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EMF Shielding Materials: How Anti-Radiation Protection Works

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Technology has become a crucial part of the modern world. At any time, we are surrounded by at least one EMF-emitting device – usually many more. Because of this, the level of EMF we are exposed to today is higher than ever before. Fortunately, there are solutions to this problem. Based on the discoveries of Michael Faraday in the 18th century, scientists have created EMF shielding materials, which are now used worldwide to make EMF shielding products. But what are they and how do they work?

In the mid-1800s, English scientist Michael Faraday observed that an electrical charge does not pass through conductive materials. Using this observation, he built the first Faraday cage.

A Faraday cage is a scientific instrument created using a mesh of highly conductive materials that cancels the electric current on the outer layer. Hence, anything stored inside is safe from electrical damage. This is true for EMF, too, as EMF is a combination of electricity and magnetism.

What Is EMF?

An electromagnetic field, also known as EMF, is a classical (i.e., non-quantum) field produced by moving electric charges.

In simple terms, it is a form of energy that can move from one place to another, just using air.

Where do you carry your phone?

Want to Slash Your EMF Health Risks?

Good! Learn the one small change you should make right now.

There are many forms of EMF; some are natural, and some are human-made.

  • An example of natural EMF is visible light produced by the sun.
  • An example of human-made EMF is microwaves.

Because of EMF, the transfer of information between two or more points that are not connected by an electrical conductor is possible.

Think about cell phones, for example. Cell phones aren’t connected using any wires, but you can call, text, and browse the internet.

They use EMF to communicate with the nearest cell tower where your request is processed further.

If you want to learn more about EMF, we have a separate post explaining EMF in simple words.

https://youtu.be/p4D-wGzFb2A
Learn the basics of EMF in 6 minutes

Why Do You Need EMF Shielding?

EMF is everywhere, and there are very few places with little or no influence of human-made EMF. EMF-free zones are an exception, but each year there are fewer and fewer places actually untouched by human-made EMF, and permanently living in those places is not entirely practical for a large segment of the population.

Using products made from EMF shielding materials is a way around this. Such products allow you to enjoy the modern world’s progress, but more safely.

There are thousands of peer-reviewed scientific studies confirming that long term exposure to EMF is a severe health hazard. The WHO (World Health Organization) also classifies EMF as a Class 2B carcinogen.

The human body is good at absorbing EMF – but absorbing EMF is not good for us. When radiation enters the body, it can cause DNA damage, mutation, and cell death, which leads to the beginning of various health issues.

The health issues caused by EMF range from minor sleep issues to chronic diseases like cancer.

This is the reason EMF shielding is crucial, especially in today’s technologically advanced environment.

History of EMF Shielding

In 1755, Benjamin Franklin performed an experiment to better understand electricity, in which he lowered an uncharged cork ball through an opening of an electrically charged metal can, using a silk thread.

In 1755, Benjamin Franklin performed an experiment (no, not the more famous one with the key) to better understand electricity.

Cork is a ‘dielectric’ material (like we use in our SYB H.A.R.D. anti-radiation adapter), and it is attracted to electrically charged materials.

Franklin’s hypothesis was when he lowered the cork ball into the can, it would drift towards the side of the can. The result of this experiment was completely different, as the cork ball showed no such behavior. The cork was not attracted to the can.

He then took the cork ball out, lowered it near the exterior of the same can, and the ball was attracted to the can.

Despite several attempts, Franklin never managed to understand this phenomenon.

Michael Faraday

Eighty-one years later, an English scientist, Michael Faraday, performed a similar experiment to that of Franklin’s.

He built a room coated with metal foil and allowed a high-voltage electric current to strike the outer walls. He used an electroscope to detect the level of electricity inside the room.

An electroscope is a scientific instrument used to detect the presence of an electric charge.

Surprisingly enough, the electroscope detected no trace of electricity inside the room. This allowed Faraday to conclude that conductive materials are capable of shielding electric and magnetic energy.

That discovery was key, and the instrument that he created from his findings is now known as a Faraday Cage.

