Tag Archives: EMF

Artificial Illumination: An Overlooked Environmental Health Stressor?

Environmental Health, , ,

In 2022, the USA banned the manufacture of incandescent bulbs and I had intuitively felt this was a bad move despite the claims by many of extreme energy savings from the switch to light emitting diodes (LEDs). My first thought when walking down a street with new LED streetlights a couple of years ago was that the light was overly bright and “harsh.” I also remembered seeing rumblings on the internet over the years that light from LEDs was maybe not so good for you but it had yet to really click for me until I stumbled onto Dr. Jack Kruse’s conversation with the DemystifySci team a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been researching the industrial EMF issue (Wi-Fi, 4G, 5G, etc.) for almost 4 years now and I’m surprised I hadn’t really looked into the blue light issue more deeply. Figures 1 depicts the cold white LED spectrum, the natural sunlight spectrum, and other spectrums for reference for the rest of this post. The spectrum emitted from LCD screens of technologic devices is similar to that of LEDs. If there are health problems associated with this artificial blue light spectrum then the energy savings argument falls apart as healthcare is one of the most energy intensive areas of the economy.

Figure 1: Various artificial light intensity spectrums compared to natural sunlight in the top left corner.

In the DemystifySci podcast at timestamp 1:08:00, Dr. Jack Kruse makes a point that the neuropeptide pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) is normally used by the body in natural sunlight to generate a number of biologically active peptides including adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) and B-endorphin (an opiate, sunlight makes us feel good!). However, he states that the spike in blue light intensity (~400-480 nm) in the emission spectrum from LEDs and tech devices, which is not balanced with UV or infrared light like it is in sunlight, causes neuropeptide cleavage in POMC to occur in such a way that lowers people’s dopamine levels and they then become addicted to screen scrolling/web surfing (endless dopamine hits in a subconscious attempt to get back to normal).

Photobiology

Dr. Alexander Wunsch is a photobiologist from Germany who has given some compelling presentations (available online) about natural light (sunlight, moonlight), circadian rhythms in organisms and the effects of artificial light (LEDs, incandescent bulbs, etc.) on our health. Incandescent bulbs are generally better for our health than fluorescent bulbs or LEDs. His research findings and discussions seem to solidly back up Dr. Jack Kruse’s claims. Dr. Jack Kruse and Dr. Alexander Wunsch seem to be the two people that have the best handle on this particular subject, as far as I can tell from my recent research. Not surprisingly, the LED/tech industry and governments say there is not much of a problem with this blue light. Though it is nice (and kind of telling) that in the past 5 years or so many devices like smartphones and laptops now come with a “Night Light” or “Dark” mode that removes much of the blue light spike from their emission spectrum.

Below is Figure 2, I modified one of Alexander Wunsch’s slides from one of his presentations and added more info. Basically, the figure shows that blue light from devices (that are also emitting RF and microwave radiation but not UV or infrared light) and LEDs disrupt circadian rhythms by stimulating the pituitary and pineal glands at the wrong times of the day. The other big interrelated point is that almost the entire near infrared/infrared-A (NIR/IRA) spectrum is missing from these devices and LEDs. This infrared spectrum is now well known to have several health benefits including increasing the size and charge of exclusion zone (EZ) water in the body and improved circulation in capillaries. All in all, it should be noted that blue light is actually beneficial when it occurs in sunlight in the late morning and mid-day as it is emitted along with the rest of the natural sunlight spectrum but when it isn’t, it has definite harmful effects on health.

Figure 2: A diagram depicting the difference between full spectrum sunlight and blue light from technology screens and how this difference affects the production of hormones in the body. The bottom graph depicts melatonin and ACTH + Cortisol concentrations in the body over the course of a day-night cycle.  Credit: Alexander Wunsch. Modified by me, see his presentation for original.

