As wireless technology becomes increasingly ingrained in the daily habits of people worldwide, questions of negative potential health effects have also been raised. While industrial manufacturers of wireless EMF producing products, and their allies in science, have repeatedly declared these products “safe,” serious questions remain in the scientific community as to what effects, both long term and short term, using EMP producing products such as cell phones, Wifi routers, smart meters, bluetooth devices, and even the electrical grid itself might have on the human population.
In this article I’ll cover some of what is known about the potential adverse health effects of wireless devices.
Are EMFs Potentially Harmful?
Among the scientific community, there is no broad consensus about the overall safety of wireless electronics. Currently, most commonly voiced opinion is the conservative position that, “more research is needed.”
However, some scientists are raising the alarm. One article in the Journal of European Psychiatry claims that, “Low intensity microwave frequency electromagnetic fields (EMFs) produce extensive brain damage and widespread neuropsychiatric effects.”
Fourteen effects that are considered proven side effects of even low level EMF exposure in the microwave and lower ranges – those typically produced by Wifi, cell phones, etc – are:
- sleep disturbance/insomnia
- headache
- fatigue/tiredness
- depression/depressive symptoms
- dysesthesia
- concentration/attention/cognitive dysfunction
- dizziness/vertigo
- memory changes
- restlessness/tension/anxiety/stress/agitation/feeling of discomfort
- irritability
- loss of appetite/body weight
- skin tingling/burning/inflammation/dermographism
- nausea
- EEG changes
The paper also proposes another 20 effects that may be linked to EFM exposure, but are not yet conclusively linked.
But, if so many effects are linked to EMF exposure in common household appliances, how can this be legal?
Why Current EMF Safety Guidelines Are Inadequate to Protect Users
Current safety guidelines for EMF exposure are only based on the expected temperature increases produced microwaves or radio waves are measured to produce in the human body. In essence, they are attempting to ensure you won’t microwave your brain. But these guidelines are not enough.
There are two reasons current EMF safety guidelines are inadequate.
- Safety guidelines underestimate average body size and levels of use, especially in cell phones
- Safety guidelines fail to consider secondary biological effects including activation of voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs)
Most developed countries regulate EMF exposure of cell phones based on models that anticipate 30 minutes of usage by full grown adult males. And completely fail to account for smaller individuals, including children, who may be using wireless appliances for hours at a time.
Effects of Cell Phone EMF on Sperm Count
One of the most certain effects of cell phone use is decreased sperm count and sperm vitality in males.
Carrying an active cell phone in your pants pocket has been tested in many countries, and is virtually certain to cause reduced sperm count in all cases. Further tests have been conducted by giving males who don’t usually carry a cell phone, an active device to hold for a short amount of time, which also decreased sperm count markedly.
One study of male sperm potential linked the amount of time one uses a cell phone directly with lower quality sperm.
Why is sperm count so well tested? Sperm is easy to collect, and cheap to find willing participants. But, the results are thought to reflect on similar, yet hard to collect, body tissues such as female eggs, and neurological tissues in the brain and spinal cord. While sperm count only directly affects men, lower sperm counts are an indicator of serious dangers for anyone in close proximity of a cell phone.
Adverse Health Effects of 5G Cell Phone Technology
One new worry on the horizon is the potentially increased harmful effects of next generation cell phone technologies including 5G.
Studies of existing cell phone technologies have already found measurable biological changes due to exposure to cell phone radiation. They say that:
In vitro studies reveal that EMF even below maximum permissible levels may induce changes in the blood-brain permeability barrier and disorders in active transport of Na+, K+ ions and release of Ca++ ions by cellular membranes.
While they also list a number of reported ill effects including:
- headache
- fatigue
- general ill-being
- muscular pains
- nausea
This particular report concludes that more research is needed to fully establish the effects of cell phones on the human body.
While, most research on 5G seems to indicate that it is no more dangerous than existing phone technologies, one research team has serious questions about established testing methods.
These researchers identify two areas where existing research fails, which may mask the true dangers of 5G EMFs:
- Effects of burst transmission and data content found in real world 5G usage
- Synergistic negative effects of existing EMFs, as well as chemical and biological toxins
Together, these failings mask what the researchers consider to be “adverse systemic effects,” beyond the skin and eye irritation already widely reported by other researchers.
Effects of Low Frequency EMF from Power Lines
While not often considered as a potential form of EMF, grid power lines currently account for the majority of electromagnetic radiation on the planet, in terms of power transmitted. Studies have found low frequency EMF transmission, in the 50Hz to 60Hz range, to have significant negative health effects including:
- Increased serum levels of cholesterol (HDL-C)
- Promotion of carcinogenic effects
- Genotoxicity (breaking of DNA strands)
These effects all happen at relatively low levels of consistent exposure. The type of exposure typically found in homes. Especially if you sleep or work near in use power chords.
While exposure to low level grid produced EMFs are certainly is certainly not a new phenomena, it is possible that effects of such exposure may be underestimated. Although certainly not the only cause, increased rates of cancer and obesity in the general population over the last 100 years may be linked in part to the proliferation of grid power throughout developed countries.
Additionally, compound affects of both low frequency and microwave frequency EMFs produced by cell phones, computers, and other wireless devices may have an even more profound negative health affect. Unfortunately, such combined effects are rarely if ever investigated by health researchers.
Wifi EMF Effects on the Human Brain and Sleep Patterns
Wifi devices, and especially Wifi routers or base stations, transmit a consider amount of microwave radiation, including potentially harmful burst operations and frequency variations due to data content.
Studies in the European Union have identified the presences of a Wifi router in the bedroom to be a significant cause of difficulty sleeping, or poor sleep patterns. This sleep study ruled out the placebo and sleep effects due to blinking lights by testing some people with unplugged routers, and some people with fake routers with only blinking lights, but no radio transmitter or receiver.
Since Wifi operates in the 2.4Ghz ISM band, it is likely that other transmitters that operate in the microwave ranges including bluetooth, wireless phones, baby monitors, and cell phones may have similar negative effects on sleep.
Harmful Effects of Smart Meter Related EMF
While the effects of smart meter related EMF are not fully understood, the addition of another high intensity microwave transmitter in near proximity to the home is likely to exacerbate already established harmful symptoms of household EMF exposure, including:
- Difficulty sleeping
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Muscle Pains
- Irritability
- Memory Loss