Are You Being Electrified?
By Patrick Holford
We are unwittingly living in an increasing “noisy” world,
full of powerful electromagnetic radiation (EMR) fields,
generated by mobile and cordless phones, wireless technology,
personal digital assistants (PDAs), computers, power lines,
mobile phone base stations and other transmitting masts, and
microwave ovens – all of which release a constant bombardment of
EMR.
Don’t get me wrong, I love technology. Having been brought up
on Star Trek, I believe that any technology that can make living
and communicating easier is to be welcomed – but not at the
expense of health. So when microwave ovens, cordless phones, and
mobiles came on the market, I bought them all with barely a
thought to the background noise of concern. But in the past
several years, I’ve read several worrying reports on the
potential hazards of EMR.
I grew so concerned with what I was reading that I did two
things. First, I bought a device called an Electrosmog Detector,
which turns EMR into sound. The louder and dirtier the sound,
the more aggressive the EMR signal. I turned on my microwave
oven and the Electrosmog Detector howled, and only stopped
howling 15 feet away, even if I stood behind a solid brick wall.
Before I entered the room where my cordless phone base is
located, the signal was strong. And close up, it was as strong
as the microwave oven. My mobile phone howled when I turned it
on and it found its signal, and howled every time I made or
received a call – even from several feet away. It was just as
bad when I attached my earpiece and held it close up. Turning
this invisible energy into sound made a huge difference to me.
Next, I did additional research. I read well-respected medical
journals. I looked into safety regulations in a wide variety of
countries, including the UK, the United States, Russia, Sweden,
Switzerland and New Zealand. I also delved into the
technological and biotech publications.
In this report, I’d like to share with you the evidence I have
found for the potentially harmful effects of EMR. Though there
is conflicting evidence on the subject – and there is still much
that we don’t know – I’m concerned about the situation enough to
let you know what you can do to reduce your risk.
Fortunately, there are some simple precautions you can take to
radically reduce your EMR exposure, without substantially
altering your lifestyle.
Understanding the Science
Much like the colour spectrum, there is also a spectrum of
different kinds of electric radiation, going from high frequency
to low frequency. At the high-frequency end, there are gamma
rays in deep space, then x-rays, ultraviolet radiation (UV),
visible light, infrared, microwaves (the stuff that cooks your
dinner and powers your mobile phone), radio waves, then finally
extremely low frequencies (ELFs) that radiate from your computer
and other similar electrical devices. The higher the frequency,
the more energy the signal has, and the greater the potential to
damage you. Hence the danger of gamma rays, x-rays, and UV
radiation.
The frequencies at the lower end of the spectrum (radio waves
and ELF) don’t have the potential to ‘cook’ you in the same way
those at the higher end do – they don’t have the same
penetration power. For example, computers, televisions and other
household gadgets give off ELF, all of which can generate heat
when used for long periods of time. However, there really isn’t
a concern with these appliances, unless you are very close to
them for several hours at a time.
So, what is EMR (electro-magnetic radiation)? Anything that
radiates – from the sun to your radio – has a certain amount of
electricity. This travels as a frequency, and from this
traveling electricity emanates a magnetic field.
While electric radiation is measured in Volts and Watts,
magnetic radiation is measured in microTesla (µT). Throughout
this article, I will be referring to microTesla when discussing
levels of magnetic radiation and Watts when referring to
electric radiation.
What the Researchers are Saying
As long ago as 1990, Dr Neil Cherry – a recognized world expert
in EMR from New Zealand – conducted a large review of all
available research and published a report. This recommended that
power line ELFs be declared a probable carcinogen, and that
microwaves and radio waves be declared possible carcinogens.
In July 2001, the California Health Department issued a major
EMR report for public discussion, citing an added risk of
miscarriage, childhood and adult leukemia, adult brain cancer
and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (a form of motor neuron
disease) as just a few of the health risks associated with
exposure to electric and magnetic fields, such as those that
radiate from power lines. (1)
Similarly, there are several surveys showing that people who
work in environments with high levels of EMR exposure are at
greater risk for breast cancer. One study in particular found
increased breast cancer in women, as well as men, working in the
electrical industry. (2) Other studies have shown that EMR
exposure reduces the effectiveness of the anti-cancer drug
tamoxifen. (3)
While we don’t yet know why EMR is causing these increases in
cancer, most experts agree that there is a correlation. In fact,
three major health organisations – the UK National Radiological
Protection Board Advisory Group on Non-Ionizing Radiation (AGNIR),
the US National Institute on Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) – all
agree that magnetic fields are in fact a possible carcinogen for
humans. Their conclusion is based on the pooled analyses of
large-scale studies which show a doubling of childhood leukemia
risk associated with magnetic field exposures above 0.4 µT. ,
(4, 5)
Mobile Phones and Cancer
Mobile phones are used by 70% of people in Britain. Many report
minor symptoms, such as headaches and brain fog, from frequent
use. If you use it a lot, you can certainly feel the heat. But
is anything more sinister going on? Well, according to a study
published last year in the journal Oncology, there is.