Esoteric Problems with Artificial Light

One of the disturbing thoughts that crossed my mind while doing this research is that what if LEDs were deliberately designed to have a spike in blue light intensity at around 440-460nm to artificially stimulate the pituitary gland of workers, thereby making them more productive, but not telling workers about the harmful long-term effects? The work, work, work, money, money, money, buy, buy, buy, consumerist culture. The system offers us free or cheap coffee, overhead lights with the blue light spike in their spectrum, and blue light backlit screens, all for short-term stimulation, but we pay for it later with myriad health problems (e.g. disrupted sleep, adrenal burnout, metabolism/weight gain issues, etc.). It also could just be that most experts in our society work in very isolated silos and do not communicate much (e.g. LED engineers do not go to biochemistry or photobiology conferences) and that maybe the cheapest material available for creating LEDs causes them to emit that blue light spike.

To back up the above discussion, below is Figure 3, a snapshot of the sections of the podcast between Dr. Alexander Wunsch and Luke Storey where they discuss why industrialists wanted certain types of lighting in their factories and offices. 

Figure 3: Snapshot of podcast overview between Dr. Alexander Wunsch and Luke Storey

Another disturbing finding I found when going down this rabbit hole was that in most organisms there is a class of enzymes in an enzymatic pathway called the cytochrome p450 pathway. The “p450” is a reference to the fact that the enzymes in this pathway have peak light absorption at about 450nm, the exact same peak in the blue light spectrum of most LEDs and screens of tech devices. Couple this with the fact that Wi-Fi sends out a signal at a frequency of 2.45GHz, a frequency which strongly affects water molecules and, again, this may make one think of possible intentional manipulation of human biology by the techno-industrial system. Building Biology advocate Roman Shapoval gives a good overview of the p450 problem and other similar esoteric problems with blue light in this substack article.

Conclusion

Of course, it seems that some engineers are actually making strides in developing LEDs and technologic devices that do not emit as much blue light as there previous generations did. But even with that, this post does go to show you, that being outside more and not indoors surrounded by Wi-Fi and blue light all the time is a good idea. The information in this post may also be pertinent to the theories of why there is so much more respiratory illness in winter than in summer in many places around the world, people are just inside so much more in winter than in summer, bathed in Wi-Fi frequencies and blue light vs. the full spectrum from the sun. 

In conclusion, light (electromagnetic) pollution is a very real problem, but is not taken seriously by mainstream society as much as chemical pollution in soil, air and water is. Light pollution is mostly considered only to be something that “blocks out the stars,” but it is much more than that as explained briefly in this post. Robert O. Becker, author of The Body Electric, stated that he thought exposure to electromagnetic pollution was even more of a concern than exposure to chemicals (e.g. PCBs, chlorinated solvents, gasoline vapors, etc.). If you have some time this winter be sure to check out Dr. Becker’s book and these other books in the image below if you are interested in a new scientific paradigm that recognizes electromagnetic energy as the foundational fabric of the cosmos.

Earthing, Tree Voltage, and the Effects of Electrosmog

Earth Processes, Environmental Health, , ,

Scientist Dr. Michael Clarage’s recent post on voltage readings in nature inspired me to take my own voltage readings in a spot in the forest using a standard multi-meter. I got similar readings of -150 millivolts (mV) when I stuck the negative electrode (black, “the ground”) into the topsoil by the tree and the positive electrode (red) into the cambium layer of the nearby slightly damaged tree.

Interestingly, I also got similar readings of around -180 mV when I stuck the negative electrode (black, “the ground”) directly into the surface water of the wetlands and the positive electrode (red) into the slightly moist topsoil beside the tree roots (see picture below).

These measurements suggest to me that electrons (and negative electric charge) are flowing from the groundwater and surface waters of Earth up into the topsoil and then into all plants and animals touching the ground.

Engineer Arthur Ramthun measured voltage between different tree limbs and the ground and found that electrons were flowing up from the soil to the tips of most of the branches (see this video for more information on this topic). Considering the research done on the fourth phase of water, is exclusion-zone (EZ) water providing the excess electrons to the surface of the Earth (see Figure 1)? Are these excess electrons available for redox reactions in plants and animals?

