Kelly's Healthy Home

What I am writing about today is a little unconventional. Some may think even a little woo-woo. But, I feel if you’re wanting to make your home healthier, this is an important topic. Electromagnetic fields and Smart homes. Are Smart Homes bad for our overall health?

First let’s define both of these terms (thanks google):

Electromagnetic Field’s (EMFs): A field of force that consists of both electric and magnetic components, resulting from the motion of an electric charge and containing a definite amount of electromagnetic energy.

Smart Home: A home equipped with lighting, heating, and electronic devices that can be controlled remotely by phone or computer.

Most of you know about smart homes. It’s Alexa, wifi security, or Nest thermostats. They can make our life a little easier with a touch of a button.

The science behind EMFs can get pretty technical (link) so I’m keeping it very basic. Basically, EMFs are produced anywhere electricity is used and the earth naturally has a magnetic field and radiation. Human made EMFs are what I’m focusing on here. These are low frequency forms like electrical wiring, power lines and blow dryers. As well as radiofrequency radiation comes from wireless devices like laptops, cellphones, in home security. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) a division within the World Health Organization (WHO) has determined that non-ionizing radiofrequency radiation may ultimately be hazardous to your health. There have been other studies, one on lab rats and mice published in 2018 by the US National Toxicology Program (NTP) “results of these studies do not rule out the possibility that RF radiation might somehow be able to impact human health.” And then various studies on humans have been inconclusive.

There is a lot of research and I am no expert, but I do believe there is some truth that EMFs aren’t good for you. Plus, the more connected you are, there is a chance of being hacked. Have you heard the stories of baby monitors and home devices being hacked? Scary! If I can minimize the amount of EMFs in my home and feel more secure, I don’t see how that can be bad!

So what can you do to be better?

-There are EMF blockers you can purchase for things you need such as a cell phone and wifi router. I’m not certain they work completely, but you be the judge.

-Do you need Alexa? How do you use it? Does it enhance your daily life or is it more for fun?

-Put your phone, computers and tablets on airplane mode at night

-Use a programmable thermostat instead of the smart thermostats. You can still make it run your mechanicals efficiently and to your needs.

Having a healthy home starts with living more simple. When I think of simple I think of less stuff, less technology, less money wasted.

Curious about studies? Check some out out here that I found: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/radiation/electromagnetic-fields-fact-sheet#what-do-expert-organizations-conclude-about-the-cancer-risk-from-emfs