A Faraday cage in operation. Photo: Antoine Taveneaux / Wikipedia.
Example of a Faraday cage actively blocking electricity.

After his theory was published, people all over the world began applying his approach to different inventions. The scientific principle of the Faraday Cage is used to this day. From guarding sensitive military equipment to protecting Airplanes from lightning strikes, the applications of the Faraday Cage are vast.

How Does EMF Shielding Work?

To understand how EMF shielding works, we need to understand the mechanics of electricity.

Everything in the universe is made from atoms. And atoms themselves are made from smaller subatomic particles.

The center of an atom is called a nucleus, which contains subatomic particles like protons, electrons, and neutrons. Protons and neutrons stick together with the nucleus, but electrons spin around the nucleus in different layers called electron shells.

Electrons usually remain at a distance from the atom’s nucleus in their shells.

The shell closest to the nucleus can hold two electrons. The next shell can hold up to eight. The outer shells can hold even more. Some atoms with many protons can have as many as seven shells with electrons in them.

The electrons in the shells closest to the nucleus have a strong force of attraction to the protons. Sometimes, the electrons in an atom’s outermost shells do not have a strong force of attraction to the protons. These electrons can be pushed out of their orbits.

Applying a force can make them shift from one atom to another. These shifting electrons are electricity.

Now, when the electricity flows, it generates a magnetic field. This combination of electricity and magnetism is called electromagnetism. And the magnetic field created by the flow of electricity is called an electromagnetic field, or EMF.

Blocking EMF

When EMF gets in contact with the EMF shielding material (conductive materials), the charge present in EMF shielding material gets disturbed. When this happens, the conductive material either cancels out the charge, or absorbs the charge and adjusts it within itself.

Due to this, EMF stays outside, and the inner side of the material stays EMF-free.

In simple words – you can think of EMF shielding materials as a window shade. Except instead of blocking sunlight, they deflect EMF radiation.

Where Do Deflected EMF Waves Go?

A question I get asked frequently is, what happens to the EMF waves after they’re deflected? Do they bounce off into a more concentrated or targeted beam of radiation that hits the person next to you?

This is a perfectly valid question. Naturally, if you’re sending harmful waves of radiation away from your own body, you want to be sure those waves aren’t doing extra damage to someone else.

The answer here is quite simple: When you use EMF shielding products like mine to deflect radiation, the radiation does bounce in the opposite direction. However, it does not become more powerful.

In fact, quite the contrary. The rays are deflected away and gradually dissipate, because the power of EMF radiation diminishes exponentially with distance. I explain a bit more about that in this post.

EMF Shielding vs. Other Types of EMF Protection

Now, this post discusses EMF shielding materials. There are other types of products that purport to provide EMF protection: neutralizers, harmonizers, and certain types of crystals like orgonite.

As I’ve just described, EMF shielding materials work by blocking and deflecting EMF radiation. And because of this, it is possible to measure the claims of EMF shielding products like the ones I make and sell.

So we have testing performed at independent laboratories to demonstrate the shielding power of my products.

But what’s even better is, you don’t need to take my word for it. Because you can actually measure the efficacy of my products for yourself, using tools that you can buy online. And I have a collection of resources designed to help you do just that.

SYB Phone Pouch: EMF Shielding Tests Using Meters You Can Buy Yourself

What Materials Block Radio Waves Most Effectively?

All metals present on the periodic table have EMF conductive abilities. It’s just that certain metals are commonly used due to their high conductivity.

Since most electronic gadgets emit EMF on the radiofrequency range of the electromagnetic spectrum, scientists have selected a few metals that can be used as powerful RF-blocking materials.

This list of highly conductive metals includes silver, copper, aluminum, gold, and steel.

Silver: In terms of EMF conductivity, silver holds the highest position. If you’ve purchased scientifically proven EMF shielding products before, you may have noticed that many of them contain a significant portion of silver.

Here at SYB, we use silver as the shielding material in all of our apparel products because, in addition to being effective at deflecting electromagnetic radiation, silver is also antibacterial and antimicrobial.

Copper: Among all non-precious metals, copper has the highest conductivity.