The maximum voltage measurement that Gerald Pollack and colleagues got when measuring the voltage between EZ water and the neighboring bulk water in their experiments was about -200 mV (directly adjacent to a piece of Nafion).

Figure 1: Discussion of the redox characteristics of EZ water on the left, with scientists stating that EZ water is a major donor of electrons, and a slide from Arthur Ramthun’s presentation on the right, estimating the amount of electrons flowing to a tree branch tip.

The preceding discussion brings to mind the subject of earthing or grounding. Modern humans are almost always electrically insulated from the Earth by working inside of concrete buildings, wearing rubber and plastic shoes, and rarely walking barefoot on the Earth. If the excess electrons from the Earth are available for redox reactions in the body, and recent research suggests that they are, than this negative charge may be a missing master “nutrient” for our bodies. Also, it has been noted in the scientific literature that earthing reduces the negative health impacts of electrosmog on humans.

In addition, electrosmog (industrial EMF pollution) should be mentioned as the radiofrequency (RF) and microwave electromagnetic fields impinging on the branches and leaves of trees and shrubs is likely causing significant health effects in these organisms (as well as humans, of course), as evidenced in the series of pictures below. It makes intuitive sense that electromagnetic fields and induced electrical charges from industrial equipment would affect the natural flow of electrons in living things. The in-homogeneous damage on the trees suggests that the flows of electrons along certain branches are being affected by the RF and microwave radiation. For a much more detailed discussion on this tree damage topic, please take a look at this presentation by scientist Dr. Volker Schorpp and additional general information is located in my post on electrosmog from 2020.

Trees along the road and in the path of the main radiation beam show significant signs of damage and/or ill health including a thinned out canopy, dead limbs, and burnt edges of leaves. Red arrow denotes location of the RF/Microwave antennas on top of the chemical storage tanks. Image courtesy of Google Earth.
Trees in the immediate vicinity of a large cell tower exhibit sings of damage/ill health. The three trees in the central portion of the photo were removed in late 2020.
As these three trees peek above the building’s radiation shadow, they become damaged and cease to grow when in line-of-sight of the antennas on the large cell tower.
This church steeple is a cell tower, not surprisingly the trees in the foreground show signs of damage/ill health and were removed in late 2021. Image courtesy of Google Earth.
The tree in the center of the photo is located directly in front of a set of black RF/Microwave antennas and clearly show signs of dying. Note the trees in the background away from the antennas are doing relatively well despite the effects of drought, insects, and particulate pollution.
Trees located over 2,000 feet from the nearest cell tower show signs of being relatively healthy despite effects from drought, insects, and general particulate pollution.

Respiration, Cancer and the Electricity of Life

Environmental Health, Philosophy, , , ,

I was reading the chapter on cancer in Arthur Firstenburg’s book, The Invisible Rainbow: A History of Electricity and Life, and it reminded me of Dr. Jerry Tennant’s talks on voltage inside and across cellular membranes, and Dr. Gerald Pollack’s research on the fourth phase of water or “Exclusion Zone” water. In this post, I will attempt to connect their findings together and then tie them into the issue of electrosmog (i.e. electromagnetic radiation pollution).

In his chapter on cancer, Arthur Firstenberg discusses the metabolic theory of cancer which was studied by Otto Henreich Warburg in the early 20th Century. The theory states that tumors thrive in an oxygen-deficient (anaerobic) environment and are caused by that lack of oxygen. Basically, starving parts of the body of oxygen results in cancerous growth. Recently, the research team led by Dr. Thomas Seyfried at Boston College has confirmed by experimentation that cancer is caused by disruptions to the mitochondria in the cytoplasm and not by mutations in the DNA-containing nucleus of the cancerous cell (see this article, titled “Cancer as a Mitochondrial Metabolic Disease”). The mutations in the DNA may be a secondary effect of the disruptions of mitochondrial respiration processes and so this research suggests that the metabolic theory of cancer is accurate. There must be something affecting the mitochondria in cancerous cells and the oxygen transport system to cells which likely involves the synergistic effect of environmental toxins, RF or microwave radiation, dirty electricity and/or certain viruses.

