If you haven’t heard of Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity, or EHS, as of yet, you soon will. In this article we discuss the condition that’s bound to become more widespread as wireless devices continue to replace analog standbys like landline telephones, cable connected computers, and manually controlled devices.
To get an idea of how it has seeped into our lives, the best place to start is at the beginning.
What is Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity?
Evolution and discovery of Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity syndrome
Also known as EHS, electromagnetic hypersensitivity syndrome is not a new discovery. If we are to set a date as to when the name was first used, it is 1991, when William Rea, a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon, a founder of the environmental Health Center in Dallas, Texas , coined it to refer to the ill effects that a growing number of his patients were complaining about after being in the midst of electromagnetic fields.
It gained traction in 1997 when a group of medical experts working with the European Commission used it in a report about a mysterious pathological condition that appeared to be common among individuals who used or worked with devices and appliances that either emitted electrical or electromagnetic radiation, involved radio frequencies, or microwaves.
However even before it had been given a name, soldiers working with military radar in World War II were observed to experience fatigue, dizziness, memory loss, and sleep disturbances. Several decades later, in 1970, a report from the Soviet Union described a mysterious condition that produced similar symptoms among military personnel whose work involved radios and radars. For this reason, they called it microwave syndrome.
Meanwhile the plot thickened when in 1980 word spread that those whose work called for them to sit in front of cathode ray displays were experiencing exactly these problems, plus flushed, tingling, burning faces. And as computers spread from workplace to workplace, replacing typewriters on office desks, similar symptoms became an experience shared with office workers all over the world, whose day was spent in close proximity to video terminals.
EHS As We Know It
As more and more cases were reported, environmental health agencies, particularly those in France and Sweden, struggled to come up with a definition for the phenomenon.
Meanwhile, the world clamored for more and more mobile electronic communication, the seeming sources of these sensitivities and the instances of cases soared until today we define EHS as being: a physical condition in which affected individuals experience a wide spectrum of anthropogenic (attributable to human activity) symptoms that differ from person to person.
While it tends to expand as time and technology go on, EHS symptoms continue to be blamed on our dependence on and ubiquity of devices that emit electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation as a byproduct of their function. These include power lines and transformers, mobile phone headset and base stations, microwave ovens, WiFi routers wireless devices, halogen and compact fluorescent lightbulbs and smart meters to name the few.
To compound the dilemma for those with sensitivity to EMF, many of the appliances and tools found in their very kitchens emit significant levels of both electrical and magnetic energies. These include washing machines, dishwashers, electric hair dryers, refrigerators, and television sets.
What Causes Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity?
Our planet is home to a variety of biomes which are defined as interdependent communities of ecologies co-existing in nature. Science classifies them according the organisms that dominate – vegetative, geologic, or climatic. The human body fits this definition, and like all biomes, the human biome is exposed to the effects of electromagnetic fields emitted by variety of sources from power lines and wireless devices to electrical appliances in our homes.
However let’s backtrack a bit.
Electromagnetic fields consist electrical field, produced by the static charge of the particles composing it, and magnetic field, produced by the strength of the electrical current flowing through it. Together, they extend outward to a distance that depends on the force of the current (to learn more about EMF, read our in-depth guide here).
Our bodies are also electrical in nature, since they depend on the natural flow of charged particles in order to carry out vital cellular functions. Each of these cells operates at its own frequency, constantly receiving and transmitting the energy necessary to engage in the biochemical processes that sustain our lives. This is especially important for the heart since it depends on an electrical stimulus to maintain an uninterrupted rhythm.
The human body has always had to contend with the earth’s natural electrical magnetic fields, and the changes they sustain from time to time. How they impact an individual’s health depends on our inherited physiological makeup and genetic predisposition setup, or in other words, one’s EMF sensitivity. This is also true regarding the effect of the electromagnetic fields emitted by the moon, sun, or the earth. But when it comes to the EMF emitted by man made sources, it’s a different story.
The effects of manufactured EMF vary with the strength of the emitted current, its proximity to the body, and the duration of exposure to EMF.
Individuals exposed to high power extremely low frequency waves can experience perceivable currents manifesting in the nervous system reactions as tingling or numbness. At the other end of the energy spectrum, low power high frequency microwave exposure is thought by some to produce no ill effects. However, there is considerable debate on this, with many believing that since the energy does not just pass through the body, but is absorbed by it, the resulting heat load is particularly harmful to sensitive parts of the body like the testes and the eyes.
However, whether we are talking about low power high frequency waves or high-power low frequency, EMF-sensitive individuals are more at risk. And so are children since their central nervous systems are still developing. Other EMF-sensitive individuals include those with suppressed immune systems, heavy levels of metal or chemical toxicities, or heart rhythm irregularities.
To prove this, Dr William Rea, discussed earlier, conducted a double bind research study. He found that those with a EMF sensitivity experienced disruptions to the cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive systems, but especially, the nervous system. These effects differed in severity depending on their degree of sensitivity, and the duration of EMF exposure, leading him to the conclusion that EMF sensitivity is indeed a disease.
Most Commonly Known EMF Sensitivity Symptoms
While the symptoms are non-specific in nature, the effects of being surrounded by electromagnetic radiation are none the less real, affecting several organs but primarily, the central nervous system, and differing in degree of severity.
When asked to list Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity symptoms, the majority of sufferers experience symptoms generally commencing with:
- Tingling or burning, dizziness
- Headaches
- Jitteriness
- Sleep disorders
- Skin problems, such as redness and burning
- Pressure in ears
Further reported symptoms from the nervous system include:
- Heart palpitations
- Memory difficulties
- Inability to concentrate
- Profuse sweating
- Depression
Some other reported symptoms also include digestive disturbances, muscle pain and mood disorders.
How World Governments are Responding
The raw truth is that not every country is responding to EHS. Those that have risen to the occasion include:
- Sweden, who, back in 2002, recognized the syndrome as a functional impairment, and as such has offered those affected by it a number of legal protections, including mandating hospitals to provide rooms for them.
- France, where the court declared that a woman who suffered EHS was eligible for disability benefits, effectively giving recognition to the fact that Wi-Fi, radiofrequency signals, and electromagnetic waves can indeed cause adverse health effects.
- Australian courts have also moved in this direction, awarding unemployment benefits to those so severely afflicted that they cannot work.
- In Canada, the Human Rights Commission has recognized the syndrome as an environmental sensitivity and like France, defined EHS as a disability.
As for the United States, it would seem that skeptics still hold sway, at least in New Mexico where in 2015, a judge ruled against plaintiffs who had filed a $1.4 million dollar lawsuit alleging that iPhones and Wi-Fi signals caused ill health effects.
A Frightening Fact of Life
Today when more and more children are using tablets and laptops in classrooms and when involved in remote learning, not to mention spending spare time playing with video games or posting on social media on their smartphones, the increasing exposure to EMF more and more is causing them to become EMF-hypersensitive. If that’s not a wakeup call to governments all over the world, we don’t know what is.
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