Aluminum: While not as effective as copper or silver, aluminum, too, provides powerful EMF shielding.

Gold: Gold is also highly conductive. But, due to its expensive nature, gold is used less frequently in EMF shielding materials.

Steel: Steel has low EMF conductivity compared to aluminum, silver, and copper but higher than tin, titanium, and stainless steel.

Featured Infographic: EMF Shielding Materials: How Anti-Radiation Protection Works
Featured Infographic: Click to download the full size image.

Does Aluminum Foil Block EMF

You may have seen many people using Aluminum foil to block EMF. In fact, one person from the UK  lined his room with thin layers of tin foil and spent close to £1,000 (about $1,300) to do it. Why? In hopes that it would block EMF from reaching his room and ease his electromagnetic hypersensitivity symptoms.

So, does aluminum foil really block EMF?

Yes. While it’s not as powerful as silver or copper, it does provide adequate EMF protection while also being very cost-effective.

The only downside of using homemade aluminum foil EMF protection is that you have to be very careful about how you use it. In fact, this goes for all metals used to shield EMF. A simple mistake in your EMF shielding efforts can cause them not work or, worse, reverse the effects.

On top of that, aluminum foil is super fragile. So, it takes little to no effort for it to tear and disengage your EMF shielding.  

This is why we recommend going for EMF shielding products like the ones SYB manufactures instead. 

Do Magnets Block EMF Radiation?

There are tons of magnet-based products on the internet claiming to protect you from EMF radiation. But do they actually work?

Most magnet-based EMF-shielding products claim that they use a process called entrainment to capture radiation emissions from your device and harmonize them in a way that cancels their effects.

So, does science actually back up this process, or is it just hokum?

Well, these companies do cite a 2015 study from the journal Stem Cell Research that states endogenous or internal EMF frequencies act on a molecular level yet can be entrained through harmonic resonance to follow exogenous (external) frequencies.

And if we go by this study, one can theoretically create a product that entrains and harmonizes radiation in a certain way. But there are two problems with this.

  1. This is just one study. Even after a long time of scouring journals, I couldn’t find another one that shares the same opinion.
  2. And second, say that one creates such a product that captures and harmonizes EMF in a certain way. How do we know that the “harmonized” EMF isn’t harmful? There’s no real way to test this, as far as I know. And the concept is so complicated that if you try to test it in a lab, there’s a high chance that the results you’ll get will be filled with errors.

So, do magnet-based EMF shielding products block EMF radiation?

Well, I can’t confirm or deny this. However, if you’re already using such products and feeling a difference, then, by all means, keep using them. But if not, I recommend sticking to proven, research-backed EMF shielding products. Ones that you can even test at home to see their effectiveness.

EMF Shielding Products

The human body has its limitations on how much EMF exposure it can tolerate. Before human-made EMF came into the picture, our body was perfectly capable of handling the amount of EMF present on Earth.

But that is not the case anymore. With the increasing development in EMF emitting technology, we’ve reached a point where it’s simply too much for the human body.

This excess amount of EMF exposure can lead to a number of health issues in your body. Even if your body can fight the effects now, eventually you will start to see symptoms of EMF-induced health issues.

These EMF-induced health effects can be avoided or minimized by merely reducing your EMF exposure.

Let’s look at some everyday gadgets that highly contribute to your EMF exposure and EMF shielding products that you can use to make them safer.

Cell Phones

There is no debate about whether carrying and using a cell phone is harmful. As much convenience as these devices provide, EMF emitted by cell phones can cause serious harm to your health.

Statistics say that more than half of cell phone users carry their phones either in their pocket or bra.

This exposes users to a massive amount of EMF, as cell phones continually communicate with the network tower – using EMF.

When you keep your phone this close, the radiation emitted by your phone has to go through your body to find a network. And since your body is a good absorbent of EMF, it stays and damages your cells and tissues.

Now, if we say don’t carry your phone in your pocket, most people will ignore it. After all, it’s very convenient to carry cell phones in pockets, which makes it easier for us to ignore the health risks.

