Category Archives: RF Radiation

Radiation from radio and microwave range frequencies.

EMF Safe Airbnb

Traveling as an EMF sensitive person can be complicated. Airplanes, subways or trains can be painful and dangerous with pumped in WiFi and hundreds of users on their microwave transceivers (cell phones). Finding a low EMF place to stay is next to impossible unless you rent a shack in the country or set up a tent in the forest. Now days most hotels and Airbnbs are all set up to provide full wireless coverage. Sensitive people need more EMF safe options.

Over the last several years I’ve stayed mainly in Airbnbs. It takes time and effort to determine if a place can be potentially safe from RFR (radio frequency radiation) – WiFi and cellular. I start by using Google maps to find an address in the vicinity of the rental and then antennasearch.com to identify the locations of the cellular towers. This has saved my brain several times. Then I contact the hosts to ask if the wireless can be turned off and the location of the router in relation to the sleeping area. Most of the time the host can answer my questions, but are not willing to make any changes. Sometimes it does not register what I’m asking and I get answers like “there is nothing wrong with our WiFi!”. I have been lucky a couple of times and the on-site hosts pulled the plug on the router at night. There was much rejoicing. And better sleep. I do travel with PPE (personal protective equipment) and if necessary wrap myself up like a burrito in bed. I’m also the guy on the airplane with a bag over my head. More on that later.

From my Airbnb experiences, the hosts put a lot of effort into making sure everything is just right and offer personal touches aligned with the prices they are charging. If more hosts were aware of the needs of sensitive people and were willing to make a few changes, they could increase their bookings and better serve the community. We’re talking mainly about people with Electromagnetic Hyper Sensitivity (EHS) and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). People with allergic reactions to different forms of electrical fields and people allergic to chemicals used in household products. These are serious conditions and in a lot of cases, debilitating. Since EMFs are my specialty, I’m focusing on the electromagnetic hygiene.

As a EMF sensitive, Building Biologists, Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist (EMRS), I’m always aware of the immediate environment and thinking about solutions for my personal preservation and the well-being of others. I identify sources, measure and document the levels to be compared to the Building Biology precautionary guidelines for sleeping areas. I then create prioritized, mitigation solutions based on what I discover. More on my services here.

I find the highest priority EMF in Airbnbs today is the RF from WiFi routers. These are POWERFUL!! In clients’ homes I usually measure 20,000 μW/m² or more close to the source. Even if they are in another part of the home/building they can seriously impact a sensitive person. For this reason, when I do home assessments, the RF measurements are taken first and then anything broadcasting is powered OFF before I can continue.

Airbnb hosts could implement solutions to accommodate guests that require either WiFi or No WiFi internet access.
1. Have an Ethernet cable installed from the router into the rental space (if it’s in another area). Install a small multi-port switch so sensitive users can jack in directly to access the internet access without using WiFi. There are adapters that will let you use a phone or tablet on the wire.
2. With the Ethernet and switch in place, hard-wire anything that needs to be connected to the internet such as Smart TVs, Apple TV, Roku, etc. and turn off the wireless in the settings.
3. If the router is physically located in the rental, purchase one that has a WiFi ON/OFF button.
4. Learn how to log into the Administrator page of your router and become familiar with Enable/Disable of both 2.4 and 5 GHz wireless antennas. You can create a bookmark on the local computers for easy access. This turns off WiFi only, leaving everything wired fully connected to the internet. I’ve created a document with instructions here. On some routers, you can even do this remotely if necessary.
5. If the router is physically located in the rental and the guest needs the WiFi, do them a favor and cage or bag it to reduce the exposure without disabling.

Controlling the internet access and reducing RFR is a solid first step, however,
there are other sources of RFR to be aware of including Smart meters and external sources.

Going the distance to create and list a space as EMF Safe.
1. Engage a certified Building Biologist to do a full EMF assessment for RFR, magnetic fields, electric fields and dirty electricity.  This will include both internal and external sources. These other forms of EMFs can be just as dangerous and biologically disruptive.
2. Then have the BB measure YOUR home!
3. Have the BB provide the specific measurements and strategies to reduce as much as possible. Every situation if different.
4. Work with the BB and third party vendors if necessary to implement solutions.
5. Have the BB remeasure and provide the new, reduced numbers.
6. Proudly include the new measured numbers in your Airbnb listing and proclaim you had it evaluated and certified!!

