I have an elder client who is freaked out about EMF. A family friend gave her a GAUSS METER and she has been going around the house with the meter and checking outlets and other items to see which one has higher EMF.
She holds the meter infront of the receptacle and if it makes a noise she gets worried.I tried to explain to her that you have to be in an EMF field for many-many-many years inorder for it to have an affect on a human.
But she does not believe me.

What is your thoughts on this. what level of EMF is safe for a human. After all every body is exposed to it.

Edward

Producers and vendors of the “meter” will not make any commitments as to the accuracy of their devices—much less offer any assurance their “instruments” will be able to determine that any places or situations are hazardous to human health.

There is mountains of information {much of it thoroughly unsubstantiated and irresponsible speculation} on this subject. One “tip of the iceberg” starts at groups.google.com/groups?q=emf+faq

Gaining competent understanding for oneself, much less trying to successfully educate others is generally well beyond the scope of electrical tradesmen’s capabilities. Unfounded trepidation has no simple fix, and there are plenty of “experts” that bank on this.

Sensationalized news reporting has created sufficient levels of fear, uncertainly and doubt that has clouded rational thought in some people. There is almost no way to effectively counteract what can be some deeply ingrained phobias.

Ed,

People will freak about almost anything. I have been following EMF for awhile and as you said, you need to be in it for a long period of time. You will find people on both sides of this fence though about the effects of it. Tell your customer not to freak out yet until they do some reasearch. There are lots of articles out there and they should read it for them selves before the move out of a house and live in a cave.

Edward,

I hope your client has access to the web. Below is a compilation of some of the online data and opinion. Wayne C. initially posted the links at Mike Holt's forum. There is an enormous amount of info here.

Personally, having followed the issue since '87, I believe the physiological effects are real and many, and I believe the ability of mainstream medical research to correlate these micro effects to the whole organism are not yet advanced enough to provide meaningful understanding.

National Institute of Environmen...mation Dissemination Program (RAPID)

[i]World Health Organization (WHO) ...UENCY (ELF) ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC FIELDS

[i]National Radiological Protection...Advisory Group on Non-Ionising Radiation

[i]National Radiological Protection...Advisory Group on Non-Ionising Radiation

[i]California Electric and Magnetic Fields Program[/i]

[i]California Electric and Magnetic...g, Electrical Occupations and Appliances

nice links Al,
yanno, fear sells fairly well when rational thought falls prey to sensationalism and bias...

the truth about EMF has been manipulated just as much as the truth about AFCI's

and as plato? said 'the truth stands alone'

~S~

what field do you measure?
Voltage field or magnetic field?

i have a Magnetic field meter (0.22 - 5 µTesla, measures in 50Hz-100kHz range)) built after a well known electronics magazine here. They have 5 pages of formulas and explanations of the type of working, so i sure believe what it shows me.

conclusion after measuring through the house: Most dangerous appliance = microwave. followed by Transformers (even the little plug-transformers), TV and Monitors are less.
in 1 meter (3ft) distance, all fields except the microwave are <0.22µT, sleeping areas should be under this.

i'll build a voltage metering device next time to check the fields around loaded and unloaded cables in the walls...

[This message has been edited by :andy: (edited 12-06-2003).]

[This message has been edited by :andy: (edited 12-06-2003).]

Per Bjarney's post:


Great example for the accuracy of the information contained in the "Quote" above:

Y2K

Having been very much involved with the whole roll over thing (in the Banking Industry with the Mandated Compliance for Soft and Hard Wares, with LAN equipment, and a few others), the concept was simple - the panic I witnessed was sickening!
Then again, I was aware of the "DD/MM/YY" situation back in 1993 - many panic stricken people found out about the "Doom And Gloom" in late 1998 (and via biased media - such as shock TV shows, rip-off advertisements, or from unethical News Reporters).

Worse thing when dealing with freaked out people (adding to the above "Quoted" text), is they will only listen to irrational Clowns distributing non-sense, but not someone explaining the complete, real picture.

Put it this way, on January 2nd / 3rd / 4th 2000, none of the panic sufferers would look me in the face. Took months before the subject could be discussed in an open format.

On the topic of Electro-Magnetic Fields (would the term be more correctly referenced as "Low Frequency Electro-Magnetic Radiation" since the AC is a "Wave-icle"???...), I am certain there is some validity to health issues - it goes without saying!

The problem faced here - and like any other issue - is when jokers begin tweeking things: data, reports, statistics; along with fabricating incorrect, erroneous, fraudulent, incomplete, irrelevant, and flat-out B.S. claims, for the tools necessary of spreading scare tactics, all for the generation of $$$.

Open On-Line Forums - such as this one, are good "Anti-Bunk" information references for "Mr. and Mrs. J.D. Clampett-Consumer", as they are very ignorant of the entire scope involving things we all here deal with every day.

<stepping off soapbox>

Scott35

the 'jokers' exist on both sides of the issue...our energy policy makers seem to have no shortage here...

to assume some health related validity would pave way for the recent tobacco class action here to look like a minor traffic violation

farraday suit sales would soar..

~S~

Per electricalAL:
"I hope your client has access to the web"

But Al, then she'd have to sit in front of that monitor and collect all those "death beams"
I'll bet she watches TV, too
A possible form of protection was put up on the Forum here by Tom, back in 2001 www.zapatopi.net/afdb.html
...S



[This message has been edited by electure (edited 12-07-2003).]

does my aluminum beanie make me look fat?

Aluminum?!?!

Then they can go from worrying about EMFs to worrying about Alzheimer's disease, I guess...

Sparky, that dude in your picture looks like he's wearing a "Hershey's Kisses" on his head.

Maybe he should have taken a strip of toilet paper and stuck it out the top to complete the look

(Available in gold, red and green tin-foil for the holidaze)

[This message has been edited by SvenNYC (edited 12-07-2003).]

ah yes well Sven.... i'm sure that even paranoid obsessive compulsives have the good grace to be in vougefor the holiday season...

~S~

I start with the assumption that life is a 100% fatal disease and work back from there. It keeps my hysteria level pretty low.