Dr. Jerry Tennant: Healing is Voltage

Dr. Jerry Tennant, who has built off of the work done by Dr. Robert Becker and others, explains healing and regeneration of biologic tissues in terms of pH and voltage in this video. He states that another way to think about pH is that it corresponds to the voltage of a solution, such as pure water. Remember that from general electrochemistry, the voltage or the charge of a substance will have polarity (either + or -). The following lists give a short review of the general characteristics of electrochemical solutions of pure water:

  1. Low pH solution (acidic):
    • pH < 7.0
    • higher [H3O+], lower [OH-]
    • lower voltage (i.e. higher positive voltage, e.g. +100 millivolts)
    • higher positive charge
  1. High pH solution (alkaline):
    • pH >7.0
    • lower [H3O+], higher [OH-]
    • higher voltage (i.e. higher negative voltage, e.g. -100 millivolts)
    • higher negative charge

A neutral solution of pure water with a pH of 7.0 would have a voltage of 0 as it would contain the same number of H3O+ and OH- ions. A pH of 0 would correlate to a voltage of approximately +400 millivolts (mV) and a pH of 14 would correlate to a voltage of approximately -400 mV. Obviously, these voltages would change depending on what solutes are dissolved in the water, or if any oxidizing or reducing agents are added to the pure water. For a solution other than pure water oxidation/reduction potential (ORP), measured in millivolts, would measure the voltage in a solution. A positive ORP value would be mean the solution is oxidizing and a negative ORP value would mean the solution is reducing. Below is a simple list reviewing the basic characteristics of oxidation and reduction agents in redox reactions:

  1. Oxidizing agent:
    • electron acceptor
    • reduced during reaction
    • gains electrons
    • example substances (this depends if they are dissolved into an already acidic or alkaline solution): Oxygen Gas (O2), Hydrogen Ion (H+), Hydronium Ion (H3O+)
  1. Reducing agent:
    • electron donor
    • oxidized during reactions
    • donates electrons
    • example substances (this depends if they are dissolved into an already acidic or alkaline solution): Oxygen Ion (O2-), Hydroxide Ion (OH–), Hydrogen Gas (H2), antioxidants (e.g. vitamin C)

With that general electrochemistry review out of the way, Dr. Jerry Tenant states that any cellular biology textbook will mention that the optimal pH environment for cellular processes ranges from 7.35 to 7.45 (slightly alkaline), corresponding to voltages of -20 mV to -25 mV, respectively. Cells require a voltage environment of around -25 mV to run well and around -50 mV to make new healthy cells. Consequently, an excessively low pH/voltage (acidic) bodily environment will enable a chronic disease to fester or allow an infectious microbe to thrive as the body’s cells cannot repair themselves correctly, get rid of cellular wastes or adequately neutralize an infection. Though, an excessively high pH/voltage (alkaline) bodily environment could conceivably cause health problems as well.

According to Dr. Tennant and other researchers, cancerous growth appears to occur in bodily environments where the cellular pH has dropped to around 6.48, or a voltage of approximately +30 mV. Regarding the metabolic theory of cancer, is there a connection between declining pH/voltage levels and cells being starved of oxygen and negative charge? Do deteriorating environmental conditions stemming from pollutants cause the pH/voltage in the bodily environment to drop, which results in cells being starved of oxygen? Or is something else going on, such as the deteriorating environmental conditions from pollutants disrupt the oxygen transport system to cells, leading to low pH/low voltage conditions and a further decrease of oxygen levels in blood and inside cells? It is known that if the pH of the blood decreases, this leads to a decreased affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen.

The information and discussion above does not imply that low pH or oxidizing agents are necessarily ‘bad’ for health, as we need both the oxidizing and reducing agents to react together to complete the electrical circuit of life and maintain homeostasis. Also, there obviously needs to be a voltage gradient in the cellular environment in order for a cell to do repair work, or replicate. The discussion above just implies that if an organism is sick then there is likely an imbalance between the oxidizing agents and reducing agents within the organism.

