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Electrical Pollution, Its Health Effects, and the Solution

The following article was sent to our newsletter subscriber at January, 2005. Visit our new EMF Pollution Remediation website for updated articles, solutions, and certification courses.
 
 

Defining and Measuring Electrical Pollution

Defining and measuring the harmful electrical pollution is analogous to defining and measuring harmful drinking water.  The problem is not the water; it is not (in general) the 60 Hz electric power we all enjoy in our homes and offices; it is what comes with the water, and what comes with the 60 Hz power! The pollution is the problem! Just as a water meter is not an appropriate instrument to measure water pollution, normal meters are not appropriate instruments to measure electrical pollution. There is a subtle but fundamental difference between measuring the volume of polluted water or polluted electricity and measuring only the amount of pollution present. Most electrical meters measure the amount of polluted electrical energy; the new GS meter measures the actual amount of harmful electrical pollution.

The animal or human is the ultimate “meter” in the sense that we are only concerned with what is harmful and what the harmful levels of electrical pollution are. Empirical evidence, buttressed by theory, shows that electric current enters the body more readily at higher frequencies, and that current through the body (body current) is increasingly harmful at higher frequencies.  Therefore, these higher frequencies are the electric "pollutants" with which we should be concerned. The GS meter reflects this frequency dependence in its measurements. The GS meter measures the sum of the voltages for frequencies above (but not including) 60 Hz, weighing the higher frequencies to reflect their greater impact on humans and animals.  Thus, this innovative meter measures electrical pollution on the home or office power lines

Some Sources of Electrical Pollution

  • Computers and entertainment centers and other electrical appliances convert the alternating current they are receiving to direct current which the equipment will use to power its activities using less electricity. In this process, high frequencies are produced that go out onto the electrical circuit and cause high-frequency electromagnetic waves to radiate out from the circuits.  In other words, some of the high frequencies produced are radiowave and microwave frequencies  that disseminate their energy through the air rather than follow the electrical circuits. Scientific Research has shown these "polluting" high frequency fields  to have specific biological effects that are detrimental to the overall health of the individual.
  • Neighbors who might be tech-savvy and tech-enthusiasts might not be sharing their knowledge or equipment with you but they are sharing with you the generated high frequencies - which find it easier to flow into your home (and airspace) and pollute it, rather than return through the transformer and on to the substation via the grid.
  • Downstream effect:  just as a river becomes more polluted downstream, so does the electrical power stream, which becomes more polluted the farther “downstream” it is from the substation. For example, each computer or entertainment center "upstream" contributes high frequencies to the overall electrical pollution of the grid downstream from it.
  • One of the sources of electrical pollution is the dimmer switch (it takes a lot of electrical energy and “dims” it - the excess “light” is converted to radio frequencies).
  • Another source is the energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulb promoted by electrical companies for conserving electricity.  In the process of conversion to lower  wattage, high frequencies are generated.
  • High-intensity light bulbs, in the process of “compacting” their energy use, create high frequencies. 

Health Effects of Radio Waves and Microwaves

  • Just as some people in the same work environment are more resilient to airborne pollution exposures than others, some people don't experience the symptoms associated with electrical pollution as much as others. However, long-term exposure that does not lead to immediate symptoms can still result in cumulative physiological effects that may ultimately cause serious disease. Every person is affected by electrical pollution, but some people are more sensitive, less resilient and therefore more susceptible to health problems associated with high frequency radio waves (this is known in the medical literature as  "radio wave sickness").
  • When initially high electrical pollution level was reduced to a safe level of under 30gsu (millivolt change per second of the higher, polluting frequencies), dramatic improvements in health have been observed in empirical research studies. It has been observed that recovery  or improvement in health are cumulative and may be attained in as little as a few days to weeks, occasionally longer. The greater the cellular dysfunction and the severity or chronicity of the disorder, the longer the recuperation time may be.
  • It has been theorized and illustrated with animal studies that electrical pollution affects so many people in so many different ways because the most prevalent detrimental body currents (radio frequencies) directly impair the immune system. It is believed that these radio frequencies use the bone marrow as their main conducting circuit within the body. The bone marrow is the part of the immune system where antibodies, white blood cells and other essential “germ-fighters” are generated. Removing these radio frequencies reverses this assault on the immune system, thereby allowing the body to restore itself.
  • Physicist Dr. Magda Havas from Trent University in Ontario has shown health improvements for those suffering from diabetes, chronic fatigue, multiple sclerosis and attention deficit with the installation of the filters.

