EMF Exposure

[Sirius]

i.i, do you have living space above the kitchen? If so, this is not a good place to be when those fluorescents are on - the AC mag fields will be very high up there. I generally think that all home fluorescents should be replaced with something more conventional.

Indeed. The matter is even worse: If they get broken, you will have to deal with mercury vapours inside your kitchen. While in use, they leak certain amounts of toxic and carcinogenic vapours.
It's in German but mainstream media even has reports regarding this:
_http://www.stern.de/gesundheit/kritik-an-energiesparlampen-dampfen-oeko-leuchten-gift-aus-1676027.html
_http://www.ndr.de/fernsehen/sendungen/markt/wohnen_energie/energiesparlampen119.html
_http://www.ndr.de/ratgeber/verbraucher/haushalt_wohnen/energiesparlampen125.html

 

[doublea1535]

Here is sound the fluorescent lights in my kitchen gives off. I turn them on and off several times, note the nasty sound when they first kick on. Readings taken at about head-level:

i.i, do you have living space above the kitchen? If so, this is not a good place to be when those fluorescents are on - the AC mag fields will be very high up there. I generally think that all home fluorescents should be replaced with something more conventional.

No but the kitchen is next to our master bedroom. We haven't been using the overhead fluorescent lights at all in the past month or so. However, we are on the 2nd floor and the apartment below us likely has the same setup, and we have a hunch they like to leave their kitchen lights on all the time. :/ I haven't purchased a Gauss meter yet, and the inductive amplifier is not the best tool for the job, since the kitchen has (what sounds like) high levels all the time, due to the electric range and 4 light switches running nearby.

The matter is even worse: If they get broken, you will have to deal with mercury vapours inside your kitchen. While in use, they leak certain amounts of toxic and carcinogenic vapours.

I didn't realize they leaked a bit while in operation, although it shouldn't surprise me. We rent so replacing them is pretty much a non-option, unfortunately.

 

[LQB]

Here is sound the fluorescent lights in my kitchen gives off. I turn them on and off several times, note the nasty sound when they first kick on. Readings taken at about head-level:

i.i, do you have living space above the kitchen? If so, this is not a good place to be when those fluorescents are on - the AC mag fields will be very high up there. I generally think that all home fluorescents should be replaced with something more conventional.

No but the kitchen is next to our master bedroom. We haven't been using the overhead fluorescent lights at all in the past month or so. However, we are on the 2nd floor and the apartment below us likely has the same setup, and we have a hunch they like to leave their kitchen lights on all the time. :/ I haven't purchased a Gauss meter yet, and the inductive amplifier is not the best tool for the job, since the kitchen has (what sounds like) high levels all the time, due to the electric range and 4 light switches running nearby.

If the 1st floor kitchen is directly under yours, then the floor area of your kitchen will be saturated in AC mag field (as well as their unfiltered grid noise) - not good. In that building/complex, then, the safest units are on the 1st floor. A cheap gauss meter will verify this. One of the ones I use is this (for $30): http://www.amazon.com/Technology-Alternatives-7021-Sensor-Detection/dp/B0013P6ZJQ/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1362914794&sr=8-6&keywords=gauss+meter. It has a handy remote probe that allows you to move it all over the place independent of the base unit. It also has an audio alarm when the field exceeds 2 mG.

Anyway, with a GS and gauss meters, you should be well armed to check out any future accommodations for EMF problems - you might want to add an electric field meter to the arsenal. This one will do both E and Mag fields: http://www.amazon.com/Trifield-100XE-EMF-Meter/dp/B00050WQ1G/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1362914794&sr=8-4&keywords=gauss+meter

 

[Sirius]

[quote author=ignis.intimus]
[quote author=Sirius]
The matter is even worse: If they get broken, you will have to deal with mercury vapours inside your kitchen. While in use, they leak certain amounts of toxic and carcinogenic vapours.
[/quote]
I didn't realize they leaked a bit while in operation, although it shouldn't surprise me. We rent so replacing them is pretty much a non-option, unfortunately.
[/quote]I don't know how your contract looks like but you could argue that they reached allegedly their lifespan, so that new ones must be installed. Or, are you not allowed to replace them yourself additionally?

 

[mcb]

...If the 1st floor kitchen is directly under yours, then the floor area of your kitchen will be saturated in AC mag field (as well as their unfiltered grid noise) - not good. In that building/complex, then, the safest units are on the 1st floor. A cheap gauss meter will verify this. One of the ones I use is this (for $30): http://www.amazon.com/Technology-Alternatives-7021-Sensor-Detection/dp/B0013P6ZJQ/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1362914794&sr=8-6&keywords=gauss+meter. It has a handy remote probe that allows you to move it all over the place independent of the base unit. It also has an audio alarm when the field exceeds 2 mG.
...