The Fourth Phase of Water

Dr. Gerald Pollack at the University of Washington, building off the work of Dr. Gilbert Ling and others, has undertaken interesting research on what he terms is the “Fourth Phase of Water” (here are a few chapters of his book on the subject). This phase of water, with the chemical formula H3O2, exists as a thin layer right at the interface of a hydrophilic (i.e. “water-loving”) surface. Interestingly, his research team has found that this phase of water excludes virtually all particles and even solutes hence the name “Exclusion Zone (EZ)” water. Dr. Pollack’s research team has discovered the following other electrochemical characteristics of EZ water (see this video):

  • EZ water is alkaline (i.e. pH > 7.0) and can act as an electron donor, which, based on Dr. Tennant’s discussions indicates that it is an important factor in the prevention of cancer
  • The EZ water layer holds a net negative charge, while the water beyond it is positively charged, creating a battery-like environment that has a current
  • The EZ water layer increases in width when exposed to certain frequencies of light, especially the infrared spectrum of sunlight (i.e. the sunlight “charges” the battery)
  • EZ water helps to fold proteins inside of cells

In his talks, Dr. Pollack points out the potential health benefits associated with actions that increase the amount of EZ water in the body:

  • Grounding with the Earth: grounding via walking barefoot on the Earth (soil, sand, grass, etc.) is known to bring negative electric charge into the body, thereby increasing the amount of EZ water in the body
  • Absorbing radiant natural energy increases blood flow, improves respiration: spending a significant amount of time outside, absorbing the sun’s radiant energy, especially the infrared spectrum portion, which increases the width of the EZ water layer the most
  • Eating Plants: the EZ water inside of plant cells is yet another reason to increase your consumption of leafy greens and other plants

Breathing, Drinking Water, and Electrosmog

Tying all of this information discussed above together, we now know why breathing clean air and drinking pure water (free from toxins, but maybe has some dissolved minerals) and being out in nature is so integral to physical health. The electrochemical reactions of cellular respiration processes and the oxygen transport system require ideal environmental conditions including optimal pH/voltage values and levels of EZ water in cells. Any toxin or pollutant that disrupts those ideal environmental conditions will most likely result in some kind of serious disease or loss of vitality in the exposed organism.

Oxygen gas is entering our bodies through our respiratory tract to bind to hemoglobin for transport to cells for cellular respiration processes. The carbonic acid buffering system in our circulatory system involving bicarbonate, carbonic acid, and carbon dioxide, must not be upset during this process and excess carbon dioxide must be removed from our bodies by exhalation. Based on the information discussed previously, these electrochemical reactions between water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, bicarbonate, carbonic acid and hemoglobin are most likely being disrupted by electrosmog and chemical toxins. Again, these fundamental substances for life will not react in the correct way to achieve organism homeostasis and optimal health unless the pH/voltage conditions are ideal. For example, per Dr. Tennant, less oxygen is able to dissolve in fluids with a lower pH/voltage, so there is a positive feedback loop there resulting in a deteriorating cellular environment that allows cancerous growth to thrive, or for an infection to grow out of control.

All in all, it may be that not enough negative charge is entering into people’s bodies due to electrosmog, chemical toxins, and other factors which then cause low pH/voltage environments, low amounts of EZ water to form in their cells, disruption to the oxygen transport process to cells and disruption to the mitochondrial respiration processes in cells. Arthur Firstenburg, among others including Martin Pall, Magda Havas, Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt, etc., make a strong case that electrosmog is contributing to the disruption of cellular electrochemical processes (e.g. Martin Pall’s research on EMFs and Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels, ‘VGCCs’ in cells).

Why are so many people suffering from chronic disease and infections?

