The Most Common Sources of EMR and EMF

Our world is more connected now than it was at any other point in human history. This is largely thanks to technological advances, especially those surrounding wireless connections. But according to some researchers, the prevalence of this technology may come at a cost to our health. This is due to the electromagnetic radiation (EMR) or electromagnetic fields (EMF) produced by these electronics.

Fortunately, even with the prevalence of modern technology, keeping our households safe is still possible. It’s all a matter of learning the most common sources of EMR and EMF and navigating around them.

What Causes EMR and EMF?

To understand where you might find EMR and EMF in your home, it’s useful to understand how this radiation occurs. Simply put, radiation occurs when energy travels through space. In more extreme forms, such as the sun heating the Earth or X-rays capturing images of bone fractures, radiation can remove electrons from atoms. This is called ionizing radiation.

The radiation in your home is lower energy and nonionizing, but it works on the same principle of energy passing through a space. Radiation in a home usually comes in the form of radio frequencies as well as electric and magnetic energy.

Common Sources of EMF and EMR

Cell Phones

When we send messages, make calls, or use the Internet on our cell phones, the devices send messages across space using radio frequencies. Since we constantly use our cell phones and usually keep them on our person all the time, this is typically where we’re most consistently exposed to EMF and EMR. Cell phone towers are also large outdoor sources of EMF.

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi also constantly sends out messages using radio frequencies. Because of this, Wi-Fi routers and devices that utilize Wi-Fi, such as laptops and tablets, are sources of EMR and EMF. The exposure levels depend on the strength of the signal as well as how close you are to the device. Fortunately, most Wi-Fi–enabled devices must meet standards related to how much EMF they can produce.

Appliances and Other Electronics

A device doesn’t have to use radio frequencies in order to produce EMF. A home appliance that uses a great deal of electricity will also likely be a source of EMR or EMF. A few examples include:

• Microwaves
• Refrigerators
• Air conditioning units
• Electric heating systems
• Televisions
• Remote controls
• Fluorescent lighting

Power Lines

Naturally, home appliances aren’t the only large users of electricity. If we turn our attention outside the home, we find that power lines also have large amounts of electricity running through them at all times. This electricity creates a field around the lines, leaving surrounding properties exposed.

Avoiding EMR and EMF

Since most sources of EMR and EMF come from electronics and appliances, the simplest way to lessen our exposure is to turn them off when they’re not in use or move them away from sleeping areas.

For outside sources such as power lines, many homeowners turn to EMF-blocking technology, such as specially made window shades and paints. At ECOS Paints, we created a quality EMF-blocking paint that you can apply beneath our regular wall paint to help protect your home.