Researchers from the Department of Oncology, University Hospital
in Orebro, Sweden selected 1,617 people who had been diagnosed
with brain cancer, and compared that to a similar number of
people matched for age and anything else relevant. They then
surveyed the two groups for mobile phone use. They found that
those who spent more than an hour a day on a mobile phone
increased their risk of a brain tumour by about 30%. The
greatest risk was found for a particular kind of brain tumour
called an astrocytoma. After comparing the location of the
tumour (left or right side of the brain) with the left or right
side use of mobile phones, researchers found that there was
indeed a connection. Mobile phone users had an 80% higher risk
of having an astrocyte on the side of their head that they most
often held their mobile phone to. They found a comparable 20%
increased incidence in cordless phone users. (6)
A large international case-control study is currently underway,
coordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
It is expected to include 6500 cases of brain tumour from 13
countries, as well as 1000 cases of acoustic neuroma.
Previous animal studies have found an increased risk of cancer.
An experiment at the Royal Adelaide Hospital funded by Telstra,
an Australian phone company, involved mice that were genetically
engineered through a gene tending to increase lymphomas in the
immune system. In one group, 22% developed lymphomas. In another
group of mice, exposed to a mobile phone signal for one hour per
day, the rate of lymphomas increased to 43% – almost double.
Currently, there are 25 patents at the US patent office for
anti-cancer shields for mobile phones, but nobody wants to blow
the whistle before they have to. One patent filed with the US
patent office states “continued exposure to radio frequency
irradiation could lead to a development of malignant tumour”!
Mobile Phones and Other Health Concerns
Most of the studies mentioned earlier are based on old-style
analogue phones. Today, we use more and more digital signals. To
transfer more information faster, the trend is towards using
higher frequencies. To achieve this, masts are being placed
closer and closer to population centres, often on street lamps.
What’s more, the digital signals are pulsed, which may be much
worse for your health.
Let me explain why. Imagine being in either a lit room or a dark
room. No problem with these two scenarios. Now turn the lights
on and off every second. This creates massive biological stress.
Well, the same thing is happening with these digital signals,
and we really have very little idea what effect this is having.
The reason this may be such bad news is that the light-sensitive
cells in your brain can’t tell the difference between light and
microwave signals. Lights turn off melatonin production in the
pineal gland. (Melatonin acts as an antioxidant, cleaning up
your cells and hence reducing cancer risk.).
At night, when there is no light, melatonin production goes up.
If you have a clock radio (which contains a transformer) – or
even worse, a base station for a cordless phone – next to your
bed, your pineal is receiving what it thinks is a light signal.
The net result is worse sleep, less REM dream sleep, and less
health-promoting melatonin.
Of course, these are the more serious and physically measurable
effects. The thin edge of the wedge, so to speak, are effects on
memory and a possible later contribution to Alzheimer’s disease,
fatigue, headaches and suppressed immunity. Roger Coghill, a
committee member of the Institute of Biology from Wales, took
blood from healthy people and exposed their blood to a signal
similar to what one would receive from mobile phone radiation.
He found that white cells became damaged within hours. (7) Rats
exposed to equivalent mobile phone signals have been found to
have neuronal brain damage, suggesting a possible link to
dementia. These effects are less easy to measure and may
accumulate in the long term. However, EMR-sensitive individuals
frequently report these symptoms.
Also of concern is recent evidence linking mobile phone use with
decreased sperm counts in men. Research from the University of
Szeged in Hungary found an average 30% reduced sperm count, and
less health sperm, in frequent mobile phone users compared to
non-users. (8) While the mechanism that would explain this
association isn’t yet known, this does not bode well for men who
carry their mobile phones in their trouser pockets.
What Levels Are Safe?
While some experts do agree that magnetic fields are likely to
be carcinogenic, they don’t agree as to what level of electric
or magnetic exposure is unsafe. Evidence is now accumulating
that exposure to magnetic fields measuring 0.2 microtesla (µT)
could have harmful effects to health. Swedish advisory
authorities recommend no more than this, as do three regions in
Italy. In Switzerland, the limit for new installations and
appliances is 1.0 µT. In Australia, a civil court case against
an energy company led to a court ruling of a limit of 0.4 µT,
due to evidence that levels above this could lead to twice the
number of cases of leukemia.