I found an app for my iPhone, "Multi Measures," that lets me take simple magnetometer readings without attracting attention. With our public transit people encouraging everyone to "report suspicious activity" to 911, it becomes more important to not do anything out of the ordinary. I have used it to detect the magnetic fields inside the light rail cars (very substantial!), and from underground transformers at one of the light rail stops. It should work with florescent lights under the floor as well.

 

[LQB]

...If the 1st floor kitchen is directly under yours, then the floor area of your kitchen will be saturated in AC mag field (as well as their unfiltered grid noise) - not good. In that building/complex, then, the safest units are on the 1st floor. A cheap gauss meter will verify this. One of the ones I use is this (for $30): http://www.amazon.com/Technology-Alternatives-7021-Sensor-Detection/dp/B0013P6ZJQ/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1362914794&sr=8-6&keywords=gauss+meter. It has a handy remote probe that allows you to move it all over the place independent of the base unit. It also has an audio alarm when the field exceeds 2 mG.
...

I found an app for my iPhone, "Multi Measures," that lets me take simple magnetometer readings without attracting attention. With our public transit people encouraging everyone to "report suspicious activity" to 911, it becomes more important to not do anything out of the ordinary. I have used it to detect the magnetic fields inside the light rail cars (very substantial!), and from underground transformers at one of the light rail stops. It should work with florescent lights under the floor as well.

Great - now you can calibrate it using a few accurate meter measurements and convert your measurements to mG.

 

[doublea1535]

[quote author=ignis.intimus]
[quote author=Sirius]
The matter is even worse: If they get broken, you will have to deal with mercury vapours inside your kitchen. While in use, they leak certain amounts of toxic and carcinogenic vapours.

I didn't realize they leaked a bit while in operation, although it shouldn't surprise me. We rent so replacing them is pretty much a non-option, unfortunately.
[/quote]I don't know how your contract looks like but you could argue that they reached allegedly their lifespan, so that new ones must be installed. Or, are you not allowed to replace them yourself additionally?
[/quote]

I'm not sure I follow you. The issue is really just the fact that they are fluorescent, right? That the ballasts inside the tubes emit high mag fields. I doubt they would replace the fixture with a different technology. Just not using them in my apartment helps, but I can't do much about my downstairs neighbors. I do see there are LED alternatives:

_http://www.ledtubelights.org/

If what you mean is that the bulbs themselves could be replaced one for one (with same fluorescent technology, but newer bulbs) then I could just do that myself. If they were flickering I could get the building management to do it.

Long-term solution is that we are finding a new place to live. A house instead of an apartment, and somewhere more remote that meets certain criteria, like a gas range and not an electric one.

 

[doublea1535]

LQB - yep on the mag fields from the neighbor downstairs. I am still researching which additional meters I want. I would prefer to get something a little higher-end than some of those cheapo units. I don't mind spending a little extra money for something that will have a broader range of use going forward, and provide easier and more accurate measurements.

 

[Sirius]

Long-term solution is that we are finding a new place to live. A house instead of an apartment, and somewhere more remote that meets certain criteria, like a gas range and not an electric one.

Sensible idea since effectively 100% of all apartments are EMF polluted nowadays.
Regarding the bulbs: You could grab somewhere a few traditional bulbs (25-30 W max.) and replace the energy-efficient ones only as long as you live there (who cares?), assuming they use the same socket. If you have twin tube luminaire type of light, then an external lamp is the only option. Small halogen bulbs aren't socket-compatible either sometimes.
However, generally, this shouldn't be a big deal.

 

[LQB]

LQB - yep on the mag fields from the neighbor downstairs. I am still researching which additional meters I want. I would prefer to get something a little higher-end than some of those cheapo units. I don't mind spending a little extra money for something that will have a broader range of use going forward, and provide easier and more accurate measurements.

Then try here: http://www.magneticsciences.com/MSI95Gaussmeter.html. This is the one that Karl Riley helped design - I also have one. You can also get different probes for it.

 

[paralleloscope]

A patent was filed by Swisscom AG in 2003 on a system to reduce electrosmog, yet to be available (if ever). The patent application demonstrates that they (telecom industry) were aware of the dangers of wireless tech.

influence of electrosmog on the human body is a known problem

This mutation can consequently lead to increased cancer risk

From: _http://www.prlog.org/12094566-wireless-industrys-patented-system-to-reduce-cancer-risk-from-wireless-local-networks-never-adopted.html
Patent:_http://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=WO2004075583

 

[Voyageur]

Here is a recent finding and paper released from IARC

_http://microwavenews.com/short-takes-archive/iarc-publishes-rf-cancer-review

IARC Publishes Rationale for RF as Possible Human Carcinogen

Two-Year Gestation

April 19, 2013

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has released its detailed evaluation of the cancer risks associated with RF radiation, which serves as the rationale for designating RF as a possible human carcinogen.

