My Services_ EMF Inspections

MY SERVICES EMF INSPECTIONS

Throughout this site, I plainly warn of the negative biological health effects scientists and doctors have shown to be a natural consequence of the electromagnetic radiation soup we live in everyday. I also plainly say that this radiation is not apparent to almost all of us because it is invisible to the human eye. The consequence of this “out-of-sight, out-of-mind” mindset is that many consumers can’t even entertain the notion that these electromagnetic fields exist within their home, let alone be harmful. And who can blame them? Only a few of the most electromagnetically sensitive can feel when they are in harms way, symptoms of over exposure (e.g., headache, fatigue) are rarely severe at first, and the reward of instant untethered access to the whole wide world is very beguiling. But for those who are curious or concerned, the very first step in understanding the extent of the electro-pollution in your home is to have a professional measure EMFs using special meters and compare those readings to generally accepted exposure guidelines for health and safety. The meters are key to “making the invisible, visible” as my colleague Rob Metzinger at Safe Living Technologies likes to say. Bacteria and germs were first identified by Antonie Van Leeuwenhoe in 1676, a Dutch textile merchant, now considered to be the father of modern microbiology. He discovered red blood cells and sperm, and he hand-made over 500 microscopes so he could examine things he was interested in researching but could not see with his naked eye or a magnifying glass. Subsequent scientists could not match the resolution and clarity of Leeuwenhoek's microscopes, so his discoveries were doubted or even dismissed. Fast forward a couple hundred years—that’s right 200 years—and a Hungarian physician named Ignaz Semmelweis working in Vienna becomes interested in learning why so many new mothers and their babies are dying shortly after giving birth. Further, he notices that women under the care of doctors and medical students in the maternity ward are dying at twice the rate of those cared for by midwives. Turns out the doctors typically spent their mornings assisting students with autopsies before performing deliveries in the afternoon, while the midwives spent their days only in the ward. If you are reluctant to believe that electromagnetic radiation exists or that our modern wireless technologies are making some of us sick, consider this parable….. THE FATHER OF MICROBIOLOGY

Semmelweis hypothesized that “cadaverous particles”—or in the language of Van Leeuwenhoek, “animalcules”—were being transferred from cadavers to maternity ward. From that experience the washing of hands before operations or surgeries eventually becomes regular or even mandatory for doctors as science such as Louis Pasteur’s germ theory—as well as better microscopes—first hypothesized then confirmed the existence of bacteria and deadly pathogens in our daily lives. This story teaches that we really cannot treat or even understand until we SEE, and I appreciate how that is especially true when it comes to EMFs. So if you don’t believe wireless can make you sick because you just can’t see them, I sure don’t think you’re crazy, but I ask that you do me a favor. Get a meter or hire a professional to measure your home and see if your EMF levels exceed the safety limits beyond which scientists have shown to cause harm. 1. Electric Fields. Common sources of electric fields are your household wiring, lamps and lighting, and power cords/ power strips. Those fields are proportional to your home’s voltage and always there regardless of whether the appliance or lamp or device at the end of that cord or circuit is turned on; 2. Magnetic Fields. When we turn on an appliance or light or device, electricity flows through a wire and (as per high school physics) produces magnetic fields that propagate outward in all directions. Common sources of magnetic fields are electric motors, transformers used to power electronics/ smart appliances/ solar panels, faulty household wiring, phone or laptop chargers, and high-voltage power lines; 3. Radio Frequency Fields. The most common source of this electromagnetic pollutant in the home is anything wireless. Bluetooth, cordless phones, cell phones including 5G, and all Wi-Fi devices emit EMF radiation—the same radiation used by your microwave oven (which by the way has no place in a modern home); and 4. Dirty Electricity. A new home today typically uses numerous variable speed motors and electronic controllers in an attempt to save energy. In everything from LED light bulbs to dimmer switches to HVAC controllers to photovoltaic inverters, these items are designed to save energy by chopping the flow of electricity thousands of times per second. But in so doing, these devices transform a normally smooth sine wave of electrical current into a prickly collection of transient voltage spikes that researchers now know can affect our human health. EMF INSPECTIONS An EMF inspection typically measures four types of EMFs that can cause biological harm:

My homes avoid using this equipment and have special filters to filter out any remaining “dirty power”.

I can understand anyone’s reluctance to conduct an EMF audit of their home given that accurate meters can cost thousands and hiring someone for a home visit can cost up to a thousand dollars just on its own. But doing so is the absolute first step to making your home truly healthy.

RELATED HEALTH THREATS

Have we faced other related health threats in our homes before? Indeed I think we have, twice.

 When natural gas was first considered as a fuel source in our homes for cooking and heating in the early 20 th century, it was considered too dangerous given the fire and explosion risks this highly flammable substance posed. The solution? Add an odorant that could be easily detected in cases of leakage or mishandling. (If only there was a “sniff test” for EMFs); and  Radon is a colorless, odorless radioactive gas that is present in almost all soils and if inhaled at certain concentrations over prolonged periods of time, leads to lung cancer. Its danger as a potential public health threat was not known until the mid-1980s at which point test protocols and lab kits and remediation guidelines were developed to test for it and mitigate. In Illinois, homeowners can fill out disclosures to reveal any knowledge of radon, and buyers can make their purchase of a property contingent on conducting their own radon tests. The two cases above offer a blueprint for how we can make the invisible visible and systematically reduce our collective electro-pollution. It starts with awareness and acknowledging that electromagnetic radiation represents a real public health threat that we can solve only by deploying safer wired technologies and taking the following steps: 1. Acknowledge the problem. Organize neighbors and political leaders to delay any further community deployment of wireless technologies until proven safe. 5G represents not just a newer version of what we have now, instead it is an entirely new technology with new frequencies, new antennae, new communication protocols and a vastly greater number of emitting devices boot-strapped onto our existing wireless networks. None of this is natural or has ever been tested on humans before; 2. Conduct an EMF inspection. Take measurements within your home to determine the extent of your own EMF exposure. Accurate testing equipment can cost as much as many thousands of dollars, so you might consider hiring someone trained in Building Biology who has the equipment, the know-how of where and how to test, and the experience to accurately interpret and explain the results; A BLUEPRINT FOR MAKING THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE

3. Decide on a game plan to remediate your home. This process can happen over a period of days or weeks or even years depending on the extent of the problem and the resources required to correct. Typically a remediation plan begins with getting rid of any high-emitting devices like a wireless router and replacing with safer wired devices as you have the money and time to do so. But it might also include steps like adding shielding materials or shielding paint, installing dirty power filters, or hiring an electrician to conduct an electrical audit of your home’s wiring and make changes to your home’s wiring system to reduce EMFs to acceptable levels; 4. Once you know your readings, consider repeating the inspection whenever you feel a change has taken place (e.g. a new neighbor next door, a change in smart meters, installing 5G in your neighborhood for the first time, etc.); 5. If and when you move, insist that the Seller of the next home you purchase offer EMR disclosures or offer you the chance to do your own EMR assessment. Sometimes your biggest EMF exposure can come from an adjacent home, or from a smart meter used to measure gas, water, or electrical usage. And finally: 6. Let’s insist that our Real Estate Boards make EMR inspections mandatory for every home sale—as part of the home inspection that is already required for many real estate transactions.

I will soon be set up to do these inspections. In the meantime I can refer you to a fellow Building Biologist who can also provide that service.