Are EMFs on Your Radar?
Are EMFs on Your Radar?
Devices that make our lives easier may not be good for us in the longrun
Sometimes, after I assert an annoying mom reminder to my son, Alessio, I wonder if he’s tuning me out. “Don’t carry that phone in your pocket if you want to have kids!” “Put your phone down while you eat!” “Leave your phone downstairs at night so it’s away from your head!”
But after a split second, I think, “I don’t care if he’s tired of my harping…” I will keep espousing the critical life habits I believe will serve him well in adulthood, which—I’m gobsmacked to say—is right around the corner.
So, what am I ringing alarm bells about? Electromagnetic fields or EMFs. If you aren’t familiar with it, you may want to put this on your radar. I’ll venture to say—for better or for worse—with every passing year, they will play a more significant role in our lives, and the alarms will ring louder. The possible pitfalls associated with EMFs are definitely something I’m acutely aware of. While I’m not an alarmist, there are carry-over ramifications of these modern-day conveniences that we should keep tabs on.
Omnipresent fields
EMFs are a vast net that encompasses a broad spectrum, from high-frequency EMFs such as X-rays and CT scans, low- to mid-frequency EMFs such as microwaves, hair dryers, appliances in general, power lines, and MRIs; extremely low-frequency EMFs including electrical wiring and personal care devices like electric shavers and electric blankets; and radiofrequency radiation emitted from wireless devices such as cell phones, tablets, laptops as well as radio and tv signals, and radar and satellite stations.
If I were to list everything we come in contact with on an hourly basis that emits an EMF of some kind, first, it would be a never-ending list, and second, it would convey that we are literally, physically enveloped in EMFs at every step and turn. Comparing our lives today to how our ancestors lived a hundred years ago begs the question: Do any or all of these extremely low- to high-level EMFs (and everything in between) have an effect on us? And could it possibly be harmful?
The scientific community appears to have differing thoughts and disagreements about the dangers of these electromagnetic energies. They agree on extreme situations, such as medical devices like X-ray imaging and CT scans emitting ionizing radiation that can damage DNA or cells. I’m sure you’ve noticed the radiologists and technicians stand in another room or behind protective barriers.
The division among experts comes with everyday devices, the seemingly innocuous cell phones, tablets, computers, wearables, smart lightbulbs, and the omnipresent Alexa and Siri. Although numerous small studies have demonstrated possibly higher cancer rates among cell phone users, the many confounding variables preclude conclusive results. So, as of now, there is no definitive, rock-solid answer in the eyes of the researchers, which should make us even that much more cautious.
Anecdotal small data
Small data number one. I have a snapshot memory from about ten years ago that had a tremendous impact on my thinking. My husband and I were moving our design firm from a small office to a larger space on the second floor of a three-story building and were meeting with Randy, our trusted IT guy, to strategize how to network all the computer stations to the main server. I naively thought wireless would be the way to go. Silly me.
Randy laid out his case for the much more expensive and intensive route of hardwiring all the connections to the network. He pulled out his cell phone, went to the wi-fi network settings, and showed us over 20 possible wireless networks in our immediate area from the offices above, below, and beside. Those invisible signals crisscrossed all around us, imperceivably interrupting each other and weakening the overall connections. My mind's eye immediately painted a vivid visual of us all entangled in an eerie turquoise electromagnetic web. If these signals were disrupting each other, what was happening to us? That was an indelible image...
Small data number two. In our kitchen, we have an iPad connected via Bluetooth to a small speaker on the counter directly across from the microwave nook. Although I rarely use it, my husband warms his cup of coffee, which has cooled to lukewarm. One day, while he was waiting through the sixty seconds, he noticed the music was cutting in and out. The microwave was interrupting the speaker’s iPad signal. That’s quite alarming!
Now, after he closes the oven door and hits the power button, he quickly moves far, far away from the unseeable energy discharging, which isn’t a bad idea for the kitchen in general. Although I love being in our kitchen, which is the heart of our house, appliances like refrigerators generate EMF fields, which I should be more mindful of.
Small data number three. I came across an unfortunate article last year about an 8-fold increase in thoroughbred racing horse deaths (from 1.25 deaths for every 1,000 horses starting a race to 12 deaths in 1600 starts) at Churchill Downs in 2023. According to news reports: “Official inquiries have found nothing either on the track or in the horses’ general health to explain such a dramatic rise in mortality. The only thing that has changed is the fitting of a wireless monitoring device to each horse.”
These monitoring devices were put in the cloth underneath the saddle, against the body, and communicated with GPS satellites. It is hypothesized that the radio frequencies may have been absorbed in the horses’ bodies, conducted by their metal shoes, which only served to compound the problem. A similar issue arose at a horse farm, which experienced devastation when radio towers were erected nearby.
All small, but notable data.
Common sense measures
Until overwhelming scientific evidence prompts safety measures (which may take a while), I’ll trust my gut and exercise common sense. Take wireless earbuds, for example. I’ve heard brilliant, cutting-edge neuroscientists who swear these gizmos are safe…these technological marvels that receive a signal in one bud and make the connection to the other bud through the brain…the exposure is imperceptible, no danger…yada yada… and I think to myself, “yes, until it isn’t.”
I’m not casting aspersions on “experts” or implying that they lie to us. In truth, I believe it’s too early in the product life cycle to know. Historically, there have been an array of seemingly innocent products that were later revealed to be very dangerous…the unthinkable Thalidomide disaster from the 1950s and 60s being an extreme case. I see researchers and doctors as fallible human beings who mean well but could be wrong in a decade or two.
Exposure is cumulative. The imperceivable here and the minuscule there all add up like tiny marbles filling a jar to the brim. My instincts tells me it’s not a good thing to send a signal through the brain for long periods of time, year after year. The small data supporting my thinking is that many health and wellness doctors and scientists I listen to wear corded headsets for podcasts and interviews…I think they know something.
I’m also making a concerted effort to mitigate my daily exposure to various devices. I don’t carry a cell phone next to my body, I use the speaker phone or headsets so it’s not next to my head, I leave it downstairs at night, and I have not crossed over to using smart home devices…be it light bulbs or assistants. Basically, we try to avoid any device that has to transmit a signal to something else.
Along with mitigating use and unnecessary exposure, you can employ various physical precautions that purport to neutralize EMFs by reflecting, absorbing, and attenuating electromagnetic waves. These precautions range from simple and accessible items like cellphone sleeves, laptop pads, stickers, special clothing, and copper jewelry to exorbitant copper coils, crystals, and even a silver mesh bed canopy for nearly a thousand dollars.
Personally, I haven’t bought any of these yet. Too many choices tend to stymie me—paralysis by analysis. However, I plan to do a deep dive into the research that purports to support some of these items. Stay tuned!
Mitigate to thrive
There may never be irrefutable evidence of the dangers the ubiquitous devices and appliances pose in isolation because cumulative exposure cannot be quantifiably measured. What we know for sure is that the well-being of our cells controls our health and longevity. Further, it is settled science that concentrated exposure like X-rays damages our DNA and cells.
In my estimation, it’s not a stretch to believe that long-term exposure to varying degrees of EMFs will disrupt the function of our cells in some way that could have harmful side effects, impacting our health and longevity. I believe it’s essential to mitigate these risks in our long-term quest to live well, age great.