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Strategies for Reducing the Amount of EMFs in Your Home

In the last few years, electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs) have become a concern for many in a world where EMFs are integral to communications and energy. EMF refers to the radiation emitted every time you use an electronic device, whether a computer, a microwave, a cell phone, or power your home with electricity. In high amounts, EMFs can affect your health. However, you can reduce EMF levels in your home in several ways.

To begin with, there are four types of EMFs: magnetic fields, electric fields, radio frequencies (RFs), and finally, so-called “dirty electricity”.

Reducing the amount of EMFs in your home starts with purchasing one or more EMF meters. They give you readings of magnetic fields, electric fields, micro/radio waves and dirty electricity where you sit, sleep and stand. These meters can tell you the level of magnetic fields emitted from your appliances and devices and the level of RF from your cell phone, tablet or laptop and from nearby cell phone towers in the neighborhood.

We protect against magnetic field EMFs by choosing houses away from power lines that generate magnetic fields into the yard and house (however not all power lines emit magnetic fields that reach the house). We can hire a building biologist to work with an electrician to trace and fix wiring errors in electrical circuits. Go to https://buildingbiologyinstitute.org/find-an-expert/ to find a building biologist near you. A plumber can insert a dielectric union into your incoming metal water pipe from the city water main under the street if the incoming pipe carries electric current as that pipe runs under your floor, which is another source of magnetic fields.

You can also reduce magnetic field EMF exposure by sitting, sleeping and standing more than six feet from a breaker panel or refrigerator and replacing electricity-operated appliances with battery-operated ones, such as the clock next to your bed.

Reducing electric field EMF levels in your home can be as simple as turning off circuit breakers that power circuits to your bedrooms at night. A building biologist can determine which circuits need to be shut off. An electrician can install a U.L.-approved remote circuit cut off kit next to your panel so that you can remotely shut off circuits at night when you sleep from your bedroom without having to go to the breaker panel.

Finally, to reduce daytime electric field EMFs, make sure your computer has a grounded power supply with a three-pronged plug, especially laptops. Read the Electric Field section of Safer Use of Computers for details at https://createhealthyhomes.com/education/safer-use-of-computers/.

Tamping down technology use can reduce radiofrequency EMFs. Experts recommend reducing use of cell phones when away from home, increasing the distance between the phone and your head and body, and favoring hardwired connections when at home, in the office and at school (then put the device in Airplane Mode with WiFi and Bluetooth “Off”). Hardwire your laptop’s connection to the Internet with a grounded, shielded Ethernet cable. See Safer Use of Computers (https://createhealthyhomes.com/education/safer-use-of-computers/) and Safer Use of Cell Phones (https://createhealthyhomes.com/education/safer-use-of-cell-phones/).

Another suggestion is to stop using Bluetooth headphones, which emit high radio frequency levels. Consider alternatives to Bluetooth headsets, such as wired or air tube headphones, which emit 99 percent less RF than traditional headphones. Air tube headphones produce sound through hollow tubes, which bring sound from the device to your ear without carrying wireless RF radiation that is transmitted from the phone’s antenna up the wire all the way to your head.

We recommend that you avoid sleeping next to your cell phone. Experts state that sleeping beside your phone or with it under your pillow is the worst thing you can do to reduce radio frequency exposure. If you use your cell phone alarm to wake up, experts recommend putting your cell phone into Airplane Mode when sleeping (making sure WiFi and Bluetooth are “Off”) or switching altogether to a battery-operated alarm clock and charging your cell phone in another room.

Dirty electricity, the fourth type of EMF, radiates into rooms from high-frequency voltage spikes carried on electrical circuits and plugged-in cords. The sources of theses spikes of dirty power can be mini-split air conditioning units, energy-efficient furnaces, smart home devices, and other appliances that generate electrical interference that is then carried on and radiated from circuits and cords in your house and in your neighbor’s houses. Other seemingly innocuous sources of dirty power are LED and fluorescent lights (including those with dimmers), solar panel inverters, smart electric meters, variable speed motors in appliances, switch-mode electronic power supplies, cell phone chargers and adapters, and energy-efficient appliances.

Dirty electricity has negative impacts on human health, including depression, fatigue, and cancer. High levels of dirty power can interfere with the nervous, immune, and circulatory systems.

You should consider switching out your compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, which generate high amounts of dirty electricity—high-frequency electricity lights the gas in the bulbs, unlike standard 60 Hertz. While CFLs are more efficient than older incandescent light bulbs, they create electrical spikes on wiring in your house. Instead of using CFLs, consider purchasing incandescent light bulbs where they are available, or LEDs, which now have less dirty electricity than they used to. Look for brands that have low flicker, available from the Flicker Alliance (https://flickeralliance.org/collections/flicker-free-light-bulbs) and the Light Bulb Database (https://optimizeyourbiology.com/light-bulb-database).

