Are EMF Health Effects Still A Thing?

I don't read about it in the news anymore..... :slight_smile:

On the other hand, I just relocated the hub a little higher, about head level, and I get better performance from what been a spotty performer upstairs. Anecdotally.

I think it depends on who you ask.

Many people believe non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation* in various forms can have a wide variety of negative effects on the human body.

Some people are 100% certain they personally experience negative effects while around EMF and get relief from their symptoms while away from the source. I don’t think that type of concern has ever held up when subjected to blinded testing, though.

And as far as I know, there’s never been any real proof that cell phones near your head, or a WiFi router in your living room, or 5G towers in your neighborhood, or mmWave sensors in your bedroom, etc. etc. have any demonstrably negative effects on human health.

Except maybe all that time we spend by ourselves in front of a screen, instead of with family/friends, doing something outdoors, etc.

*”radiation” always sounds potentially worrisome. But the electromagnetic spectrum is all “radiation,” including the visible light we see with our eyes. Only some of it is considered ionizing radiation like UV light, and X-rays. It’s pretty well-established that ionizing radiation can be bad for you.

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But, how about radon health spas? :slight_smile:

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Well, radon gas can be bad for your lungs.

But then again, water is bad for your lungs too.

Is it ok to bathe in argon-infused water? Maybe.

The devil is always in the details.

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I could always relocate the recliner to the basement and turn off the radon fan. :slight_smile:

There are quicker ways to kill yourself. Come on dude - don't be such a pessimist!

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Think of it as a poor man's luxury radon spa.
(See above link.)

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I saw that link. Don't do it at home. Especially, as I recall, you live the Northeast.

I am old enough to remember when you could use a police scanner that scanned a wide variety of bands and you would only hear radio, TV, ham, or 2-way broadcasts with lots of empty space in between. Try to do that now and you will be hitting scan resume every quarter second. The point being, The emf noise around us has increased to a constant barrage and we have not seen mass sterilization or other health effects increase significantly.

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Well, I've noticed i'm getting achier, grumpier, and I'm losing my hair. Oh heh, that's all from getting older, isn't it?

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There is a local bike trail that passes under high voltage lines. There is a sign on the trail that warns your hair might stand on end when you pass under them. I’m mostly bald so I don’t experience that.

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I am an amateur radio operator or ham for short. Every operator in the USA has to calculate the potential RF potential for harm to family, neighbors, and workers in the area. The calculation is based on wattage of the transmitter, the gain of the antenna, the distance from the antenna to people who might be affected, and the cycle time of the transmissions. All of these factors are important. Some frequencies such as the 50 mHz band are more critical than other frequencies as those frequencies tend to be absorbed by the human body. Of course, even higher frequencies such as infrared, visible, ultraviolet, X-Ray and Gamma Rays have even higher energy than 50 mHz, but they are not used for amateur radio.

Thus, before you can evaluate the potential for harm, you need to obtain a significant amount of data. If you are planning on climbing an active cell tower, the potential for RF is great. If your concern is about 60 Hz power lines, you probably have little to worry about unless a high tension transmission line goes through your backyard.

What are the expected harmful effects, and how do you calculate the risk of harm?

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Putting on my Sheldon Cooper hat. The term ham is not an acronym, and should never be HAM. The word ham derived from the days of Morse code. Experienced operators could tell the rookies and compared their keying abilities to that of slapping a piece of ham against the telegraph key.

None of that was AI. Just from memory. I am not a ham.

@rwclements228 correct me if I am wrong.

Ham was just a shorthand way of saying amateur. It was intended to be a derogatory term used by professional telegraphers such as those that worked for Western Union or the Marconi Company. They considered the clumsy Morse Code sending of amateurs to be "ham fisted". The moniker stuck and now hams wear that name with pride.

It has been a while since I calculated the RF Exposure of a amateur station. Here is a video about the calculator available on the ARRL (Amateur Radio Relay League).

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