We measured EMF in our home

[norcalmom]

I had an electric engineer come to our home and measure EMFs - Electtical, Magnetic and Radio Frequencies (RF is wireless). He said about half of his business is Lyme patients. Klinghardt is big on eliminating or lowering these fields, but I think they are in the news enough that everyone is at least aware that there may be some health issues associated with them at certain levers (but no one can determine the levels, or what issues they are definitely linked to). WHO release a cautionary statement on it last -spring(?).

 

I did a very quick search to print some stuff for DH - who is REALLY the person I had the engineer coming for. I was pretty sure I cold easily implement with very little impact to our lives - what should be done as precaution - but DH is in the technology industry and is a geek that likes his gear, so calling in someone that he can talk to (since when I say the exact same thing it doesn't count for some reason!) was the way to go.

 

Here is a study that came up when searching EMF and immune system -

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6611321

 

The levels tests - according to the abstract - are LOWER that the published safety standards.

 

For RF - Wireless -

Here's what we learned for our home - our wireless router - easiest solution is to turn it off at night. Also - we are moving it away from DS's shared wall with my DH's office. We are mainly wired, so we don't use the wireless much (DH switched this all back to wired after getting tiered of doing the tech support for printing and other issues for the 4 computers in the house).

 

Move any phone base station to a room or area in the house that is at least 10 feet from where you often sit or sleep. The base station for Cordless home phone is always ON. It is always emitting signals. Unlike cell phones - because the cell phone manufacturers are concerned about battery life. The base station - is not the same as the charging station, or even the phone, and its the base station that is the offender. The phome itself is receiving.

 

Our small changes will take our levels from .87 (room high) and .227 (bed) down to almost nothing by simply turning off wireless at night. I'm going to ask if we can put it on a timer. DH is also going to move it to other end of room.

 

Magnetic

We had very low magnetic fields in our home - so that wasn't an issue. Thats more an effect from where you live, than what you have in your house.

 

Electric Fields

This engineer used to work for a company that made electric blankets (before that E engineer for Kodak)- and the info he got on that job in tyring to make safer electric blankets is how he got into doing this as a profession a decade ago. He doens't have Lyme, or any illness, so he's very unbiased. Some of the big things were very easy. Here is what we are doing for DS's bedroom and the resulting measeurments (measured as volt on skin)

For DS's bed -

Original measurement was 2.3

There was a power strip behind his bed area - about a foot to the side, or the bed on the ground. That had alarm clock plugged in. Unpluggin alarm clock from it did - almost nothing. Unplugging the powestrip - louvered the reading to 1.4 !

There are wires in all of our walls. Sheilding the ones only behind DS's bed - about a 7 foot buy 4 foot high area - (we did this by using a piece of fabric-like material that we grounded) lowered it to .25 - we did this with a little trial and error - and moving the fabric around. Most wires go up and over windows, but ours are down low - under the window to get to the next outlet. We are buying a graphite based paint - which will need to be grounded - to paint that section of the wall.

 

He gives you a chart with all the different levels according to different sources for Magnetic, Electric and RF.

For exmaple -

Average Level in Homes for EF is .5 to 2.0, Average for RF is .00001 to .5

Gneral Public precaustionarey Levels - EF 1.0 (and .5 for sleep area) and RF is .01

EMF Hypersensitivity Advice - EF is .1 and RF is .001 or less.

 

We won't be getting down to the Hypersentivity advice levels. Most of that data comes from Various reports he has compliles, thats why there is a range for some of the levels. There are others on his list - "Lowest levels linked to Cancer"," Bioinitiive report", and the "FCC guidelines") they come from industry studies and recommendations. He said the most convincing reports are not linking to causing cancers - but for those recovering from cancer. I guess its easier to do a study on that group. And the probably of full recovery is better if you lower your EMFs way down.

 

The computer area and Game boy/playstaion area were not bad. We already have wired headphones - he said that is the way to go. And we have a some controller that is wireless and RF - we have it wired, but the wireless is also always emitting, so we are swiching to one that is only wired.

 

He is in Santa Rosa CA. But he does work remotely - he can rent the meters and you can take your own measurements. And he does phone consultations. If you do it yourself, I'd recommend asking to rent some of the material (and a GROUND for it - does not work unless GROUNDED). You can't just paint or otherwise sheild a room - you may be increasing the fields - because the materials reflect back the waves. You can do the "netting" - the "sanctuary" it is called - and hang it around the bed. When you lay down - your body acts like an antenna - so the readings are very different than standing. Also, and metal bedframe or boxsrping is an antenna...

 

I'm sure there are other people that do this. The medical buildings with MRIs and other types of medical and commercial buildings have need of this type of consultant. For us it was worth it for him to come out.

 

I wish I had it done when the kids were there - it would have been GREAT. The meters are pretty cool - one emits a noise like a gieger counter and you have to hold it and lay down, stand up / move around - then see the effect on the readings with the material between you and the source. I'd say age 10 and up would appreciated it, but beware that it may take more time to answer kid questions, and you pay by the hour! He was in our house for 2.5 hours. We did one office, one bedroom, a play room (where the Xbox is) and a really quick sweep of the kitchen family/and my daughters room - but didn't do all the meters in the kitchen and daughters room because not near anything. (although the TV in family room has wireless speak that emits a bit).

 

HIs website is emfcenter.com