Dimmer switches enable you to control how bright the lights are in a room through a knob or slider you can adjust. However, dimmer switches can only work by turning the electricity flow off and on thousands of times each second. The lower the light level, the more the voltage on the line is broken up. Ultimately, this contributes counter-intuitively to higher dirty power generation. Avoid dimmers if you are sensitive to dirty electricity.

Oram Miller is a BBEC, EMRS, Certified Building Biology Environmental Consultant, Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist and Healthy New Building and Remodeling Consultant.

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Electromagnetic Evaluations for Homes

Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are invisible and silent energy forces that are everywhere—from building wiring to mobile devices. They originate from electrical systems and our local and global communication networks. Experts stress that evaluating EMF levels in homes is essential as technology advances and as we become more wireless and mobile.

Health studies show constant EMF exposure, especially from high-frequency radio waves as well as low-frequency magnetic and electric field sources, can impact health. Effects range from sleep disturbances to fatigue to serious risks like cell/DNA damage, fertility issues, and tumors. EMFs may also trigger headaches and cause difficulty concentrating or neurological conditions. The severity of symptoms varies by person and depends upon the strength and duration of exposure to various EMFs.

During a home EMF evaluation, professional consultants inspect areas where residents sit, sleep and stand, such as living rooms, home offices, bedrooms and kitchens. We pay particular attention to where children, the elderly and those who are electrically hypersensitive sleep, play and work. EMF consultants take measurements with meters and instruments to assess direct magnetic and electric field EMF exposure from mis-wired circuits, possible electric current on incoming metal water lines and TV cables, and from bedside circuits and plugged-in lamp and charging cords. These assessments also pinpoint typical EMF origins outside the home, such as power lines, electric meters and breaker panels.

Inspections also evaluate radiofrequency (RF) radiation from portable communication devices like cell phones, tablets and laptops as well as sources outside the house, such as 4G and 5G cell towers and satellites. These technologies give off high-frequency fields. EMF safety organizations, such as the Building Biology Institute (www.buildingbiologyinstitute.org), provide exposure guidelines that inform the measurement of EMF and RF levels by EMF consultants. Recommendations for clients to reduce RF exposure include hardwiring cellphones, laptops, TVs and baby monitors and installing shielding materials for outside RF sources.

Home EMF inspections also examine "dirty" electricity, which includes higher frequency electric and magnetic fields from line noise, harmonics, electromagnetic interference, and voltage transients of micro surge electrical pollution. The many sources of dirty electricity are often linked to modern technology. Most electronic gadgets today use switching power supplies to convert AC electricity to low voltage DC electricity, potentially causing voltage spikes and harmonics in the process. Dimmer switches that regulate the brightness of lighting can also generate electrical noise pollution.

EMF checks assess extremely low-frequency (ELF) AC electric fields and AC magnetic fields (EMFs) at 60 Hz, the frequency of electricity provided into your home by electric utilities. Common sources of AC magnetic field EMFs include power distribution lines, transformers, electrical circuits with wiring errors, and induction cooktops. Heaters, charging pads, and everyday appliances can also raise concerns, especially with prolonged close proximity. Electromagnetic fields often come from a home's electrical supply and wiring. Consultants specifically check for net electric current on circuits due to wiring errors along with electric current on metal grounding paths, where current should not flow except in a lightning strike, both of which cause magnetic fields.

At the start of an inspection, EMF consultants discuss the homeowner's concerns and reasons for the assessment. Consultants need to know whether a client is electrically sensitive, in which case they need to be more particular with their recommendations, or whether the client is not symptomatic but still health-conscious about EMFs, in which case there is more room for flexibility when implementing solutions. Consultants then survey the home and property inside and out to identify EMF sources, focusing on frequently occupied areas. Full inspections may last several hours. It is always best when clients can accompany the consultant to be shown readings and to discuss solutions as the consultation proceeds.

After the inspection, homeowners get a detailed report outlining the findings, exposure guidelines, and a plan to reduce and eliminate EMF levels. The report compares the home's readings against Building Biology standards - recommendations developed to promote healthy indoor environments. The services of tradespeople, such as an electrician, plumber or low voltage contractor, may be needed to help implement recommend steps to reduce EMFs. EMF consultants also help clients implement steps within the home once hardwired Ethernet networks are put in place. Follow-up phone and on-site visits are often necessary to help homeowners better understand how to implement the suggested changes.

When choosing an EMF consultant, prioritize expertise in EMF assessment and mitigation of the four principle types of EMFs, magnetic fields, electric fields, radio frequencies and dirty electricity. Some EMF experts offer remote consultations through video and telephone for wider access. The recommended solutions should be practical, effective, and focused on improving quality of life.

