As mentioned in another of our articles, for more than a hundred years, people have lived under the belief that the radiation produced by electrical appliances was harmless to human beings and the planet. The only way to know the impact of all these influences is to carry out an environmental measurement of the space that is inhabited or is to be built.
In this second part, non-ionising radiation will be explored in greater detail, along with a series of recommendations to reduce electromagnetic radiation in inhabited spaces.
What is radiation?
Radiation it is a force of the natural energy that surrounds us. Radiation is everywhere: all around us, inside us, outside us, beneath our feet and above the world we live in. It is a part of our natural world that has been here since the birth of our planet and universe. Every living thing, always, has been and continues to be exposed to radiation.
How radiation can affect from artificial sources Cheers?
It is known that there is ionising and non-ionising radiation. The former, and its effects, were developed in a previous article.
The name of non-ionising radiation (NIR) applies to the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum (electromagnetic spectrum drawing: section on the left starting from sunlight) which possesses photon energies that are too weak to break atomic bonds. Even high-intensity NIR are incapable of causing ionisation in biological systems.
The non-ionising spectrum includes: ultraviolet (UV) radiation, visible solar light, infrared (IR) radiation, radio frequencies (RF) and microwaves (MW), low-frequency (LF) fields, and static electric and magnetic fields.
It is well known that wireless communications are part of everyday life in modern society. All radiocommunication systems use electromagnetic fields (EMF) in the radiofrequency (RF) part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Because A human being is a bioelectric and conductive being (70% water); it becomes charged with electrical voltage.
The Sick Building Syndrome
Reacting to changes in the environment is a normal part of life. The effects of external EMF exposure on the human body and cells depend mainly on the frequency, intensity and duration of exposure. However, the body might not have adequate compensation mechanisms to mitigate all the electrical changes or environmental forces in its surroundings. Prolonged environmental exposure, even if it were small, it can constitute a health risk if it triggers stress in the body.
The body registers all this type of radiation as micro-stress. Furthermore, it must be taken into account that each environmental toxicant can have synergistic effects with others, so that they are enhanced when acting together on human beings. Faced with the same toxic exposure, people may suffer different effects, with age and gender also being a risk factor.
This is why WHO reported Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) in 1982 to define “the set of discomforts caused by poor ventilation, thermal imbalance, electromagnetic loads, and airborne chemical particles and vapours circulating through the building in which we live or work.”.
What are the effects of chronic exposure to radiation?
Chronic exposures to radiation can cause adverse health effects such as:
- Disturb the homeostasis
- Prevent the repair of damaged DNA
- Trigger immune system imbalance
- cause endocrine disruption
- Having lower resilience to the disease through different pathways
Radiation in homes just keeps growing. But the industry is way ahead of research.
For example the European Parliament in 2011 published a reference about the «Potential hazards of electromagnetic fields and their effects on the environment». This document discusses the potential health risk of DECT cordless phones, baby monitors and other household appliances that continuously emit pulsed microwaves. They recommend the use of landline phones. They promote campaigns aimed at teachers, parents and children to warn them of the specific risks of early, indiscriminate and prolonged use of devices that emit microwaves, such as mobile phones..
What measures are being taken in Spain?
Enjoying a healthy environment is a crucial factor for a better state of health. Tackling this issue is of vital importance. Therefore, the Government of Spain has presented the Strategic Health and Environment Plan 2022-2026. A plan targeted at both the general public and professionals, which aims to address the health risks arising from environmental factors and their determinants.
This plan enables Spain to advance and work in line with the commitments undertaken with the international initiatives of the European Union (EU) and the World Health Organization (WHO), thus responding to the need to provide society with an adequate management tool to face the major environmental challenges of our time, with an approach One Health.
«The proliferation of wireless networks is altering people's biology»
Dr Ceferino Maestú. Researcher at the Bioelectromagnetism Laboratory of the Centre for Biomedical Technology at the Polytechnic University of Madrid
What are the recommendations for reducing radiation exposure within built spaces?
Electromagnetic pollution is also found in walls, ceilings and open spaces. It is enough for there to be radio frequency signals around for this contamination to be generated. Some suggestions that we recommend to reduce these loads within the spaces you inhabit, especially where you carry out long-duration vital activities such as sleeping and working, are:
- Measure the natural radioactivity of the ground or the location of your home and office.
- Measure the radiation from potential man-made sources in your environment.
- Ensure a correct connection to the earth/ground.
- Use a wired LAN internet connection.
- Turn off the Wi-Fi at night or when it's not necessary to have it active.
- Put devices in «aeroplane mode» at night.
- Unplug electrical appliances from the mains near your bed when you sleep.
- Avoid electromagnetic appliances in the space adjacent to the head of your bed (fridge, office equipment, TV, router, etc.).
- Connect your devices with specific earth-wired cables.
- Do not use electrical appliances for a long time close to the body
- Limit phone calls to those that are necessary, and restrict exposure time. Use a hands-free kit and keep the phone more than 20/30 cm away from the body in order to limit the impact of radiation.
- Only use the phone under optimal reception conditions: do not use it in a closed space, such as a lift, basement, underground station, or places with poor coverage.
- Do not use your phone while in a moving vehicle, including a train, bus, or car, as its antenna will constantly be searching for the maximum connection, and the incoming and outgoing signal intensifies. Furthermore, metal vehicles act as a Faraday cage and the radiation bounces around inside.
- Do not place devices or your laptop on your lap
- Use a wired mouse and keyboard
- Preventing under-15s from using mobile phones, as they are in a period of growth.
- Living in a natural environment, or surrounded by plants, helps to reduce the electrostatics of the place.
- Turn off mobile data when your phone is nearby, on the table or in your bag. Only turn on data when it is necessary to send or receive messages. Without mobile data you still receive calls.
- Check for dirty electricity or electrosmog what electrical appliances create in the power grid.
- Wear natural fibres and bioconductive materials. Synthetic materials create more static electricity.
- Carry out an assessment of your living space; home and office, to rule out potential sources of radiation and unfavourable electromagnetic fields for your health, that of your family and your team.
The principle is that all doses must be kept as low as reasonably practicable. This declaration is known as the ALARA principle «as low as reasonably practicable».
I don't know we can forget that we are part of nature and that without it we cannot survive. Electromagnetic radiation positively charges our bodies, creating stress in the organism, tissue heating and subsequent inflammation of systems. Getting in touch with nature helps to dissipate this stress organically.
It is also important to know what balances us and maintains our health. Finding sources of negative charges or ions like those released by nature; walking barefoot on the earth, whether in the mountains or on the beach, water, plants, trees and so many others
What is Evalore's role?
Our objective is, first, to set out all this information in a clear and orderly way, since it is difficult to access or understand how health can relate to the built environment. Then, we can propose effective strategies for designing spaces that minimise this type of electromagnetic radiation exposure for the entire population and the environment.
Before starting to plan a space, design and create an artificial or built environment, it is necessary to make a diagnosis. In this way, we assess the nature of the place and trace any natural, artificial or human factor that could influence or stress the living organism.
En Evaluate We are pioneers in Spain in the development of environmental consultancy processes for the real estate and office sector. Our projects are often framed within the context of international environmental certifications such as LEED, BREEAM, WELL or Passivhaus. The result is an optimised project, in terms of both environmental performance and cost.
Marta Ribas, Interior Spaces Health Designer and Consultant
Founder of lacasamadre.com and collaborator of Espacios Evalore SLP
