Is Exposure to EMF Harmful?
by James Finn ©2022
(Please note: This article was written in ©2021.)
The short answer is “Yes.” Currently, there are more than 11,000 peer-reviewed studies* on the biological effects of non-ionizing radiation.
The FCC has guidelines for exposure to radio frequencies, at three frequency ranges, for Occupational Safety at 6-minutes and for General Public Safety at 30-minutes of exposure. Still, it does not have guidelines for continuous exposure for extended periods beyond 30-minutes. We believe that having such an incomplete health assessment of electromagnetic exposure needs to be looked into since we are all receptors of continuous and countless human-engineered electromagnetic field radiation without a single study on long-term exposure risks.
Our US Government provides a safety guideline for exposure to 1,000 mG of AC Magnetic Field Radiation at 60 Hz - 299 kHz. (Note: no time period of exposure is set as of today.) 1,000 mG seems to be an arbitrary level someone picked out of thin air. Especially since much lower levels can cause electronics to malfunction, several peer-reviewed studies prove that much lower exposure levels can cause harm.
The FCC’s Occupational Safety exposure of 6-minutes and General Public exposure of 30-minutes to Electric Fields (V/m) and Magnetic Fields (A/m) covers the frequencies from 300 kHz - 300 MHz.
The US Government needs to take the lead regarding health and safety concerns for the people of the United States. Our safety standards for electromagnetic radiation exposure should not be “dead last” worldwide, and we should not rank 36th in health care worldwide. As my dad would often rhetorically ask, rest his soul, ”What good is it to have wealth if you do not have your health?”
A good start would be for our government to provide actual safety legal limits and not use non-committal “guidelines” for US citizens’ health and safety. The US Government also needs to conduct an honest survey study on the irresponsible safety exposure level of 1,000 mG of AC magnetic fields and set definitive legal safety limits for various time intervals of exposure such as 6 minutes, 30 minutes, 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, one week, one year, and ten years, for all parts of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Unfortunately, the levels that constitute “too much” exposure are still considered a controversial topic. Most of you who know me know that I may know more about the molecular biophysics mechanisms of electromagnetism than anyone you will ever meet. (Understanding the physics of electromagnetism and my inquisitiveness contribute to why I have been a successful EMI Consultant.) Relatively small levels of non-ionic radiation affect the electrons within an atom. An electron may not be extricated from the atom via non-ionizing radiation, but its spectral lines and quantum orbit can be affected. If non-ionic radiation had no effects, we would not need EMI/EMC labs to test new products’ susceptibility and compatibility.
Aesthetic or something else? Photograph Copyright ©2018. All rights reserved.
A rooftop worker can have nausea and vertigo from walking too close to an RF antenna, yet there are no RF safety standards in America, only guidelines. Even China and Russia have safety standards, as do Germany, France, and most of the civilized world. In non-ionizing radiation and public health, America ranks dead last.
Look at the link addresses below, and decide whether or not you should consider becoming aware of your exposure to electromagnetic radiation.
Read everything you can find, both pros and cons, but notice the exposure duration times and the magnitude levels with the corresponding measurement units applied for each study.
While reading a study consider if the subjects were silicon models or living organisms.
Are the scientists only testing for the heating effects and electrical conduction/induction on the skin, or were they monitoring calcium ion motility, Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels, red and white blood cell counts, mitochondrial response, cellular polarity, DNA mutation, EEG patterns, EKG patterns, SpO² blood-oxygen levels, behavioral responses, etc.?
Finally, consider the test subjects' sample size, age, gender, and relative health.
https://buildingbiologyinstitute.org/free-fact-sheets/
https://bioinitiative.org/table-of-contents/
https://mdsafetech.org/
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/468891
* 11,000+ peer-reviewed studies are part of the ongoing Environmental Health Trust vs. FCC evidence. You can listen to the first day in court here: https://www.courtlistener.com/audio/74208/environmental-health-trust-v-fcc/