Professor Denis Henshaw, an expert in EMR from the University of
Bristol in England and advisor to the Human Radiation Effects
Group, recommends a “prudent avoidance of magnetic fields above
0.2 µT.” (9) The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also
endorsed avoiding exposure to elevated levels of EMR, though
they have haven’t committed to a specific level.
All of this is in sharp contrast to the ‘official’ position of
the UK government. The UK National Radiological Board, who
advises the British government, set their limit at 1,600 µT! And
the current European standard for safety is 20,000 µT!
Mobile Phone Mast Regulation
Similar vast differences in safety controls exist for mobile
phone masts. If you compare the allowed power transmission for
equivalent kinds of masts in different countries, Britain and
America are the worst. In the UK, the allowed signal is 5,800
microwatts per cm2. In the US, it’s 580; in Australia, it’s 200;
in New Zealand, it’s 50; in Italy and Russia, it’s 10; in China,
it’s 5; Switzerland is 4; and in Salzburg, Austria, home of many
leading EMR scientists, it’s 0.1!
In Russia, there is a 2000 metre (6560 feet) safety zone around
phone masts, and in New Zealand, they have a 500 metre (1640
feet) buffer around masts where no one is allowed to live. But
in many other countries, the safety zone is much smaller than
this.
Keeping your distance from mobile phone base stations is not
necessarily the safest option however, as according to research
published in the journal Occupational and Environmental
Medicine, the radiation emitted by your phone can be up to 1,000
times greater in isolated, rural locations than in built-up
areas where there are plenty of base stations, as phones seem to
have to work much harder to gain a signal.x (10) This would
suggest that you are better off away from phone masts while not
using your mobile, it is in fact better not to be too remote
when you are making a call.
Mobile Phone Safety Guidelines
The current measure used to classify a mobile phone as ‘safe’ is
called the specific absorption rating (SAR). The SAR level
relates to the intensity of the signal, which is measured as
watts per kilogram (W/kg). This means the amount of electrical
power (Watt) hitting a kilogram of, eg, your brain. Each mobile
phone company has to measure the SAR level of electrical
radiation from their phones. The current control on mobile
phones is 2 W/kg. This is soon likely to be halved, since there
is undeniable evidence for changes in acetylcholine activity in
the brain at about 1.0 W/kg. (Acetylcholine is the key memory
neurotransmitter, so one can reasonably predict that this would
cause learning and memory problems.) However, most of the
experts I’ve spoken to think that a restriction of 0.1 W/kg
across the board would be much more appropriate.
Currently, the best phones on the market have a SAR of less than
0.5. To discover the SAR of your personal phone, visit the
Mobile Operators Association website or call your mobile phone
company.
Check Your Levels
Of course, the big question is, what is your exposure to EMR?
The only real way to find out is to do what I did and get a
device such as an Electrosmog Detector which measures the
electrical power of any signal in a wide range of frequencies
including microwave (that includes mobile phones and other
communication technology) – but don’t expect to hang on to it
for long. My colleagues and friends at work have become serial
borrowers! Within one week, eight people had borrowed my
Electrosmog Detector! One work colleague found a ‘hot spot’ in
their bedroom and traced it to the ceiling. It was coming from
the apartment above! Another found a mobile phone mast on their
street, helping them identify which houses not to buy.
But before you think you’re only safe in a wigwam, magnetic
‘pollution’ is generally only an issue when you are very close
to the source. To put this in context, the average house has a
background magnetic field of 0.04 µT, well below the 0.2 µT that
your mobile phone (when turned on) might score if you hold it
next to your head.
The good news, as least as far as magnetic radiation is
concerned, is that you can cut the effect dramatically by
keeping your distance. As you double the distance you are from
the source, you reduce your exposure to its magnetic field to
less than an eighth of the strength you’d encounter close-up.
That’s why the small field from a computer or TV has little
effect if you can keep some distance. The same is true with a
microwave oven.
If you have a cordless phone base right by your bed or on your
desk at work, you could be exposed to up to 5 µT from pulsed
fields for several hours a day. If you stand three feet away
from a microwave oven when it’s on, you’ll be exposed to 2 µT,
but that’s only short-term exposure. However, that doesn’t take
into account what it’s doing to the food. If your bedroom,
living room, or office is in close proximity to a mobile phone
mast or above-ground power line (especially if there’s a
transformer hanging off the pole), you could be exposed to a
field of up to 10 µT, depending on how close you are.
