Here at SYB, we’re determined to break the barrier between complex EMF science and the general population. And as a part of this mission, we created the extremely useful “EMF Health Effects” app. Keep on reading to know more.
If you measure the EMF levels in two neighboring homes, you’ll probably find a massive difference. And if each one wants to reduce their exposure down to a level where it’s safer for their health, their strategies also need to be different.
See, when it comes to EMF mitigation, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. This is why it’s important that you first test your exposure using an EMF meter and then take appropriate actions.
Although EMF testing is fairly simple, understanding the readings on an EMF meter is a bit tricky. These meters use scientific units, which can be incomprehensible to the general population as they’re not something that we use in our day-to-day lives.
But we came up with a solution to bridge this gap, and we call it the EMF Health Effects app.
What is EMF Testing?
Before moving further and understanding what the EMF Health Effects app can do for you and how you can use it, let’s take a moment to understand what EMF testing is.
An EMF test measures the amount of electric, magnetic, and electromagnetic fields present in a specific environment. You can also use this test to see the amount of EMF your electrical and electronic devices emit.
If you’re familiar with the electromagnetism and photonics branch of physics, you may have heard of the Geiger counter. It’s a scientific instrument that detects nuclear radiation"Radiation" in the context of Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) refers to the process by which energy is emitted and transmitted through space or a material medium in the form of electromagnetic... More by measuring ionizing radiation"Ionizing radiation" refers to a type of electromagnetic radiation that carries enough energy to liberate electrons from atoms or molecules, thereby ionizing them. This form of radiation is part of... More emission of alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays.
Nuclear radiation is one of the few extremely high-frequency EMFs with sufficient energy"Energy" is a fundamental concept in physics, often described as the ability to do work or cause change. In everyday terms, it's what is needed to move things, heat them... More to ionize atoms or molecules by detaching electrons in your body and thus cause significant visible damage, even in low doses. Exposure to this kind of energy for a long time can be fatal. Due to this reason, high-frequency EMFs like X-rays, UV rays, nuclear energy, and gamma rays sit in the ionizing radiation section of the electromagnetic spectrumThe electromagnetic spectrum encompasses the entire range of electromagnetic radiation, which varies in wavelength and frequency. This spectrum includes, in order of increasing frequency and decreasing wavelength, radio waves, microwaves,... More.
But ionizing radiation exposure is not our immediate concern, as it’s not massively present in our environment – unlike the non-ionizing EMFs from our devices. Of course, UV rays from the sun also fall into the ionizing category, and you need to take appropriate steps to protect yourself from them. But besides that, our chance of being exposed to ionizing radiation is extremely low.
Non-ionizing EMF comes from our devices like cell phones, laptops, tablets, smart meters, WiFi routers, and also from electrical appliances, power"Power" in a scientific context refers to the rate at which work is done or energy is transferred. In simpler terms, it's how fast something is using energy. For example,... More lines, and our in-house wiring. Now, even though they’re significantly weaker in strength than ionizing radiations, research studies say that prolonged exposure to non-ionizing EMFs can cause major health problems ranging from sleep disorders to chronic illnesses like cancer.
As we move towards the future with remarkable technological advancements, the EMF pollution in our environment is also getting denser. On top of that, our gadgets are becoming increasingly mobile, prompting us to use and carry these EMF sources very close to our bodies.
If you’ve been with us for some time, you know that the power of EMF is strongest near its source, and exposure to such powerful EMF can severely deteriorate your health.
This is why it’s important for you to know your exposure level, so you can take the necessary steps to protect yourself and your loved ones from EMF-induced health problems. And you can do that using an EMF meter.
Different Kinds of EMF Meters
At any given time, our homes are surrounded by several types of EMF. And to test them, you need different EMF meters. Here’s a list of EMF meter types that are available for consumer use.
