Want To Know A Little More About Electromagnetic Radiation?

Erm, what’s that now?!

Electromagnetic radiation (EMR) is a form of energy that is all around us. EMR takes many forms such, as radio waves, microwaves, X-rays, gamma rays, ultraviolet, visible light and infrared light. It is a form of non-ionizing radiation which we encounter from electrical and communications equipment that excites matter but structurally doesn’t change it. Despite the whole invisibility thing, different biological effects have been observed for different types of non-ionizing radiation.

There is no evidence to prove that this technology is completely safe or without risks.  Many countries including France, Russia, Israel, India, Italy, China, Poland, Bulgaria and Switzerland, have exposure standards to radiofrequency electromagnetic energy (used in wireless technologies including mobile phones and Wi-Fi) that are one hundred times lower than what is permitted in Australia and the US.¹

According to the Council of Europe, “Waiting for high levels of scientific proof before acting on electromagnetic fields can lead to very high health and economic costs as was the case with asbestos, leaded petrol and tobacco.”²

Wireless internet is different to the frequencies used in radio and TV.

This technology uses a pulsed microwave radiation like mobile phones, except it does so on a continual basis. There is growing concern amongst parents, teachers and scientists about its impact on children to the extent that many schools in the UK, France, Austria and Israel are removing them altogether.¹

According to Nicole Bijlsma,³ a building biologist and author of the best seller – Healthy Home Healthy Family, “Questions about the safety of electromagnetic fields in our homes were first raised by Wertheimer and Leeper in 1979 who associated the incidence of childhood leukaemia with exposure to high voltage transmission lines. Since then there have been a flood of studies on the adverse health effects associated with electromagnetic field exposure typically found in the built environment.

Because of the weight of this evidence, the International Agency for Research on Cancer⁴ classified extra low frequency magnetic fields and radiofrequency electromagnetic fields used in Wi-Fi and telecommunications as Group 2B carcinogen. Had they deemed this technology to be safe and without risks to human health, they would have classified them as Group 4 not a carcinogen, but this was not the case.

Consequently, countries like China, Switzerland, Italy and Russia have set exposure standards well below that recommended by the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection.

Occasional exposure to high electromagnetic fields is not likely to pose a health risk to most people. Exposure to high electric and/or magnetic fields over a long period (such as when sleeping) are when problems are likely to arise.⁴

Adverse health effects that are occurring in people sensitive to this type of radiation include⁵:

• headaches, sleep disturbances and dizziness
• brain fog: poor memory, poor concentration, learning disorders
• heart problems: chest tightness, increased heart rate (tachycardia) and irregular beats (arrhythmias)
• muscle aches and pains, muscle weakness, and other fibromyalgia symptoms
• skin rash, burning sensations, itch, redness

Studies have also looked at links between EMR and:

• Brain tumours
• Alzheimer’s
• Thyroid effects
• Neurodegenerative diseases
• Cancer
• Heart problems
• Reproductive problems.⁵

Bijlsma continues, “Studies on the impact of mobile phones and wireless technology on children bring up ethical and moral dilemmas that few in the scientific community are willing to pursue.”

In addition, apart from the threat of litigation, governments are reluctant to acknowledge adverse health effects because they have completely embraced the technology, in some states making it mandatory for all new school buildings. It is perhaps worth noting that many medical doctors used to advise stressed out patients to smoke, in order to assist relaxation, before being fully cognisant of the side effects. Our governments also budget on the millions of dollars in tax revenue from the communications industry, and they recognise the high consumer demand for technology.

Likewise, the telecommunications industry needs to ensure dividends for its shareholders. We are exposing millions of children to this technology both in our schools and homes every day, and yet there is very little data regarding the effect of this exposure. This was recently acknowledged by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Authority, who in February stated ‘due to the lack of scientific evidence on mobile and cordless phone use by children, we recommend that parents encourage their children to limit their exposure.”²

What Can We Do To Protect Our Children From These Dangers?

Given the evidence, facts and figures above regarding the dangers of too much screen time, what can we do to help our children?

Our families are certainly not immune to the demands of our “plugged in” world, however there is a way to strike a balance. In the Well Fed Kids App, we go through A 6 Step Process for Screenoholic Families, with strategies and solutions to help your family get over screen addiction ☺. Sometimes we all lose our way or our children stretch the boundaries, and we must circle back to the ground rules and mark our scent again.

Make sure you also see our related blogs below.

 

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Yours in Health,

Jennifer Barham-Floreani
(Bach. Chiropractic, Bach. App Clinical Science
Registered internationally, no longer practicing as a chiropractor in Australia.)

 
 

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