General Symptoms of radio Wave Sickness

(From “No Place To Hide” Volume 3, Number 1, April 2001, “Special Issue on Russian and Ukrainian Research” by Arthur Firstenberg.  Cellular Phone Taskforce, P.O. Box 1337, Mendocino, CA  95460).
  • Neurological:  headaches, dizziness, nausea, difficulty concentrating, memory loss, irritability, depression, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, weakness, tremors, muscle spasms, numbness, tingling, altered reflexes, muscle and joint pain, leg/foot pain, “Flue-like” symptoms, fever.  More severe reactions can include seizures, paralysis, psychosis and stroke.
  • Cardiac:  palpitations, arrhythmias, pain or pressure in the chest, low or high blood pressure, slow or fast heart rate, shortness of breath.
  • Respiratory:  sinusitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma.
  • Dermatological:  skin rash, itching, burning, facial flushing.
  • Ophthalmologic:  pain or burning in the eyes, pressure in/behind the eyes, deteriorating vision, floaters, cataracts.
  • Others:  digestive problems; abdominal pain; enlarged thyroid, testicular/ovarian pain; dryness of lips, tongue, mouth, eyes; great thirst; dehydration; nosebleeds; internal bleeding; altered sugar metabolism; immune abnormalities; redistribution of metals within the body; hair loss; pain in the teeth; deteriorating fillings; impaired sense of smell; ringing in the ears.    

Common sources of radio waves:

  • Outdoors:  Broadcast antennas (fixed); broadcast antennas (mobile); radar stations (fixed); radar devices (mobile); television cables; satellites; satellite receiving dishes; satellite sending dishes; cell phones, pagers, two-way radios.
  • Indoors:  Cordless telephone base units; cordless telephones; wireless computers and their base units; wired computers; televisions; microwave ovens; dimmer switches; security systems; remote controls; fax machines, answering machines, CD players and other digital equipment; (in automobiles) ignition systems; (in theaters) assistive listening systems and devices for the hearing impaired; (in theaters) wireless microphones

Subjective Complaints of Persons Working in Rf Field

(from “Electromagnetic Fields and the Life Environment” by Karel Marha, Jan Musil, and Hana Tuha.  Published by San Francisco Press, Inc.  Page 30, with references):

Workers complain of headaches and eyestrain, together with a flow of tears, of fatigue derived from over-all weakness, and dizziness after prolonged standing. At night their sleep is disturbed and superficial and they are sleepy in daytime. Such person are moody, frequently irritated, even unsociable.  They manifest hypochondriac reactions and a feeling of fear. Sometimes they perceive nervous tension or, on the contrary, mental depression combined with deterioration of intellectial functions (notably memory impairment).  Over a longer period, definite sluggishness and inability to make decisions result.  Those affected complain of a pulling sensation in the scalp and on the brow, loss of hair, pain in the muscles and in the heart region (together with a pounding of the heart), and breathing difficulties. Not infrequently they complain of difficulties in their sex life.  It is moreover possible to observe slight trembling of the eyelids, the tongue, and the fingers, increased perspiration of the extremities, dermographism, and brittleness of fingernails. A single irradiation may cause a drop in the resistance of the organism. With regard to the dependence of the effect of rf field on sex, women are generally more sensitive to this factor than men. Reference has been made to a decrease of lactation in nursing mothers.

Cancer Risk

“The Possible Role of Contact Current in Cancer Risk Associated With Residential Magnetic Fields” by R. Kavet, L. E. Zaffanella, J. P. Daigle, and K. L. Ebi, published in “Bioelectromagnetics 21:538-553 (2000):

“Residential electrical wiring safety practices in the US result in the possibility of a small voltage (up to a few tenths of a volt) on appliance surfaces with respect to water pipes or other grounded surfaces.  This “open circuit voltage” (Voc) will cause “contact current” to flow in a person who touches the appliance and completes an electrical circuit to ground.  This paper presents data suggesting that contact current due to Voc is an exposure that may explain the reported associations of residential magnetic fields with childhood leukemia.”

The Solution

  • Become informed. Read the web sites recommended, attend Doctor T's Tuesday lectures on this important topic, email us, or call us.
  • Invite a Certified Electric Pollution Remediator (CEPR) to your home or office, in order to have your outlet tested using the GS Meter, and to have the special (newly available) Stetzerizer Filters appropriately placed in your outlets so as to remove the maximal amount of pollution you and your loved ones are exposed to on a daily basis. The GS Meter will show a dramatic reduction in the polluting frequencies that cause ill effects. The filters will function forever (no need to replace them or any of their components) if they are correctly placed. An average US home requires 16-24 filters.
  • The CEPR will teach you a few simple, effective, inexpensive techniques you can immediately implement to further reduce your exposure to electromagnetic fields at your home or office. Such additional exposure may occur as a result of working in proximity to electrical equipment (e.g. computer keyboard) or to ground currents.
  • To find a CEPR near you, or to become a CEPR yourself (it's a good career opportunity, serving others in your area!), please call Erin Rafael, 952-931-2195.

Additional Suggested Readings:

  • Our new EMF Pollution Remediation website.
  • Dr. Neil Cherry of Lincoln University:  The following can be found atwww.emfguru.co
    • “Potential and Actual Adverse Effects of Radiofrequency and Microwave Radiation at levels near and below 2 mW/cm².”   Dated 10/2/98
    • “Criticism of the Health Assessment in the ICNIRP Guidelines for Radiofrequency and Microwave Radiation (100kHz – 300 GHz).”  Dated 1/5/00


 
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