EMF Pollution And Its Potential Health Risks

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Of course, there are the gainsayers who believe EMF pollution is ‘scaremongering’ at its best, but one can only hope that in the end the facts will prove stronger than fiction.

What are the Health Risks?

As I’ve explained previously, every person is affected by electrical pollution, but some people are more sensitive, less resilient and therefore more vulnerable to health problems associated with EMF pollution.

But what are the risks?

My colleague Dr. Jonathan V. Wright tells of a particular case that he dealt with in the US: ‘ I was made aware of this problem by a mother who told me that her 13- year-old son had been having abrupt and very noticeable behavioural changes worsening multiple times daily for years. The episodes occurred at the exact same times every day when he was at home, but he did not have these problems at all when he and his mother were out of the area. After months of painstaking research, she discovered his behaviour change was ‘triggered’ by the rotating radar beam from the local Naval Air Station that ‘swept over’ their home at exactly those times. They tried nutritional, biochemical and acupuncture treatments, but nothing worked, so they moved to another area well away from the radar beam. The abrupt behavioural changes completely disappeared.’

Ah, I hear the gainsayers at the back: Which 13-year-old boy doesn’t have abrupt behavioural changes?

My answer to that is: The ones that don’t live close to the radar... or power line.

How about this: A number of studies have examined the occupational risk of exposure to EMF and have found that electrical workers are at significantly increased risk for brain tumours and acoustic neuromas (a type of brain tumour that effects hearing). Experts say that the risk is similar to that for lung cancer from second hand smoke. Findings of these studies were published in the journal, Occupational & Environmental Medicine, an international peer review journal on all aspects of occupational & environmental medicine.

Oh, and then there’s cancer!

In his article, Electric power, pineal function, and the risk of breast cancer, Richard Stevens explains that exposure to radiofrequency radiation (RF) may have the following physical effects: disrupt cellular communication, cell membrane functioning and metabolism, and trigger the activation of proto-oncogenes (genes which predispose to cancer) and stress hormones. Hang on the list actually goes on: DNA breakage, chromosomal aberrations, cell death, increased production of free radicals and changes in brain function.

In their research Richard Stevens and his colleagues found that EMF exposure posed a possible risk factor in developing breast cancer because of its effects on melatonin levels. Declining levels of melatonin have been associated with risk of breast cancer.

(Richard Stevens is from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre, Seattle in the US and his article was published in 1992 in The FASEB Journal.)

So what do we have in our basket up to now? Brain tumours, risk of cancer, behavioural problems and immune deficiency.

Do I have your attention now, gainsayers?

Oh, go on then, I’ll throw one more bone at the non-believers.

In the European Journal of Cancer Prevention [5(3):153-158, 1996.] Roger Coghill wrote about the link between electric field exposure and a number of childhood diseases, such as asthenia, headache, depressive illness, and other non-cancer conditions.

The possible association between EMF exposure and childhood leukaemia has been indicated by a number of epidemiologic studies. In a more general sense, there are many studies which suggest that EMF can have an effect on various components of the immune system, in some cases activating reactions and in other cases suppressing an immune system response. Larger scale studies have examined an association between presumed magnetic field exposure and childhood leukaemia and recently there has been renewed interest in electric fields as a risk factor, especially in the UK.

Not just the big ones

As I’ve explained at the beginning of the alert, we all are affected by electrical pollution. Some people are more sensitive and others are more resilient. So, of course EMF exposure will not always end up in giving all of us major diseases. It can sometimes affect us in a simple way every day; like having a faint irritating headache every evening from 8 o’clock onwards (once you’ve entered the living room with the play station, computer and flat screen television).

These irritating health ‘niggles’ could point to something bigger: Radio Wave Sickness.

From the first awareness of the health effects related to electromagnetic radiation in the 1970, the non-localized neurological symptoms sufferers had have been very prominent and have been dubbed ‘Radio wave Sickness’ (RWS). These symptoms include: 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, "Flu-like" symptoms and fever.

More severe symptoms can include seizures, paralysis, psychosis and stroke. These complaints, along with numerous non-specific multiple symptoms could constitute RWS. You should suspect RWS when you have a significant number of these symptoms and there does not seem to be another cause for the symptoms. RWS should also be suspected if you have chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia, or attention deficit disorder, since a number of people suffering from these disorders substantially recovered after being treated for RWS.

Next week’s alert will look at how we all can make our environment safer against EMF pollution and treatment option for RWS.

Sources:

‘Nine ways to protect yourself from the new pollution more deadly than lead poisining’, by Dr. Jonathan V. Wright, published January 2009, Nutrition and Healing vol 3. Issue 1.

‘Electric power, pineal function, and the risk of breast cancer,’ by Richard Stevens et al, published 6 (3): 853. (1992), FASEB Journal, fasebj.org

‘Dirty power: The world's largest health experiment. What you don't know can kill you.’ Published online, electricalpollution.com

EMF Protection: Do You Need EMF Protection From EMF Pollution?’ by Rebecca Moon, published online 10/09/07, learnaboutemfs.com

‘Sources of Electrical Pollution’ published online, ecopolitan.com