The IARC monograph comes close to two years after an invited panel of experts from 14 countries reached this conclusion following an eight-day meeting at IARC headquarters in Lyon, France (see our report).

An electronic copy of the 430-page document is available at no cost from IARC. A paper copy will be available soon.

{paper link} _http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol102/mono102.pdf

The basis for IARC designation of RF as a Class 2B carcinogen is summed up in one sentence: "Positive associations have been observed between exposure to radiofrequency radiation from wireless phones and glioma and acoustic neuroma" (p.421). Those associations with brain tumors and tumors of the acoustic nerve were observed by the Interphone study group and Lennart Hardell's team in Sweden.

The panel's decision was close to unanimous. One strong dissent came from Peter Inskip of the U.S. National Cancer Institute {not surprising}, who walked out of the IARC meeting before the final vote. One or two others, including Maria Blettner of the University of Mainz in Germany, were reported to have also disagreed with the majority opinion. There was talk that the dissenters would file a minority opinion, but no signed statement appears in the IARC monograph. Instead, their view is included in the final paragraph of the report: The available evidence does not support a "conclusion about a causal association" due to "inconsistencies" between the Interphone and Hardell studies and the lack of an exposure-response relationship.

The dissenters also point to a lack of association in a large Danish study —though this effort has been widely criticized (see our take). Finally, the dissenters argue that, "up to now, reported time trends in incidence rates of glioma have not shown a trend parallel to time trends in mobile-phone use." That last argument was punctured in November when the Danish Cancer Society reported a spike in aggressive brain tumors over the last ten years. At the time, an insider called the increase a "frightening development," though no link to cell phones was made.

 

[fabric]

Received my second notice from Hydro that they are on the final stages of installs, and as you (me) have "expressed concerns" we are letting you know that this install needs to be done now, type of thing, and then started to read from the canned propaganda.

There are apparently 85,000 people in BC who have refused and taken steps to say no. In the end, knowing they would come while i was away, made it clear, again, for the record, that they are not to install this meter. What will they do, turn off my power, give me a court order (here it is in the Green Act legislation i think)? My recent billing for the prior two months was > $600.00, which is way out of line considering the mild temperatures and using wood heat almost exclusively. The bill says the meter was "read", yet from my understanding the readers have been let go.

All so very frustrating.

Here in Ontario they basically already installed these smart meters (I think our house had it since we moved here in 2007) and there is no opt out option. If you try and change your meter they will cut your power off and there is nothing you can do but comply.

At least in BC they are doing something about it! See: http://www.stopsmartmetersbc.ca/html/?p=5955

So next step is to mitigate damage done by these devices. Unfortunately ours in inside our house and is not even enclosed in one of these metal boxes! So this thing is just radiating in all directions and that's not good.

A while back I took steps to reduce EMF in the house (no CFLs, no wireless ethernet, no cordless phones) so this is the last item left. I didn't realize this was a smart meter until I saw someone mention 'beware if your meter has a digital readout'. I'd like to get the thing outside the house but is going to be too costly... I'm hoping putting into a box and covering the readout with a wire mesh cave will help... I've ordered a meter to take readings and see if the changes have any effect. While I'm not electro-sensitive (or least not yet?) from reading up on the subject it's definitely something to be aware of and reduce exposure to.

 

[LQB]

A while back I took steps to reduce EMF in the house (no CFLs, no wireless ethernet, no cordless phones) so this is the last item left. I didn't realize this was a smart meter until I saw someone mention 'beware if your meter has a digital readout'. I'd like to get the thing outside the house but is going to be too costly... I'm hoping putting into a box and covering the readout with a wire mesh cave will help... I've ordered a meter to take readings and see if the changes have any effect. While I'm not electro-sensitive (or least not yet?) from reading up on the subject it's definitely something to be aware of and reduce exposure to.

Not all digital meters are smart meter transmitters. But if yours is (look for an FCC equivalent sticker on the front), then it is probably transmitting near peak power to close the link.

There is one thing you could try (depending on cost/hassle). If you can shield the room where it is at so it cannot close the link, then you can probably get the power people to relocate for you at no cost to you - outside and away from the house.

 

[fabric]

There is one thing you could try (depending on cost/hassle). If you can shield the room where it is at so it cannot close the link, then you can probably get the power people to relocate for you at no cost to you - outside and away from the house.

It's definitely a smart meter. I was looking at it and I don't know if I can get it into a box as that would require me to disconnect it. Currently it's in a sorta wall cabinet with the breaker panel. I think I can get the sides and the front cabinet door, but the back part (in behind the red panel) is hard to access... although I might be able to get the wall on the other side.... I put a pic up for ref.