We provide EMF consultation services including on-site surveys for elevated levels of electromagnetic radiation, source identification, personal exposure assessments and remediation strategies.

Assessment Processes

Consultation

Starting with a phone consultation to discuss concerns and needs you may have regarding EMFs at your site, we’ll collect information that can assist us in the assessment such as: structure type, age, utility services and the types of appliances and wireless devices being used. We will discuss the scope and strategy of the assessment, then schedule a time.

On-site assessment

Once on-site we spend approximately 15 minutes discussing the different types of electromagnetic fields including their characteristics, common sources and testing methods. We also provide materials listing the suggested safety guidelines to compare with our findings. As we’ll discuss on the phone, disabling (removing power from) RF emitting devices is part of the assessment. It’s necessary for us to manage our daily exposures to radio-frequency radiation (wireless), so we complete the RF portion of the survey first and if necessary, disable wireless for the remainder of our time on-site. The sleeping areas are the most important, so we take more measurements particularly on the bed and surrounding areas. An average size home can take approximately 3-5 hours to evaluate. We require clients to sign a pre-assessment agreement to establish level of service, payment amount/type and release of liability.

Radio frequency radiation

We use high-end, Gigahertz Solutions meters to measure high frequencies between 27MHz and 10GHz (HF-SHF). Starting on the inside, we’ll measure the level of radio frequency radiation (RFR) and identify sources such as wifi routers, cordless phones, computers, gaming consoles, etc. Next, we disable all wireless devices, remeasure and identify any external sources such as neighbors or communications towers. We discuss options for reducing exposures which could include powering off in and around bedrooms while sleeping or some form of shielding. We can work with you to achieve the desired solutions.

AC magnetic fields

Using a Gigahertz Solutions NFA1000 meter we move through the home to measure the ambient magnetic fields. If consistently present we’ll turn off the main electrical breaker to determine if the field is coming from an external source such as power distribution lines. If the source is not external but the field is still present, we check your service panel, water line (if metal) and grounding system for “net current” which could be created from wiring errors in the neighborhood system or from a corroded neutral connection at the transformer.

To measure for fields and detect sources inside the home we turn on lights and other electrical loads to create current flow. If a magnetic field is created there could be a wiring error such as a neutral to ground or neutral to neutral on individual branch circuits.
A qualified electrician and possibly the utility company may need to be consulted.

AC electric fields

We measure for elevated electric fields throughout the house focusing on bedrooms and the areas where you spend extended periods of time. E-fields can radiate from appliances, lamps, metal furniture or plastic coated wiring such as ROMEX on home circuits. In the bedrooms we start by measuring as found. If the levels are not low enough to meet the Building Biology guidelines, we next unplug electrical devices around the bed and measure again. If the levels are still not low enough, it is often necessary to exercise the individual circuit breakers at the service panel to identify which combination most affects the room. We usually engage you the client to report the levels via walkie-talkie while we’re in front of the panel. Once the best combination is identified, we’ll turn off and re-measure.  In addition to manually turning off the breakers at night, there are other solutions that can be installed including remote shut-off switches at the panel. An EMF aware electrician would need to be engaged to further evaluate and implement necessary solutions.

The electrical service panel type and configuration can also affect the levels of E-fields throughout the home/building. If external ground current (in the Earth) is detected and your panel is configured with the neutral return, grounded conductor bonded to the grounding electrode conductor (ground rod) as are 90+ % residential panels, the ground current could be pushing voltage onto the equipment grounding conductors of all of your branched circuits. Voltage creates electric fields.
For some sensitive clients, removing power from the sleeping area is a must.

Dirty electricity

We use Greenwave EMI and Stetzerizer Microsurge Meters to measure the levels of Dirty Electricity on the individual branch circuits. DE is a high frequency EMF that can be described as “noice” riding on the electrical circuits and radiating out into the room. The sources can include electronics, lighting, dimmer switches, variable speed motors, solar systems and in many cases it’s coming from the power grid. Depending on the source and panel configuration, it’s often necessary to conduct advanced diagnostics to determine potential solutions which range from plugin in filters to installing complex, whole house, filtering systems at the main electrical panel.

Post-assessment review

Following the assessment we regroup to review findings and compare to the SMB-2015 Exposure guidelines (pdf). Also, we can discuss any actions that can be taken immediately to reduce exposure and any need for further assessments by us or a third party such as an electrician or plumber. We offer a 20 minute followup phone call to answer questions and further discuss options.

Reporting

A typed summary of findings and recommendations can be provided within a few days of the assessment. The cost is an additional $150 paid at the time of service.  The  information, findings and recommendations are for personal use only. They are not to be used in contractual or litigation proceedings.

Mitigation

We make recommendations based on the assessment and if contracted, we’ll create a remediation strategy that works best for your situation. This could include but not limited too: shielding, window film, specialized paint, device relocation/configuration, network cable installation, etc. Again, depending on our agreements, we can perform some of the work and/or we can obtain third-party bids.

Time Requirements

We can perform a walk through to document a snapshot of the EMF levels, but a full assessment is always recommended. The time needed depends on the size of the structure and situation. A 2-3 bedroom can take several hours. We can set parameters when we discuss the scope and strategy of the assessment. Depending on your location we can quote for travel time and expense..

 

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