In conclusion, the current focus of society on total war against one kind of microbe (currently coronavirus – Delta Variant) does not solve any of the underlying environmental problems contributing to poor health outcomes amongst the populace, especially poor respiratory health. In fact, sometimes getting a respiratory sickness may actually help remove toxins and damaged cellular debris from the body. The following is a general list of environmental health problems that must be remediated over the next few decades if we truly want to heal and protect others:

  • Insulated from the Earth: Wearing rubber shoes or boots all day cuts us off from receiving extra negative charge by directly insulating us from the negatively-charged earth (soil, sand, grasses, etc.).
  • Electrosmog and Light Pollution: We are surrounded by artificial EMFs from cell phones, Wi-Fi routers, cell towers and poorly configured electrical wiring for most of our day causing all kinds of health effects, including the disruption and degradation of our immune systems and circulatory systems. Visible light pollution at night is already accepted by mainstream society as a legitimate problem as it affects circadian rhythms of people and animals.
  • Enclosed Indoors: Breathing in poor quality indoor air due to poor building ventilation, volatile pollutants, molds, mites, low humidity, etc. Many are bathed in fluorescent and LED light while being cut off from receiving infrared energy from the sun.
  • Noise Pollution: Industrial machines are very loud and create jarring noises and given the findings from the growing science of cymatics, these sounds contribute to chronic stress and disease.
  • Air Pollution: Many people breathe in combustion gases (NOx, SOx, CO, etc.), volatile organic pollutants, particulate matter, and smoke in outdoor air across the world.
  • Water Pollution: Drinking water is potentially contaminated with thousands of different industrial chemicals (e.g. PFAS, TCE, PCE, benzene, lead, excessive chlorine and fluoride, etc.) in addition to traces of many pharmaceuticals including antidepressants and hormonal drugs.
  • Food Pollution: Many of us eat industrial food covered with dozens of herbicides and pesticides including glyphosate, chlorpyrifos, atrazine, etc. which cause all kinds of health effects especially the disruption of the gut microbiome. GMOs, high fructose corn syrup, and other artificial food ingredients are not easily digestible, increase obesity and inhibit nutrient uptake in the body. Sodas are low-pH beverages that may cause bodily pH imbalances in people.
  • Mental/Emotional Pollution: Authorities, media outlets and/or abusive people who attempt to control us by manipulating our fears, doubts and insecurities. Many people are addicted to pornography or romance novels (fake intimacy mediated by a screen or book, due to lack of available intimacy in disrupted social networks). Many people are also addicted to video games (artificial adventures replace the real missions we must go on in the real world, for example, missions to restore our planet). Finally, many of us have excessive anxiety and stress caused by the pace and complexity of modern life and a lack of a strong social network.

As I’ve and others, have stated repeatedly, the coronavirus is exposing the toxicity of the environments we have created via Loius Pastuer’s quote “The microbe is nothing, the environmental conditions (the terrain) everything.” Pharmaceuticals and vaccines may ameliorate symptoms or temporarily prevent health problems related to infections but they have serious side effects and risks. Also, they distract from focusing on remediating the underlying environmental health problems in our society that are growing more alarming by the day. The current focus on vaccinating over 90% of the population with coercion and totalitarian controls does nothing to solve these environmental problems. Who is going to help shift the focus?

Many Church Steeples are Cell Towers

Environmental Health, ,

Beginning in the early 1990s, telecom companies have approached and continue to approach cash-strapped churches and other houses of worship to install wireless antenna infrastructure within and/or on the outside of the church steeples (see this article from 2000). Cell towers are not aesthetic structures and one might even describe them as “ominous”-looking, so hiding away the antennas in beautiful church steeples located in the centers of towns and cities is an attractive option for telecom companies.

The companies entice the church groups with monthly rent payments and offers of free renovation of their deteriorating steeples, many of which are many decades old. It’s hard to blame the churches given the dire financial straits many of them are in, but this is a concerning revelation that not many people know about or quickly brushed off due to their lack of knowledge about electrosmog. Given the health and environmental concerns of EMF radiation pollution, will churches be able to remove the antennas from their steeples as more people become aware of the problem, or are they legally-binded to house the antennas for a certain number of years? The churches may also be too heavily dependent on the monthly rent payments to consider removing the antennas.

