the
signal. Despite the many wonderful conveniences of electrical technology, the
effects of EMF on biological tissue remains the most controversial aspect of the
EMF issue, with virtually all scientists agreeing that more research is
necessary to determine safe or dangerous levels.
Research since the mid-1970s has provided extensive
information on biological responses to power-frequency electric and magnetic
fields. The Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMF) Research and Public Information
Dissemination (RAPID) Program was charged with the goal of determining if
electric and magnetic fields associated with the generation, transmission, and
use of electrical energy pose a risk to human health. The fact that 20 years of
research have not answered that question is clear evidence that health effects
of EMF are not obvious and that risk relationships, if risk is identified, are
not simple. Because epidemiologic studies have raised concerns regarding the
connection between certain serious human health effects and exposure to electric
and magnetic fields, the program adopts the hypothesis that exposure to electric
or magnetic fields under some conditions may lead to unacceptable risk to human
health. The focus of the program is not only to test, as far as possible within
the statutory time limits, that hypothesis for those serious health effects
already identified, but to identify as far as possible the special conditions
that lead to elevated risk and to recommend measures to manage
risk.
Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (ES) is a
physiological disorder characterized by symptoms directly brought on by exposure
to electromagnetic fields. It produces neurological and allergic-type symptoms.
Symptoms may include, but are not limited to, headache, eye irritation,
dizziness, nausea, skin rash, facial swelling, weakness, fatigue, pain in joints
and/or muscles, buzzing/ringing in ears, skin numbness, abdominal pressure and
pain, breathing difficulty, and irregular heartbeat. Those affected persons may
experience an abrupt onset of symptoms following exposure to a new EMF such as
fields associated with a new computer or with new fluorescent lights, or a new
home or work environment. Onset of ES has also reported following chemical
exposure. A concerted effort to provide scientifically valid research on which
to base decisions about EMF exposures is under way, and results are expected in
the next several years. Meanwhile, some authorities recommend taking simple
precautionary steps, such as the following:
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Increase the distance between yourself and the EMF source – sit at arm’s length from your computer terminal.
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Avoid unnecessary proximity to high EMF sources – don’t let children play directly under power lines or on top of power transformers for underground lines.
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Reduce time spent in the field – turn off your computer monitor and other electrical appliances when you aren’t using them.
The Office of Technology Assessment of the Congress
of the United States recommends a policy of “prudent avoidance” with respect to
EMF. Prudent avoidance means to measure fields, determine the sources, and act
to reduce exposure.
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Detect EMFs in your home and work environment. It is good to know where the sources of EMF are in your everyday world and how strong these sources are. Is there wiring in the wall behind your bed that you don’t even know about? Is the vaporizer emitting strong fields in the baby’s room? How much EMF are you and your family getting from the power lines in the street? Even hair dryers emit EMFs. Home inspectors often have meters to measure EMFs, or they can be purchased and shared with friends.
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Diminish your exposure to the EMFs you find. Determine how far you must stay away from the EMF emitters in your home and work environment to achieve less than 2.5 mG of exposure—the microwave oven, the alarm clock, the computer, and so on. Rearrange your furniture (especially the beds, desks, and couches where you spend the most time) away from heaters, wiring, fluorescent lights, electric doorbells, and other EMF “hot spots.” Where practical, replace electric appliances with non-electric devices. Where practical, replace electric appliances with non-electric devices. Have an electrician correct faulty high EMF wiring and help you eliminate dangerous stray ground currents. Consult a qualified EMF engineer if necessary. Contact National Electromagnetic Field Testing Association at 1-847-475-3696 for consultants in your area.
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Shield yourself. Use shielding devices on your computer screen and cellular phone. Add shielding to your household wiring, circuit box, and transformers.
Magnetic fields are not blocked by most materials.
Magnetic fields encountered in homes vary greatly. Magnetic fields rapidly
become weaker with distance from the source.
- Electric fields in the home, on average, range from
0 to 10 volts per meter. They can be hundreds, thousands, or even millions of
times weaker than those encountered outdoors near power lines.
- Electric fields directly beneath power lines may
vary from a few volts per meter for some overhead distribution lines to several
thousands of volts per meter for extra high voltage power lines.
- Electric fields from power lines rapidly become weaker with distance and can be greatly reduced by walls and roofs of buildings.
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The chart on the left summarizes data from a study by
the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in which spot measurements of
magnetic fields were made in the center of rooms in 992 
homes
throughout the United States. Half of the houses studied had magnetic field
measurements of 0.6 mG or less, when the average of measurements from all the
rooms in the house was calculated (the all-room mean magnetic field). The
all-room mean magnetic field for all houses studied was 0.9 mG. The measurements
were made away from electrical appliances and reflect primarily the fields from
household wiring and outside power lines.
If you are comparing the information in this chart
with measurements in your own home, keep in mind that this chart shows averages
of measurements taken throughout the homes, not the single highest measurement
found in the home.
The following table, based on data gathered in 1992, lists the
EMF levels generated by common electrical appliances. Magnetic field strength
(magnitude) does not depend on how large, complex, powerful, or noisy the
appliance is. Magnetic fields near large appliances are often weaker than those
near small devices. Appliances in your home may have been redesigned since the
data in the table were collected, and the EMF they produce may differ
considerably from the levels shown here.
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The graph shows magnetic fields produced by electric blankets, including conventional 110-V electric blankets as well as the PTC (positive temperature coefficient) low-magnetic-field blankets. The fields were measured at a distance of about 2 inches from the blanket’s surface, roughly the distance from the blanket to the user’s internal organs. Because of the wiring, magnetic field strengths vary from point to point on the blanket. The graph reflects this and gives both the peak and the average measurement. |
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