In this 6-part series, I look into some recent science in the field of health and wellness. As a clinical naturopath I read so much research and want to share with you some highlights. Happy Reading!
Long-term exposure to electromagnetic fields could be making you sick
Technologies we rely on in today’s world – electricity, the internet, phones, radio, television, any smart technology and even baby monitors – could be making you sick.
They all emit a type of electromagnetic radiation via an electromagnetic field (EMF) – an environmental ‘pollution’ that some researchers are saying could account for many of today’s common health conditions.
What’s more, the levels will continue to increase as technology advances. According to the World Health Organisation, “…even a small health consequence from EMF exposure could have a major public health impact”.
Reference: WHO (2015) Electromagnetic fields: What are Electromagnetic fields – summary of health effects. http://www.who.int/peh-emf/about/WhatisEMF/en/index1.html
We don’t know the impact of long-term exposure to low-level EMF
We know that low-level EMF does affect us biologically: exposure to EMF can heat our bodies. Think about when you hold a mobile phone close to your ear for too long. However, these effects are said to be low, and to date, no adverse health effects from low-level exposure to radiofrequency or power frequency fields have been confirmed.
However, we still don’t know the impact of long-term exposure to low-level EMF.
According to the World Health Organisation, “Human health studies are very good at identifying large effects, such as a connection between smoking and cancer. Unfortunately, they are less able to distinguish a small effect from no effect at all…In fact, even if a large study shows no association we can never be entirely sure that there is no relationship. The absence of an effect could mean that there really is none. But just as well it could mean that the effect is simply undetectable with our method of measurement.”
Reference: WHO (2015) Electromagnetic fields: What are Electromagnetic fields – summary of health effects. http://www.who.int/peh-emf/about/WhatisEMF/en/index2.html
The quality of your electricity matters
Poor-quality electric power in your home, school and workplace could be making you sick.
TVs, computers, dimmer switches, compact fluorescent bulbs, motors, and many other devices don’t use this power cleanly. Modern devices are designed to save energy, and they do this by turning on and off rapidly – thousands, tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of times per second.
These high-frequency deviations caused by the arcing and sparking of electrical devices is also known as dirty electricity.
Dirty electricity is said to be stressful for the body and can wreak havoc on our health. For example, studies have linked dirty electricity to cancer, diabetes, asthma, and even behavioural and learning problems in children.
References:
1. Havas M (2002) Intensity of electric and magnetic fields from power lines within the business district of 60 Ontario communities. Sci Total Environ 298(1–3): 183–206.
2. Havas M (2006) Electromagnetic hypersensitivity: biological effects of dirty electricity with emphasis on diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Electromagn Biol Med 25(4): 259–268.
3. Havas M (2008) Dirty electricity elevates blood sugar among electrically sensitive diabetics and may explain brittle diabetes. Electromagn Biol Med 27(2): 135–146.
4. Havas M, and Olstad A (2008) Power quality affects teacher wellbeing and student behavior in three Minnesota Schools. Sci Total Environ 402(2–3): 157–162
5. Milham S, and Morgan LL (2008) A new electromagnetic exposure metric: high frequency voltage transients associated with increased cancer incidence in teachers in a California school. Am J Ind Med 51(8): 579–586.
The long-term effects of mobile phone use
The largest retrospective case-control study on adults to date, INTERPHONE, collected data from 14,000 adults about mobile phone use, other exposures to RF radiation, and other factors conceivably related to brain cancer between 2000–2005. The study was funded by the European Union and health agencies in 13 countries.
It found no increased risk of glioma or meningioma with mobile phone use of more than 10 years. However, there were some indications of an increased risk of glioma for the heaviest users. As a result, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies electromagnetic fields produced by mobile phones as “possibly carcinogenic to humans”.
Because many cancers are not detectable until years after the interactions that led to the tumour, and since mobile phones were not widely used until the early 1990s, there is still a question mark over the potential long-term effects of mobile phone use.
Research cannot rule out the possibility of phone radio frequency causing tumours in the head after 10–20 years of use.
Reference: International Agency for Research on Cancer (2012) The Interphone Study. http://interphone.iarc.fr