Something disturbing I discovered while searching through the AntennaSearch.com website, is that the vast majority of cell antennas inside of church steeples are not registered through the FCC and so they do not appear on the AntennaSearch.com map. Consequently, if one does not have an electrosmog meter, then they would not know if they are possibly buying a house or renting an apartment next to a large cell tower. Are most of these deals between churches and telecom companies done behind closed doors to prevent neighbors from protesting against their installation inside or even outside of the steeples? Much more investigation is needed looking into this matter.

Update (2023): I discovered that the church cell antennas do appear on the cellmapper.net database. Interestingly all three steeples that had cell antennas that were not listed on the AntennaSearch.com site are owned by T-Mobile.

Example of cell antennas camouflaged with red brick paint on the outside of the top portion of a church steeple. The red arrow depicts the exact location of the antennas. Image courtesy of Google Earth.
With my Cornet ED-88T Plus electrosmog meter I was picking up readings of around 5,000 to 45,000 µw/m^2 of radiofrequency (RF) radiation in direct line of sight with this church steeple. No antennas are visible around the church steeple, but the background readings in this neighborhood range from below 10 to 100 µw/m^2, suggesting the antennas are hidden inside of the church bell chamber depicted by the red arrow in the image.

EMFs – Another Type of Air Pollution

Environmental Health, ,

Over the decades many scientists and doctors have done studies confirming the hypothesis that radiofrequency (RF) and microwave radiation have significant health and ecological effects.   There is an intense debate among scientists, doctors and engineers over the level of harms caused by electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation from electronic equipment including cell phones, cell towers, and Wi-Fi routers.  Of course, politics and the hundreds of billions of dollars at stake for the telecom industry have a large effect on the debate.  In addition, it is becoming more well known that the FCC is a captured agency, so relying on their assurances of wireless safety doesn’t make much sense.  I honestly did not know much about this subject until I started looking into it a few months ago due to the 5G controversy that has erupted over the past few years.

Organisms have evolved over the eons to be in balance with natural EMFs from the Sun and Earth.  Now we have added on all of these industrial EMFs from electronic equipment over the past 140 years of industrialization and electrification and it appears our bodies and ecosystems are having trouble adapting to these new exposures.  Our bodies have electrical properties, which is why doctors can use EKG (electrocardiogram) and EEG (electroencephalogram) measurements to diagnose diseases, so it makes intuitive sense that these biologic electrical fields could potentially be disrupted by industrial EMFs.  Our ecosystems also have electrical properties as evidenced by this short video on how bees use the Earth’s electric field and magnetic field to navigate to flowers.

While the industrial radio and microwave frequencies of electromagnetic radiation are invisible to humans, their biological and environmental effects are not, as confirmed by this review article out of India.  Also, scientists in Germany did a study showing that trees exposed to nearby RF and microwave antenna showed significant damage and an overall sickly look:  German Study – August 2016.  Here is the actual PDF of the pictures taken as part of the study:  EMR Damage to Trees-in-Bamberg-and-Hallstadt-Documentation-2006-2016.

If people want to see the effects of RF and microwave frequency EMR for themselves, take a look at groups of trees located within 1,000 feet (~300 meters) of a 3G/4G cell phone tower with multiple antennas and then compare the health of those trees to the health of trees in a forest or a nature preserve that is over 2,000 feet away from any cell tower antennas, but still in the same town. Obviously, all trees are under stress from air pollutants, invasive insects, climate change/drought, but industrial EMFs play a big role as well as evidenced by the comparison of trees near cell phone towers and trees far away from the towers but still in the same town or village.

In June, I took a walk around the local high school sports complex in my town where a large cell tower with no less than six sets of 3G and 4G antenna is located (the tower was constructed in the late 1990s).  At least a dozen trees out of 20 in the immediate vicinity of the tower had a sickly look with many dead branches, browning leaves, and a thin crown.  It definitely seems that some species of trees are more susceptible to industrial EMF effects than others.  This aerial image below shows the areas of tree damage as indicated by yellow circles near the cell phone tower at the sports complex.

EMFs - Tree Damage
An aerial image of the local high school sports complex in my town, with the yellow circles indicating trees with significant health problems and damage.  The field of view is approximately 900 feet across.  Image from Google Earth.