Unless you happen to live or work over a power line, under a
power pylon, or next to a mobile phone mast, your most likely
sources of EMR radiation are primarily mobile phones and
cordless phones. Professor Lawrie Challis from the University of
Nottingham, an expert used by the government to evaluate risk
from EMR, says radiation exposure from a mast was at most
1/1000th that from mobile phones. In fact, speaking on a mobile
phone for just a few seconds was equivalent to standing in the
direct beam of a mast for 24 hours.
Here’s What You Can Do
In practical terms, what does all this mean for you? You can
wait until everything is known and proven beyond a doubt before
you take action – by which time you will probably have exposed
yourself to years of radiation. Or you can take this seriously
and do a few, simple, common-sense things to protect yourself
from EMR. As a scientist, having spoken to many experts in this
field, I am convinced there is a definite connection between
adverse health effects and EMR, and that we have only seen the
tip of the iceberg. If you agree, here’s what you can do:
- Get an Electrosmog Detector and check out your appliances and
hot spots in your home and office. Don’t buy a new house without
checking it out.
- Place your bed and desk in a low signal area.
- Minimise your use of mobile phones. If possible, save for
emergencies only.
- Buy a mobile with a low SAR rating.
- If you use your phone in the car, install a hands-free unit.
- Make sure your cordless phone base station is neither in your
bedroom or close to where you sit a lot. Ideally, don’t have
one.
- Make sure you are at least 10 feet away from your microwave
oven when it is on.
- Don’t keep a clock radio right by your bed.
- If you spend a lot of time in front of a computer, place the
monitor about two feet or more away from you. Try increasing the
print size on the screen so you can read it from farther away.
For more information on electromagnetic radiation, visit
www.niehs.nih.gov/emfrapid/booklet/basics.htm.
To find out more
about radio waves from mobile phones, cordless phones, etc., go
to
http://www.hpa.org.uk/radiation/understand/at_a_glance/index.htm
Mobile Phone Earpieces
Be very careful when using earpieces that attach to your mobile
phone. If used properly, they can reduce your exposure to EMR.
But if used improperly, they actually increase your risk.
To ensure you are using your earpiece safely, be sure the
earpiece is at least three feet away from your mobile phone. An
easy way to do this is to place the phone on a table or chair
next to you, or on the passenger seat if you are in your car.
This will help to reduce your exposure to the magnetic field.
Make sure the wire is running away from the phone, not running
up the length of your phone (effectively extending in the aerial
that is now hidden in most phones), as you could increase the
EMR up to 300%! The reason for this is that any wire that
conducts electricity to your phone acts as an antenna and
doubles the incoming radiation, as well as the outgoing
information.
High Risk Appliances
The following appliances are likely to be exposing you to EMR.
They are listed from the highest to lowest risk. Their rating is
affected, however, by how close you are to the source.
- Cordless phones, especially the base station
- Mobile phones, with or without earphones
- Electric radio clocks
- Electric blanket (if on)
- Microwave ovens
- Mobile phone masts
- Underground power lines
- TV or computer screens
- Central heating pumps
- Transformers
- Electricity meters
References
- Neutra RR et al. 2002. An evaluation of the possible risks
from electric and magnetic fields (EMFs) from power lines,
internal wiring, electrical occupations and appliances.
California EMF Program.
- Caplan LS et al. 2000. Breast cancer and electromagnetic
fields--a review. Annals of Epidemiology 10(1):31-44.
- Harland JD, Liburdy RP. 1997. Environmental magnetic fields
inhibit the antiproliferative action of tamoxifen and melatonin
in a human breast cancer cell line. Bioelectromagnetics
18(8):555-562.
- Ahlbom et al. 2000. A pooled analysis of magnetic fields and
childhood cancer. British Journal of Cancer 83(5):692-698.
- Greenland et al. 2000. A pooled analysis of magnetic fields,
wire codes and childhood leukemia. Epidemiology 11:624-634.
- Hardell L et al. 2003. Further aspects on cellular and
cordless telephones and brain tumours. International Journal of
Oncology 22(2):399-340.
- Report from the 2000 International Committee for Non-Ionizing
Radiation Protection Conference Proceedings in Ismaning,
Germany.
- Fejes I et al. 2004. Relationship between regular cell phone
use and human semen quality. Paper presented at the European
Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology Annual Meeting,
ESHRE, Berlin.
- Henshaw D. 2002. Does our electricity distribution system
pose a serious risk to public health? Medical Hypotheses
59:39-51
- Kundi M. 2004. Mobile phone use and cancer. Occupational and
Environmental Medicine, 61(6):560-70, 487
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