That’s why we make the SYB Phone Pouch: a simple and affordable cell phone radiation protection sleeve. It’s a great alternative to expensive EMF blocking phone cases and covers.

EMF blocking materials are used for the SYB 5G phone shield.
SYB’s 5G Phone Shield is easily slipped between you and your phone.

The Phone Pouch puts a layer of EMF shielding material in between your phone and your body. This means the phone can stay on and emitting EMF (if all EMF was blocked, your phone simply wouldn’t work), but the harmful radiation gets deflected away from your body.

Similarly, we have the SYB 5G Phone Shield. This product serves the same functions but is designed to be used differently, so you can choose what is more convenient for you.

Laptops

Health experts strongly recommend against using a laptop on the lap.

There are two reasons behind this. The number one reason is that laptops, similar to cell phones, emit a massive amount of EMF radiation. The second reason is that laptops generate heat. In fact, they generate so much heat, it can damage your skin.

But many of us disregard this health hazard, because it’s just so convenient to use a laptop on your lap.

And that’s why we make the SYB Laptop Pad. Our SYB Laptop Pad is designed using a mesh of ferromagnetic steel and aluminum plates. You can place the laptop pad on your lap and your laptop on the pad.

This protects your lower body from the EMF emitted by the laptop, and also reduces the heat.

The Laptop Pad is portable, comfortable, and easy to clean.

Headsets

Health bodies globally recommend against using Bluetooth headsets, as placing an EMF source so close to your brain is dangerous.

Bluetooth headsets, unlike wired headsets, are an EMF source. So, when you wear them, large amounts of EMF get absorbed by your brain.

So, try to avoid using Bluetooth headsets as much as you can.

And although there are products like AirPod emf blocker stickers in the market that claim to reduce your EMF exposure from your AirPod or other Bluetooth headsets, we don’t recommend using them.

So far, there’s no scientific explanation of how these stickers work and absolutely no concrete proof of them actually working.

I suggest going back to the basics and creating a distance between your body and the EMF source. And wired headsets can help you with that.

When you use wired headsets, you keep the actual EMF source (e.g., the phone) away from your head, greatly reducing your EMF exposure.

I say “reducing” because, although wired headsets are safer than Bluetooth ones, they’re not completely EMF-free. This is because EMF from your device still travels up through the wires and directly into your ears, and through to your brain.

SYB H.A.R.D anti-radiation headset.
The SYB H.A.R.D can be used with any headphones or headset.

We solve this with our SYB Air Tube Headset and SYB H.A.R.D.

In the SYB Air Tube Headset, the wire stops part-way up the cord (a safe distance from the head), and hollow flexible tubes take over. This stops the radiation from your cell phone from being conducted up to your head and into your brain.

And if you want to use your premium headset, you can go with the SYB H.A.R.D. This product stops EMF from your phone right at the starting point and only lets clean audio pass through the wire.

WiFi Routers

WiFi routers are one of the most common electronic devices present in the average American home. Routers are powerful EMF generators, and exposing yourself to those emissions for a more extended period can be hazardous.

We recommend using a wired internet connection. Yet, we also understand that this may not be an option for many people.

Turning your WiFi off when you sleep will also help to limit your exposure.

For times when you do need to have the WiFi switched on in your home, we have solutions like the SYB Picture Frame.

This is a powerful EMF shield that you can place in front of your WiFi router, facing the area where you spend the most time.

If you want to check out our full catalog, you can visit our store: 5G & EMF Protection Products from SYB.

EMF Blocking Fabric or RF Blocking Fabric

The EMF pollution in our environment is ever-growing. And although blocking EMFs from your gadgets helps a lot, it’s sometimes not enough.

EMF-blocking fabric adds a new layer to your EMF protection efforts.  

EMF-blocking fabrics are a mix of materials like copper, aluminum, silver, stainless steel, and nickel with natural or synthetic fibers like cotton, rayon, silk, or polyester. They’re used to produce radiation protection clothing that looks and feels like regular clothing but with an added layer of protection.

This unique blend of metal and fiber creates a fabric that turns these clothes into powerful EMF shields. The garments stop electromagnetic radiation from entering the body by deflecting it in the opposite direction.

