Personal EMF Protection - Is this Necessary?

As wireless technology continues to infiltrate all aspects of daily living, unless one lives in remote areas far from city centres, our exposure to EMFs has become ubiquitous.

In single-unit dwelling homes, we have a little more control and choice over what EMF sources, if any, we are willing to put up with.  Unfortunately, this is not the case as we venture outside our own homes.

Consumer demand for connectivity everywhere has resulted in the installation of many more powerful local wireless transmitters and receivers, and now hundreds of thousands of rooftop, pole-mounted and tower transmitters (antennas) are placed in close proximity to private homes, apartments, schools, office buildings, retail and recreation areas. “Free WiFi” is commonly advertised to attract customers at bars, restaurants, hotels and coffee shops. Wireless routers in public spaces are very powerful because they are intended to power many smartphones, laptops or tablets simultaneously.

Modern cars are increasingly equipped with wireless sensors, Bluetooth, WiFi and electric components.  Public transit, buses, trains and airplanes are now equipped with WiFi.  Not to mention the WiFi-enabled smartphones, tablets and laptops that passengers turn on during the commute.

Protecting our energy fields as we go about interacting with the community at large is thus no longer a luxury, but becoming a necessity.  Below we call out some of the most common high sources of EMFs outside the home and share strategies to protect your wellbeing.

Sources of EMFs outside our Homes

Today, environmental Radio Frequency (RF)-EMF exposure in indoor environments comes from:

• outdoor sources such as the signals from broadcast transmitters in the area (radio or television broadcasting) or signals from cellular base stations
• indoor sources, such as signals from mobile and cordless phones, FM radio, signals from indoor base stations (i.e., 5G femtocells), laptops, tablets, smart TVs or other wireless communication services such as Wi-Fi or local WSNs, among others.

A survey of the latest research assessing the public’s relative RF-EMF exposure in various micro-environments has shown that:

1. RF-EMF exposure is higher outside the home.
2. Not surprisingly, exposure to RF-EMF is higher in urban areas compared to rural/suburban areas.
3. RF-EMF exposure levels were highest in cars and public transport - trains, taxi, bus, followed by outdoor and private indoor environments.
4. At outdoor sites, especially in city centers, exposure levels were substantially higher than in private homes and schools.
5. Across public indoor environments, the highest level of total exposure was found in offices and public transport stations, e.g., train stations.
6. Similar levels of RF-EMF exposure occurred in public settings such as educational buildings (schools, universities), libraries, and shopping malls.

EMFs in the Car and on the Road

"EMFs in a car in motion with brakes applied + ABS activation may well exceed 100 mG. Adding RF radiation from bluetooth, Wi Fi, the cell phones of the passengers, the 4G antennas laid out all along the major roads plus the radars of cars already equipped with, located behind, left or right of a vehicle,the total EMF and EMR fields will exceed any limits humans can tolerate over a long period of time."

Dr. Theodore P. Metsis
Dipl.Eng., M.Sc.(Eng.), Ph.D.
Mechanical, Electrical, Environmental Engineer

In modern cars, the electronic dashboard is the basic source of high-frequency radiation. Radio frequencies are used in a number of applications: electronic security system, ad-hoc vehicle network, dedicated short-range communication, GPRS / GSM / GPS localization systems, Bluetooth, WiFi and other vehicle control systems.

Electric vehicles pose additional EMF exposure risks. In electric vehicles, passengers sit very close to an electric system of significant power, usually for a considerable amount of time. The relatively high currents used in these systems and the short distances between the power devices and the passengers mean that the latter could be exposed to significant levels of EMFs.

Another major source of radiation that does not come directly from the vehicle but is very often used in vehicles is the cell phone. Research has now shown that use of a cell phone inside your car can amplify and increase the radiation levels by up to ten times. When inside a metal enclosure such as a car, train or bus, RF Radiation gets trapped inside the conductive walls, creating what is scientifically called a Faraday cage.  Simply put, conductive surroundings act as concentrating reflectors like the cooking cavity of a microwave oven.

Do I Need Personal EMF Protection When On-The-Go?