- A power density meterConcept and Definition A Power Density Meter is a specialized instrument used to measure the power density of electromagnetic fields (EMFs). Power density, defined as the amount of power per... More: It measures radiofrequency or RF-EMF
- GaussmeterA gaussmeter, also known as a magnetometer, is an instrument designed to measure and display the strength and direction of magnetic fields. This tool is named after the German mathematician... More: It’s used to measure ELF-MF or extremely low-frequency magnetic fieldsDefinition and Nature of Magnetic Fields Magnetic fields are a fundamental aspect of electromagnetic fields, produced by moving electric charges (electric currents). The strength of a magnetic field is measured... More
- AC fieldIn the context of electromagnetic fields (EMF), the term "field" refers to a region in space where electric and magnetic forces are exerted. An electromagnetic field is generated by electrically... More meter: It measures ELF-EMF or extremely low-frequency electric fieldsDefinition and Nature of Electric Fields Electric fields are a fundamental aspect of electromagnetic fields, created by electric charges, either stationary or moving. These fields represent the force that electric... More.
These meters are priced in the $100-$200 range, and you can easily buy them online. However, you must know that what you’re buying is a consumer-grade version of these meters, and they’re not as accurate as laboratory-grade equipment.
That doesn’t mean the data these meters show is inaccurate. They’re good enough to approximate the degree of EMF in your environment and tell you if your EMF mitigating efforts are working.
Understanding Your Test Results
Just as there are different meters to measure different types of EMF, the measuring units they use are also not the same. Here’s a list of units that EMF meters use.
| Radiofrequency Units | In Words |
| mW/cm2 | milliwatts per centimeter square |
| μW/cm2 | microwatts per centimeter square |
| W/m2 | wattThe "watt" is a unit of power in the International System of Units (SI) that plays a vital role in various scientific and technical domains, including the study of waves,... More per centimeter square |
| mW/m2 | milliwatts per meter square |
| μW/m2 | microwatts per meter square |
| Magnetic Fields Units | In Words |
| mT | Milli TeslaThe "tesla" is a unit of measurement in the International System of Units (SI) used to quantify the strength of a magnetic field. Named after the inventor and electrical engineer... More |
| T | Tesla |
| G | GaussThe "gauss" is a unit of measurement used to quantify the strength of a magnetic field. Named after the German mathematician and physicist Carl Friedrich Gauss, it helps in understanding... More |
| mG | milligauss |
| Electric Fields Units | In Words |
| V/m | voltThe term "Volt," named after the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta, is a unit of electric potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force (EMF) in the International System of Units... More per meter |
| SAR Unit | In Words |
| W/kg | Watts per Kilogram |
These units are not something that we use in our everyday lives, which is why most people find it hard to interpret what they mean when it comes to real life. But you needn’t worry, as we now have the phenomenal EMF Health Effects app.
Designed by a group of brilliant designers and backed by SYB’s 9+ years of experience and a massive database of scientific studies, the EMF Health Effects app helps you understand your EMF meter’s readings in mere seconds.
The All-New EMF Health Effects App
The EMF Health Effects app is a web browser-based application where you can enter the readings from your EMF meter, and it will search our huge database of scientific studies to find the effects recorded on that specific EMF level.
This app is highly user-friendly. All you need to do is select the unit, enter your reading, and hit “Get Results.” This whole process takes less than thirty seconds, and you’ll have everything you need to plan your EMF mitigating journey.
Why Did We Build This App?
Testing EMF levels is the first and one of the most crucial steps to reducing your EMF radiation exposure. That’s why I’m a huge advocate of people learning how to test EMF. If you have this knowledge, you can:
- Test the ambient levels of EMF in your home to understand your current situation
- Test EMF shieldingEMF shielding refers to the practice of reducing the electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure in a particular area by blocking or altering the electromagnetic waves with barriers made of conductive or... More products to check their legitimacy
- And finally, identify heavy EMF-emitting sources in your home so that you can take necessary further actions.
But, because EMF meters use scientific units, the readings may not make a whole lot of sense to you even if you do learn how to use them.