Oram Miller is a BBEC, EMRS, Certified Building Biology Environmental Consultant, Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist and Healthy New Building and Remodeling Consultant.

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The Building Biology Institute - Creating Healthy Living Spaces

Building biology is a concept pioneered by German medical doctor Hubert Palm and by Anton Schneider after World War II. Post-war rebuilding of the destroyed housing stock in Germany used standard building materials and methods of the day used in track homes in North America that caused health issues among some local residents, rather than older, less toxic building methods used in Europe for centuries. The building biology movement, originally known as the Institut fur Baubiologie + Nachhaltigkeit (IBN), emerged in post-war Germany to create healthier living spaces by minimizing exposure to harmful substances and building practices. The IBN continues to provide building biology practices and practitioners throughout Europe and around the world (www.buildingbiology.com).

The Building Biology Institute (BBI) - founded in 1987 in Florida originally as the International Institute for Bau-biologie & Ecology (IBE) - aims to eliminate environmental and electromagnetic hazards in residential, work and school buildings. Brought from Germany to North America by architect Helmut Ziehe, the Building Biology Institute promotes the integration of natural environments to enhance health and harmony in one’s living, work and study environment (www.buildingbiologyinstitute.org).

Approximately 25 Building Biology principles, categorized into five key areas, guide the creation and renovation of homes. Site and Community Design, the first category, emphasizes hazard assessment and removal, strategic home placement to reduce pollution, maximization of natural light and fresh air, access to green spaces, and communities that meet everyone's needs. The second category, electromagnetic radiation health, centers on maximizing natural light, selecting building materials that minimize interference with natural radiation, implementing strategies to reduce harmful electromagnetic (EMF) and radio frequency (RF) radiation exposure, and using low-radioactivity construction materials.

Indoor air and water quality - the third class - emphasizes having good ventilation, using natural, nontoxic building materials, preventing mold and bacterial growth via moisture management, ensuring rapid drying during construction, and guaranteeing high water quality. Category four, occupant well-being, is about regulating humidity, managing surface and air temperatures, designing buildings to balance insulation and heat storage, and protecting against loud noises and vibrations. The final category, sustainable building practices, advocates for materials and methods that prioritize residents and builders' health, natural resource conservation, climate-responsive design, and energy-saving technologies to minimize energy consumption.

BBI provides training through a number of seminars, including the online BBI 101 Natural Healthy Buildings course. This foundational course introduces building biology core principles and explores the relationship between built environments and human health. The course is in four sections that cover building science, indoor climate, airborne biological exposures, and soil gasses, among other topics. The course is also a springboard for specialized studies in certification programs at the BBI covering electromagnetic radiation, indoor environmental quality, and healthy building design.

BBI offers many free and paid online courses and webinars, such as the Residential Microsurge Electrical Pollution (MEP) Webinar for focused training on electrical pollution. This self-paced online course, instructed by a qualified electrical engineer, helps participants identify and assess "dirty electricity”, also known as microsurge electrical pollution. Through video instructions and a detailed guide, participants learn to use measurement tools such as the Picoscope oscilloscope for accurate data visualization and electrical signal analysis.

BBI certification programs help meet the rising need for healthy, sustainable living, work and learning spaces. The Building Biology Advocate (BBA) certification program suits people eager to improve their homes or communities and to lecture and advocate to others on the principles of building biology. The Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist (EMRS) certification offers practical skills for measuring and mitigating electromagnetic emissions at an advanced level. Those interested in testing for and mitigating indoor air quality (IAQ), moisture and mold issues and EMFs can consider the Building Biology Environmental Consultant (BBEC) certification. Finally, architects, builders, designers and other building professionals can take the Building Biology New-Build Consultant (BBNC) certification to incorporate the full scope of building biology principles into their existing practices.

BBI hosts on-site, in-person and online instructor-led seminars for the BBEC, EMRS and BBNC certifications. Additional seminars include a two-day session on advanced tools to evaluate indoor environmental quality and a four-day workshop on ventilation, mold, and volatile compounds in new builds. BBI also offers an international biomass conference and expo focusing on commercial-scale biomass production and new technologies.

The Building Biology Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization that welcomes new members and donations. Subscribe to their healthy home monthly newsletter, Ecodwell, at https://buildingbiologyinstitute.org/subscribe/. Follow the BBI on Facebook, Instagram, X and other platforms. Learn from the Building Biology Institute’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@ibecheckads.

Oram Miller is a BBEC, EMRS, Certified Building Biology Environmental Consultant, Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist and Healthy New Building and Remodeling Consultant.