Why should I have my Residential Property EMF Tested?
An Electromagnetic Field or EMF is a field produced by moving electric charges. Often referred to as radiation, they are associated with the use of electrical power and are invisible areas of energy that normally cannot be seen by the human eye. Electromagnetic fields are generally grouped into one of two categories: Non-Ionizing and Ionizing.
Non-Ionizing electromagnetic fields are low to mid-frequency radiation. Examples of Non-Ionizing EMF include visual light, radio frequency, extremely low frequency (ELF), and microwaves.
Ionizing electromagnetic fields are mid to high-frequency radiation which can lead to cellular damage with prolonged exposure. Examples of this form of EMF include: Ultraviolet (UV), X-ray, and Gamma radiation.
Unfortunately, while a traditional home inspection may test electrical wiring for compliance with electrical code and functionality, the inspections do not test for grounding issues and wiring problems that lead to EMF hotspots. EMF hotspots are areas where the amount of magnetic field exposure is significantly higher than surrounding areas.
Due to the possibility of these hotspots in your home, EMF testing is important to have done on residential properties so as not to have continued prolonged exposure to this form of radiation.
Ionizing electromagnetic fields are mid to high-frequency radiation which can lead to cellular damage with prolonged exposure. Examples of this form of EMF include: Ultraviolet (UV), X-ray, and Gamma radiation.
Unfortunately, while a traditional home inspection may test electrical wiring for compliance with electrical code and functionality, the inspections do not test for grounding issues and wiring problems that lead to EMF hotspots. EMF hotspots are areas where the amount of magnetic field exposure is significantly higher than surrounding areas.
Due to the possibility of these hotspots in your home, EMF testing is important to have done on residential properties so as not to have continued prolonged exposure to this form of radiation.
The Sources of EMF
There are many sources of electromagnetic fields. These sources can include overhead power lines, power cables, underground cables, substations, cell phone mast, microwaves, and even visible light. As we move into the future of technology, there are increasingly becoming more sources of electromagnetic fields. LED smart bulbs, Bluetooth devices, Wi-Fi devices, computer screens, anti-theft devices, security systems, televisions, and radar all give off magnetic fields.
EMF testing is the only guaranteed way to know the amount of exposure you are receiving throughout your property. This amount may vary from one room to the next and even within individual rooms.
Different sources of EMF produce significantly differing amounts of EMF. While a cell phone may produce only a small electromagnetic field, an X-ray produces a very large field. This is the reason there are limits to the amount of exposure X-ray technicians can be exposed to every year.
The strength of a magnetic field decreases greatly with distance but can only be accurately detected using appropriate protocols and testing equipment. Residential properties often contain a combination of electromagnetic fields and the areas in which they overlap are often considered hotspots.
Hotspots are most commonly located in home offices, kitchens, and game rooms. These locations usually contain many different devices that give off electromagnetic fields. Wireless signals going to game systems, microwaves, computers being played on, the smart devices in this room, the LED lighting overhead, the LED television and LED monitors being used, Bluetooth signals coming from your remote controls and numerous other factors make this an area that should be checked by professionals for EMF hotspots. Bedrooms are another room that is critical to have checked because of the amount of time spent in this room. At least eight hours a night are spent being potentially flooded by an electromagnetic field of unknown strength.
Whether your concern is a power pylon, power lines, overhead lines, power cables, a nearby cell phone mast, a nearby power substation or a combination of sources, it is important to know exactly how much exposure you are receiving on residential properties. The amount of exposure you are receiving could be much higher than you expect. The medical dangers that go with this increased exposure are still being studied and more information is being brought to light every day about these fields.
Everything you need to know about Residential EMF Testing
Residential EMF testing combines proven protocols with professional equipment such as magnetic field meters to locate hotpots within a home. Professional EMF meters allow magnetic fields to be tracked to their source. The location and intensity of the fields on a residential property are then recorded and logged.
After these fields are surveyed, a proper understanding of the amount of EMF exposure can be given to a homeowner. The first thing given to a homeowner is a verbal summary of findings. Immediate steps can be taken to reduce or eliminate the amount of EMF exposure on the property with recommendations from trained professionals on minimizing costs while also reducing field exposure to safe levels. It is often a simple task to reduce the strength of electromagnetic fields in your home. Knowing the strength of these fields is the first step in reducing their strength and the potential effects they are having on your health. Many scientists are advocating EMF/RF evaluations as a new standard part of the building inspections in new homes. Even the scientists who have not advocated for these evaluations recommend prudent avoidance as the safest approach.
According to some scientists’ magnetic fields can affect not only your body’s cells but also your body’s nervous system functions. Symptoms may include sleep disturbances, headaches, depression, irritability, nausea, skin tingling, and dizziness. It is also unknown whether some individuals or age groups are more prone to the potential dangers of magnetic fields. The time to find out whether these dangers are real is not ten years from now when the effects of these fields are already happening to you and your family. Now is the time to mitigate any possible future effects and damage that these fields cause.
It is a small investment to have your home tested for electromagnetic field strengths and the payoff may be the health of your children and family. If a problem is found now, it can mean the difference between a small repair and mitigation plan and potentially life threatening conditions later on down the road. Why would you jeopardize the safety of your family when the amount and strength of these fields are only increasing throughout the world? Every day people are facing more and more exposure to EMF causing devices. While EMF’s may occur naturally, that does not mean they are safe. In fact, an example of an Ionizing radiation type is sunlight, which is proven to cause cancer when exposure is too high. EMF monitoring is non-existent at the current time while the health hazards are becoming more and more clear every day.
The Necessity of an EMF Survey when Buying a House
A proper EMF survey is quickly becoming the new normal when buying a home. Real estate transactions are typically major financial investments and investments in the future of your family. A seemingly endless stream of paperwork comes with buying a house and involves the coordination of realtors, homeowners, buyers, banks, and can be overwhelming.
Many people do not consider EMF’s or EMF testing when buying their home, but these magnetic fields can reduce your new property value and cause danger to your family. Electromagnetic fields are still being studied for possible links to increased risk of certain forms of cancer. In the new age we are living in of wireless routers, Internet of Things devices, and everything being connected by electrical wiring, the dangers of magnetic field hotspots are increasing.
Imagine buying a new home, moving in, and only then finding out that the electromagnetic field levels in your amazing new house are dangerously high. Your property value will decrease and your ability to resell your new home will become much more difficult. This situation can easily be avoided by conducting an EMF survey along with a traditional home inspection when buying a new home.
Magnetic field levels in both the low and high frequency range should be tested when buying a home. While a high level of EMF in an area should be avoided, hotspots can be removed with proper re-wiring and shielding. Sensitive areas in a new home are especially important to have tested. If you plan on having a nursery in your home, you definitely do not want to later find out that the nursery is the location of a magnetic field hotspot.
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