I recently read a thread on the Airbnb community center talking about the special accommodations hosts were offering that were not showing up in search results. They can fully explain what they offer in their descriptions, but Airbnb is not providing specific boxes to be checked for Eco-Friendly or EMF/MCS Reduced space. Hopefully Airbnb is reading the posts and listening to the requests of their hosts and guests. This is important!!

For a MUCH more comprehensive explanation, view About EMFs on my website.
I’ve created a document listing common EMF generating sources and reduction suggestions. Safer_Technology_Tips

For consulting or on-site assessments, contact me.

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Blue light has a dark side – Harvard Health

Source: Blue light has a dark side – Harvard Health

Although it is environmentally friendly, blue light can affect your sleep and potentially cause disease. Until the advent of artificial lighting, the sun was the major source of lighting, and people spent their evenings in (relative) darkness. Now, in much of the world, evenings are illuminated, and we take our easy access to all those lumens pretty much for granted.

The Invisible Rainbow

Invisible Rainbow - Electricty and LifeA History of Electricity and Life

Arthur Firstenberg tells an incredible story of the discovery, harnessing and proliferation of electricity beginning in the mid 1700s through the present time. He covers the players, their achievements, research and conclusions. His examination of all the science including epidemiological studies is impeccable and the chapters showing the direct connections between EMFs and diabetes, influenza, and heart disease are quite eye opening. Moving on to studies of how EMFs have affected other animals, insects and plants, he shows again how the unrestricted proliferation of man-made electromagnetics has also damaged the other inhabitants of this planet.

Of particular interested to me, he covers in great detail the connections between EMFs and many symptoms of EHS (referred to as neurasthenia in the 17/1800s). Symptoms my clients battle daily including: tinnitus, depression, headaches, pressure in the chest, fogging brain and general lack of vitality.

This is truly an amazing, informative book. I highly recommend to everyone with interest in understanding how our planet and health have been foolishly electropolluted.

Excerpt from a review written by Miriam Lindbeck, EMRS (full review here)

“Graphically, eyes wide open missing nothing, Firstenberg hikes us, year by year, decade by decade, through elaborate scientific and medical discoveries, the biases and positions of doctors and physicists, the wholesale roll out of electricity and radio waves, the undeniable biological correlations, and the complete, staggering, parallel health repercussions it had and continues to have on all life forms, both visible and invisible. He opens the vaults of buried history, casting the flood light on what was long concealed, the impact of which determines our lives today. He marches us towards the future which is here now, with what is to become far worse, literally in months. We now consciously hold in our hands the dangerous and complicated situation we have been creating since the day the enfant terrible was discovered and placed into the then, and still, unwitting hands of humanity.”

Arthur Firstenberg  is a scientist and journalist who is at the forefront of a global movement to tear down the taboo surrounding this subject. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Cornell University with a degree in mathematics, he attended the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine from 1978 to 1982. Injury by X-ray overdose cut short his medical career. For the past thirty-five years he has been a researcher, consultant, and lecturer on the health and environmental effects of electromagnetic radiation, as well as a practitioner of several healing arts.  Cellphonetaskforce.org

 

 

RF Shielding Install

EMR Home Assessment and RF shielding
Testing date: August 8 2017

A 700 square foot mobile home build in 1980, located on the border of the Los Osos Oak Preserve. There is a cell tower .72 miles to the East and a second at 1.5 miles. Both have multiple antennas operated by the local telecom service providers. There are other RF sources from the neighbors including wifi routers and cordless phones. The exterior shell of the mobile home is aluminum which reduces the RF penetration. Some of the windows have been upgraded to Low-E glass which also helps. No internal sources of RF and no Smart meter.

RFR

Radio frequency penetration

Internal measurements at locations 3,4,5,6 and 14 averaged above 30 μW/m² which places as “severe” concern by Building Biology Standards. The Kitchen window at Location 7 is Low-E and the angle seems to deflect a good portion of the RF radiation away from the interior. Location 8 and 5 were surprisingly high and I believe the radiation source to be both reflected from the cell towers off the neighbors siding and the neighbors cordless phone directly. External measurements are much higher with peak readings at 3500 μW/m² in the 27MHz -> 10GHz ranges. Again showing the aluminum siding and Low-E glass providing some protection as the interior levels were much lower.

