EMF Testing for health has become increasingly popular around the world. Several retail companies such as Safe Living Technologies, LessEMF, Amazon, Grainger, and others sell consumer-level (amateur) meters, which are easy to use for obtaining a general sense of one’s exposure.

These meters can range from $150 to about $2,000. Should you buy one?

The answer is: yes, and no. It depends on your needs.

If you want a general sense of whether you are moving closer or further from a strong field your meter is designed to measure, then yes. The numbers you read on the meter will only be a reference to compare with other readings you have taken, but the meter will help you learn.

Most consumer-level meters tend not to be accurate at all. Many can not be calibrated. Some “manufacturer-calibrated” meters tend not to hold their calibration very long. Their calibrations certainly will not last one year. This quality of meters can provide readings ranging from 2-20 times higher or lower than the actual amplitudes.

Some more expensive manufacturer-calibrated meters can hold their original calibration for several years, such as the Gigahertz Solutions meters used by many of the members of the Building Biology® Institute. (Note: We have not yet found an ISO 9001 calibration lab in the USA that can provide an ISO 17025 calibration for the Gigahertz Solutions NFA1000. Consequently, we can only use these excellent Near-Field Analyzers in limited applications. We use higher-tier professional equipment for verifiable measurements required in official reports.)

Suppose you need numbers to send your building manager, local power company, town board, or anyone else you need to take action. In that case, a manufacturer-calibrated meter will not be sufficient. (But, even if you had a professional meter, it could still provide inaccurate results unless you are appropriately trained to use it and know how to measure and assess an electromagnetic field correctly.)

So, what is a professional EMF meter?

Well, here again, it depends on your needs. If you are taking general measurements to provide some remediation, a NIST (National Institute of Standards) certified-calibrated meter will ensure that your meter is accurate enough to use as a reference. This means that your meter was compared to another one that was traceable to a NIST-calibrated meter. The meter used to calibrate your meter may not have been the original NIST calibrated meter, and that original meter may no longer be NIST calibrated either. This is why you must ensure your meter is NIST-certified by an ISO 17025 or ISO 9001 lab.

These ISO 17025 and 9001 labs are inspected annually, and their calibration tools are tested and calibrated by a licensed inspector. The people calibrating your meters are also vetted and approved as competent.

So, now, is your meter a professional meter?

Perhaps, but not necessarily for all needs.

Suppose you need measurements that demand professional-level accuracy for replicable studies, verifiable reports, and high-risk measurements. In that case, you need an accredited ANSI/NCSL Z540-1 or ISO 17025 certified-calibrated tool.

And, if you need readings to send to your building manager, condo board, local power company, township trustees, science or engineering staff, or anyone else whom you need to appeal for action, then you will need a meter certified-calibrated to the ISO 17025 standard and hire someone who can measure correctly and submit a bullet-proof report.

The difference between a NIST-certified reference meter and an ISO 17025 or ANSI/NCSL Z540-1 certification, other than the ensured quality of the calibration lab, is the rigorous and detailed level of testing these meters undergo and the detail of the certification testing reported results. These reports will provide accuracy at either dB +/- or the percentage of accuracy for each frequency the tool is calibrated and/or the levels of power it measured at these frequencies.

Depending on the build quality, functional capabilities, and accuracy, professional meters like those we use at Elexana cost ten-of-thousands of dollars each. And, each year, we spend well beyond $10,000 in calibration costs.

Suppose you intend to hire an “expert” to provide you with professional-level numbers. In that case, you need someone who is properly trained to measure, has several years of measuring experience and brings ANSI/NCSL Z540-1 or ISO 17025 certified-calibrated equipment with up-to-date certificates.

ANSI, IEEE, ISO/IEC, CISPR, EN, CEN, CENELEC, and ETSI standards recommend up-to-date certified-calibrated certificates included within final reports or made available upon request, or your report may not be counted on for accuracy; therefore, rendered as unreliable. The report would certainly not hold up for accreditation or verifiability.

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