Electromagnetic surveys
A comprehensive
electromagnetic survey describes the invisible environment in which we live and
work. It may indicate:
1)
the zones of acceptable levels of 60Hz electric and magnetic field intensities as provided by the electric power company – with
particular attention to the sleeping areas, play areas of infants and other
zones of long-term use;
2)
the presence and nature of indoor and outdoor wiring errors;
3)
the appliances (including computers) that
produce high fields and their safe distances;
4)
the nature and source of microwave emissions and propagation indoors and
outdoors from antennae and from microwave ovens and cellphones;
5)
the location and nature of geomagnetic disturbances and their
remedy;
6)
the nature and flow of negative and positive ions and electrostatic fields;
7)
the nature and sources of radioactivity (alpha, beta and gamma
radiation), including radon gas, radioactive ceramic ware, paint and
tiles, radioactive stone (as in some fireplaces) or concrete.
After a survey is completed the findings report should enable the occupants to “see” their electromagnetic environment well enough to ensure the best living conditions where it counts most – in those places where they spend the most time – sleeping, working and other activities. Special consideration can be given to those needing the lowest possible electromagnetic levels: the newborn, pregnant women, electrosensitives, the elderly and individuals in poor health and with low immunity. The spaces they use should have lower electromagnetic field levels.
The report should lay the basis for a remedial action plan with specifications that electricians, plumbers and the electricity provider can enact. A 5-year nation-wide study done for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation on typical residential electromagnetic field conditions found that about 2 out of every 3 homes in Canada had excessive 60Hz magnetic fields indoors mainly from wiring installation errors that can be corrected at affordable rates – $300 to $700.
After the implementation of
the remedial action plan, a follow-up survey ensures that the electromagnetic
environment is resolved and that it is in fact compatible with lifestyles. Any
major renovation and installation of new appliances may dramatically alter all
over again the electromagnetic environment and it may become worthwhile to do a
quick-check again. The well-being of occupants may well be at stake.
Other remedies may involve
personnel aides, shielding, and interactive devices. For example, under Swedish
laws, electrical equipment workers are regularly checked and may require 2-5
day sessions to ground themselves from charges accumulated from radio-frequency
and microwave appliances in special appliance-free rooms lit by candle ware and
furnished with special materials (wood, cotton, linen, etc.).
A healthy electromagnetic environment deserves to be high on the list of personal priorities – amongst proper nutrition, fresh air (indoors and outdoors), pure water, and access to natural and full spectrum light. Too often the stress imposed by electromagnetic fields goes un-noticed and unidentified. An example is insomnia, which can be blamed on everything else but the presence of elevated electromagnetic fields during sleep.