EMF Shielding Paint

Shielding solutions like phone pouches and laptop pads are effective for most people, but sometimes they’re not enough. This is especially true if any of these factors apply to you:

  • You have high EMF sensitivity
  • You reside near a cell phone tower
  • You live in an apartment in a building with high EMF activity

If one of these is true for you, shielding EMF sources inside your house may not be enough.

In this case, you can resort to a whole house/room shielding solution using EMF shielding paint, also known as 5G protection paint.

EMF shielding paints are created using highly conductive materials that can block extremely low frequency (ELF) radiation from electrical outlets to higher-frequency EMFs like those used by cell phones and WiFi routers.

With EMF shielding paint, you can turn your house/room into something close to a Faraday Cage.

If you plan to use EMF shielding paint, we recommend engaging the services of an expert. This is because whole-home or whole-room shielding solutions are complex and easy to get wrong.

Building Biology Institute is one of the places where you can find certified EMF experts.

How to Use EMF Shielding Products?

You must know that when you use an EMF shielding product, you are not canceling the EMF. You are just stopping it from entering your body by diverting it in the opposite direction.

If you try to block 100% of the EMF, your wireless gadgets will not function.

Let’s take the SYB 5G Phone shield as an example. It’s a powerful EMF shield with a phone-case-like structure.

You place the 5G Phone Shield between your body and your phone while carrying it in your pocket. When you do this, the Phone Shield will deflect all the EMF radiation away from your body.

Always remember that you should never keep an electronic gadget between an EMF shielding material and your body.

For example, you should never pick up the phone and place it against your head with the 5G Phone Shield on the back of your phone. If you do this, all EMF will be directed towards your face.

All science-based EMF shielding products are made using this logic.

Don’t Cover Your Gadgets

Another thing is, you should never cover your electronic gadgets with EMF shielding products.

These gadgets are designed to connect you to the network, even in adverse conditions. So, when a device is in a low network area, it will respond by emitting even higher amounts of EMF in order to stay connected and give you service.

Covering your device will cause the same phenomenon as using your phone in an elevator. This is the reason our products like our SYB 5G Phone Shield, SYB Phone Pouch, and SYB Laptop Pad, are designed to shield from one side only.

This way, your device will be able to function as normal, even as you stay protected from radiation. And most importantly, it will not emit any more EMF than it has to.

Final Thoughts

I hope this post has helped you to better understand how EMF shielding works and how it can protect the health of you and your family. To learn more about our lab-tested EMF protection products, start here.

Where do you carry your phone?

Want to Slash Your EMF Health Risks?

Good! Learn the one small change you should make right now.

Want to learn more about EMF?

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About the Author

R Blank is the CEO of Shield Your Body, which he founded in 2012. With hundreds of thousands of customers in over 30 countries, and having been interviewed on platforms including Dr. Phil, ABC news television and ElectricSense, R is an internationally followed expert on issues of EMF, health and safety. He also hosts “The Healthier Tech Podcast”, available Apple, Spotify and all major podcasting platforms. In the past, he served on the faculty at the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering as well as the University of California, Santa Cruz. Previously, R ran a software engineering firm in Los Angeles, producing enterprise-level solutions for blue chip clients including Medtronic, Apple, NBC, Toyota, Disney, Microsoft, the NFL, Ford, IKEA and Mattel. He has spoken at conferences around the world, including in the US, Canada, New Zealand and the Netherlands, and he is the co-author, along with his father Dr. Martin Blank, of ‘Overpowered‘ from Seven Stories Press about the science of health effects of EMF radiation. He has an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and received his bachelor’s degree, with honors, from Columbia University. He has also studied at Cambridge University in the UK; the University of Salamanca in Spain; and the Institute of Foreign Languages in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. Read more about R and SYB or connect with R on LinkedIn.

Have a Question?

I take pride in designing great, effective products, based on real, measurable science – AND taking the time to ensure that each and every one of you has the information you need to understand EMF and make informed decisions.

So if you have a question, just email me and ask.

R Blank

R Blank
CEO, SYB