You can indeed compare the data to, say, the Building Biology Institute guidelines to see if they are high or low or worrisome. But you won’t know exactly what the levels mean for you.
Undoubtedly, there are thousands of scientific studies on EMF’s health effects. But again, there’s a lot of confusion.
Science can tell you much about a certain negative health effect of prolonged EMF exposure through experiments and epidemiological research. But the question remains, what is YOUR risk of developing that specific health problem?
The EMF Health Effects app is an attempt to remove this confusion and give you an approximate idea of the health risks associated with your level of exposure.
This app will:
- Help you better understand what a meter reading means by associating it with scientific studies at those specific exposure levels
- Help you better sort through some of the higher quality science by making it indexable/searchable by exposure level (which, to my knowledge, is not possible anywhere else).
In-Line with Current Scientific Understanding
Since this app is designed to tell you about EMF’s health effects, you might expect to find things like “cancer” in there. But you must know upfront that this app can’t tell you if you’re at risk of developing chronic problems like cancer. Why?
The EMF Health Effects app helps you understand the meaning of your EMF meter’s measurements by associating it to the scientific studies available on that specific exposure level.
It can’t tell you about the health problems your exposure level may cause in the long term because the data the EMF Health Effects app shows are from scientific experiments conducted at specific EMF levels. And the only science that really gets into specific exposures is laboratory science.
Laboratory science can tell you, for example, if a specific exposure level will cause interference in your voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) or harm your DNA. But, it cannot measure something like cancer because cancer takes a long time to manifest. And to study those types of health effects, you generally turn to epidemiology"Epidemiology" is the study and analysis of the distribution, patterns, and determinants of health and disease conditions in defined populations. It is a cornerstone of public health and informs policy... More.
Epidemiology is a branch of medical science that deals with the incidence, distribution, and control of disease in a population. It primarily relies on surveys of specific groups to understand the growth rate and cause of diseases.
So, when it comes to the epidemiological study of EMF’s health effects, it’s impossible to use specific exposure levels. Instead, such studies rely on things that can be measured across a massive chunk of the population – e.g., a bunch of people do a certain thing in a certain way, and most of them suffer from the same problem.
For instance, if you’re an epidemiological researcher trying to find the cause of brain tumor growth in a large number of people, you gather a group of people who are actually suffering from this problem and try to find commonalities among them.
Say that in your survey, you found that most of the subjects used their cell phones for more than 5 hours a day. And since we have already established through laboratory science that prolonged EMF exposure causes oxidative stress that can lead to unnatural cell death promoting tumor growth, you can conclude that prolonged cell phone use may cause brain tumors.
We designed this app only to include laboratory science. That way, you can focus on the immediate health effects known on your exposure level and take necessary actions as soon as you can.
How to Use the EMF Health Effects App?
There’s a comprehensive guide on my website that has everything you need to know about home EMF testing. You can grab a copy on my EMF & Product Testing page.
So, let’s assume that you’re testing your phone’s EMF emissions, and you got a reading of around 0.1 to 1 mW/cm2. Here’s what you need to do once you have that reading.
Step 1: Note the reading from your meter and go to www.ShieldYourBody.com/fx. It may ask you to log in with your credentials, and if you haven’t signed up with us already, you can create a new account.
Step 2: Once you’re logged in, you’ll see an interface like the one shown in the image below.
Step 3: Click on “Measurement Unit” and select the unit that your meter used to test your phone’s emissions. In this example, you would need to choose mW/cm2.
Step 4: Insert the value in the little box under “Reading.”
Step 5: Hit “Get Results”
Step 6: Scroll down and click on the studies that came from the search. Note that we’ve summarized these studies, but you can also click “View Study” on the top right-hand side to read the full paper when you are on the summary page.
Final Thoughts
Precision is important when your goal is to bring your EMF exposure level down to a place where it’s safer for your health. And the EMF Health Effects app helps you with that. Also, did I mention that it’s free? So, be sure to check it out on the Shield Your Body website, and start making the journey of life a bit safer and healthier for yourself and your loved ones.