Signal Protect window film from Safe Living Technologies : SLT.co

Signal Protect window film

 

We focused on the windows at locations 3,4,5,6 and 14. I recommend Signal Protect clear window film from Safe Living Technologies and to reduce the cost, replacing vinyl window screens on the lower half of the window with metal which does a decent job of shielding RF. The window at location 5 was considered to large and expensive to film, so shielding fabric was purchased from LessEMF to drape in the inside.

Results

Measurements after shielding averaged < 10 μW/m² putting it around 70% reduction and in the Building Biology “slight” concern.

 

 

WiFi in Schools – Introduction

Recently, I was asked to put together information on the dangers of wifi in schools and the possible effects on the children being exposed. This info was shared with the administration of an international  school here in Costa Rica as an introduction in hopes it would be considered before making decisions.

Wifi in Schools – The Facts

Presentation from Dr. Devra Davis

Parents Concerned About WiFi in MCPS

Safe Tech For Schools Maryland – 2016 archive

 

 

Academy for Radiation Protection and Environmental Medicine — Geovital provides detection and mitigation services, but they have current information. One of their recent posts.

International EMF Scientist Appeal — Read this and have a look around the site.

The BioInitiative 2012 Report — Recommended Radio Frequency radiation exposure levels of less than 10 μW/m². My wife’s classroom was pulsing around 250 and the Operations Manager’s office was closer to 5000, which are not sleeping areas, but you get the idea.

High tech birth/population control. Only one of the dark sides of this technology. Some scary shit.

Dr. Magda Havas, PhD — Very active in sharing  EMF awareness in regards to children and schools.

Dr. Barrie Trower — Whistle blower, microwave specialist that used to work for MI5. Some of his videos are very interesting.

Of course the exposure levels and duration are key factors. How many hours a day are children exposed to wifi in school? How many have wifi in their homes? How many have iPads and cell phones? How many have cordless phones? You get the idea. Wireless is convenient, yes, but it can be toxic. Not everyone will feel discomfort or agitation, but EVERYONE is being affected.

Limiting wifi/RF radiation exposure could be an excellent way to be ahead of the curve, promote the school and most important, provide a safe, non-toxic learning environment for the children and the staff. Wired internet is safe. It’s more difficult to implement, but it’s safe. The classes are small, so one cable drop/patch to each room with a small switch for laptop users (if they actually need internet access to take notes). iPad/tablet users would need to download learning/reading materials ahead of time and use their devices in airplane mode as much as possible. You could have a wifi router available to be turned on for downloads and then disabled.  Just some ideas.

In today’s world with cell towers and wifi popping up everywhere, it’s almost impossible to avoid. However, with some effort, exposure can be reduced. ANY reduction in EMF exposure is worth the effort. We’re all going to die sometime, but I think most people would choose to prevent possible disease for themselves and  their children. Should you trust the safety of your children to industry-funded reports and government agencies?

-Richard

Costa Rica – RF Radiation

14-MonteVerdeOur first trip to Costa Rica was a great adventure and success. Everything rolled out as planned. We drove 969 miles and spent time on the Caribbean, Pacific and in the Arenal Volcano area. With our upcoming move, we were very excited to experience the culture, nature, beauty and wildlife and we were not disappointed. However, we were very surprised at the amount of RF/MW communication towers all across the county. The towers were taller than what we see in the US and only had a few antennas on each, but they were abundant. Many times the towers were placed right in the middle of town, which is great for reception, not so great for our brains. In Monte Verde, we stayed at the Hotel Ficus and there was a tower directly across the street. We didn’t sleep much those 2 nights and I awoke in the morning with my body vibrating. Sad considering this was the main “nature” destination on our trip.  If we would have taken our phones, I don’t think we would have lost reception. I should have taken my RF meter to see exactly what we were dealing with.

 

wifi on boardWifi is made available at every possible opportunity. It’s used as a selling point to promote services to tourists. Most of the time, we were able to keep our distance, but a few times, our exposure was high. It’s enabled on tourist buses and on the flights. Since our return, we’re still waiting for the usual symptoms to calm.

 

As we see more and more, the balance between connectivity and safety is ignored in the name of convenience and greed. Even in Costa Rica.