4-008
A view of unhealthy trees located about 600 feet from the cell tower, note the thinning crowns of several trees and the tree on the right is near death.

5-005
This photo demonstrates that the building creates a shadowing effect on the RF radiation from the cell tower. As the trees peak above the building top and emerge into the RF radiation beams, they become sick and cease to grow.

Now, compare the aerial image of the sports complex to the aerial image below of the healthier tree canopy next to the river just 2,000 feet away from the cell phone tower.  Distance is a huge factor in decreasing the effects of EMF radiation.  The power flux density of an EMF from an antenna drops off exponentially with the square of the distance from the source.

In July and August, I visited the cell phone tower area again, but this time I had a Cornet ED88T electrosmog meter.  I registered readings ranging from 3,500 – 6,000 µw/m2 which was over 100 times greater than the 30-50 µw/m2 readings I got in my backyard which is located over 2,000 feet from the cell tower.  It is no wonder that the trees at the sports complex are not healthy.

Healthier Trees by the Water
These trees are located over 2,000 feet away from the cell phone tower at the high school sports complex.  The tree crowns appear to be much healthier than the ones located on the sports complex property.

8-013
A view of the trees by the river located over 2,000 feet away from the cell phone tower.  These trees are generally much healthier than the trees near the cell tower, despite that both sets of trees are all under similar stress from climate change, drought, and particulate air pollution.

What this all means is that the rollout of 5G should be halted in order to study how many health and environmental effects the new technology has on organisms.   The Office of Engineering and Technology of the FCC even released this bulletin paper back in 1997:  (FCC Report 1997 Attenuation of RF fields by atmosphere and vegetation direct impacts).  The paper indicates that millimeter-wave frequencies (the types that will be used for 5G) are severely attenuated by foliage.  A quote from the paper:

“Foliage losses at millimeter wave frequencies are significant. In fact, the
foliage loss may be a limiting propagation impairment in some cases… … For example, the foliage loss at 40 GHz for a penetration of 10 meters (which is about equivalent to a large tree or two in tandem) is about 19 dB.  This is clearly not a negligible value.”

That means that organisms will be absorbing this radiation.  What are the environmental effects on the trees and other vegetation that will be bombarded with this higher frequency EMF radiation 24/7, given the effects we already see with 3G/4G?  Not to mention, the effects on the health of people.

Links to more information on the health and ecological effects of EMFs:

Quotes from Experts

“Cells in the body react to EMFs as potentially harmful, just like to other environmental toxins, including heavy metals and toxic chemicals. The DNA in living cells recognizes electromagnetic fields at very low levels of exposure; and produces a biochemical stress response. The scientific evidence tells us that our safety standards are inadequate, and that we must protect ourselves from exposure to EMF due to power lines, cell phones and the like, or risk the known consequences. The science is very strong and we should sit up and pay attention.”  — Martin Blank, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University

Here’s a paper by a few engineers on the levels of safety of different types of wireless devices including a discussion on the 5G rollout:  EMF Exposure Studies from IEEE.

https://www.electricalpollution.com/WirelessKillsTrees.html

http://www.stayonthetruth.com/electromagnetic-fields-killing-fields.php (Arthur Firstenburg article on the harmful effects of electrosmog)

https://sites.google.com/site/understandingemfs/books (Long list of books by scientists, doctors and others on the effects of electrosmog)

https://gustenviro.com/the-14-ways-to-better-health/ (Larry Gust is an indoor air quality expert and a building biologist, and he is working to make indoor environments much healthier than they currently are)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/277641.The_Body_Electric (This book by Dr. Robert O. Becker and Gary Selden is a great introduction to the electromagnetic foundation of life and the possible adverse effects of electrosmog)

Here is a link to a presentation I gave to the town I lived in at the time:  EMF Radiation and 5G rollout issues presentation

Here is a video by Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt on the “missing link” underlying the chronic disease epidemic among industrialized nations:

KIMG0162
Warning signs on the perimeter fencing around a water tower with multiple sets of 3G/4G antennas.