A potentially dangerous toxin polluting the air both inside and outside every home may originate where the electricity is being generated. Yet this airborne toxin is not found in the smokestack emission byproducts of distant or even nearby coal-fired power plants. Some may argue that the pollutant now responsible for hindering the quality of human health and life is, ironically, the intended product of electrical power production—electricity. “Electropollution” is the collective name for the ever-increasing smog of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) and electromagnetic fields (EMFs) that purportedly expose us to hyper-vibratory frequencies that jolt our own low frequency bioenergetic fields. More and more scientific research is surfacing that points to a plethora of serious health risks posed by overexposure to electropollution, which some researchers are calling “the toxin of the 21st Century.” Most of us have heard and have probably agreed with the theories and studies advising us that living beneath high-tension power lines does not bode well for bodies, not to mention feng shui. The sparking and arcing that can be seen and heard from more than 100 feet away makes obvious the point that not all of the power is staying put in the lines. The EMFs produced by such high power transmission lines actually leach enough byproduct electricity to light up a standard 48-inch fluorescent light bulb that is held—unplugged—in the hands of a person standing on the ground 60 feet below the wires!1 While the increased health risks associated with prolonged exposure to high intensity EMR have been well documented and circulated to the general public, few are aware of the far more pervasive potential danger that lies much closer at hand. Scientific research is bringing to light the likelihood that our escalating exposure to low power personal electronic devices, such as cell phones, computers, wireless Internet devices, PDAs, video game consoles, and even iPods, is creating a collective biological stressor that our bodies cannot continue to bear. We must find a way to unplug. (See the sidebar at right for further tips on how to unplug and lesser stress.) In 2006, earthquake that hit Hawaii knocked out the power for up to two days in certain areas. Some residents reported experiencing a drop in their stress levels after less than twelve hours with the grid down, even on an already less hectic Sunday.2

Electropollution is an extremely complex problem that may have expanded with each new electronic technology, such as microwaves and cell phones. The number of adverse health effects associated with these technologies is staggering. This brief overview is designed to point readers in the direction of resources that can help them understand this major life stressor and quickly implement strategies to offset its toxic shock.
A prominent researcher on the specific health risks related to electropollution, Dr. George Carlo is chairman of the Office of Science and Public Policy in Washington, DC. When the first lawsuit surfaced implicating cell phone use as the cause of brain cancer, the telecommunication giants collectively put up a $28 million grant to conduct a medical science study to prove that cell phone technology is safe. Dr. Carlo was chosen to head up this six-year research effort. Yet, when the medical findings began to show just the opposite—that cell phone use did, in fact, result in a higher incidence of tumors and even genetic damage—Carlo cut ties with the industry that wanted him to suppress this information.3 Since that time, Dr. Carlo has founded the Safe Wireless Initiative (SWI) to alert the public of the dangers of the different forms of electropollution. In addressing the potential health risks that EMF and EMR are causing, Dr. Carlo explains both the mechanisms of harm and of intervention: “In our research at SWI, we focus on the mechanisms of harm at the cellular and molecular level—not on the diseases that may be the result of the exposures, per se. By focusing on the mechanisms, we can see where and how certain types of intervention technologies might work.”

MECHANISMS OF HARM
According to Dr. Carlo, information carrying radio frequency waves (RF) trigger the cell membranes’ protective response, which may lead to harmful effects. He goes on to explain that specific types of damage occur inside the cell. First, there is an increased free-radical concentration that leads to both disruption of DNA repair (micronuclei) and cellular dysfunction. When the cell loses its function, it goes through apoptosis (programmed cell death). In apoptosis, the micronuclei formed from the disrupted DNA repair are released into nutrient-rich interstitial fluid where they are free to clone and proliferate—argued by many to be a probable cancer mechanism. Specific damage occurs to proteins on the cell membrane—the effect is that intercellular communication is compromised. Cells can’t talk to each other and that damages tissue, organ and organism function. He states that almost all of the acute and chronic symptoms seen in electrosensitive patients can be explained in some part by disrupted intercellular communication. These mechanisms may explain the wide scope of problems observed following EMR exposure—from learning and sleep disorders to birth defects and cancer. The interventive effect occurs at the cellular level, but is then manifested at the tissue, organ and organism levels. Research has shown that much more information can be gleaned from beginning with one mechanism and working outward rather than the other way around.

METHODS FOR INTERVENTION
Primary intervention technologies are those that act to prevent the cell membrane protective response from being inappropriately triggered. These may act on the “cause” of the problems, including headsets, active noise field technology (developed by the U.S. military) and passive noise field technologies. Secondary intervention technologies are those that act to restore intercellular communication and may alleviate the “effects” of the exposure to EMR. Tertiary intervention technologies are those that act to rehabilitate and correct cell damage. These work only in conjunction with primary and secondary intervention technologies and include nutritional supplements, antioxidants and repair supplements. Some of these preventative and ameliorative measures work most effectively in conjunction with others, and some, when implemented by themselves, can even be damaging. As more information becomes available, people will better be able to learn, and perhaps control, the amount of electricity they are exposed to on a daily basis. Maybe it’s time to look at places other than the Earth for all of the mysterious illnesses that plague our western societies today.

Minimize Your Electromagnetic Exposure
Although studies of electromagnetic fields from electric wiring, electric appliances and machinery, and portable electronics like mobile phones are in fledgling stages and provide conflicting results, those of us who are cautious are minimizing our exposure.

Here are a few ways:

1. If you use a mobile phone, do not wear the phone next to your body, and wear a headset when using the phone.
2. If you spend time in front of high-electricity-use machines like photocopiers or electric stoves, stand well away from them.
3. Switch from electric clock radios to battery operated ones, or move your electric clock radio well away from your head while you’re in bed.
4. Switch from a standard computer monitor to a flat LCD monitor, which generally has much lower EMFs. If you must use a standard monitor, keep it at least arm’s length from
   your body.
5. If you use a laptop computer, plug in a separate keyboard
   and keep your hands away from the laptop’s keyboard surface.
6. Move your desktop computer’s tower well away from
   your body.
7. If you’re building a new house, you can concentrate most of your electric wiring in one area, near the electric box. This should reduce the amount of EMF radiation from other areas in the house.
8. In new construction, you can ask your electrician to set up a switch to turn off all the electricity in a whole room (for example, your bedroom while you’re sleeping).
9. Some argue (and some research supports) that encasing
   house wiring in steel conduit will reduce the wiring’s radiation of EMFs.
10. If you’re concerned about your exposure to EMFs, you can purchase a diagnostic device like a tri-field meter (available on the Web at sites like www.trifield.com) and measure your house and your workplace for potentially harmful fields.
11. In addition, several types of EMF remediation devices are being offered for sale, with varying degrees of scientific research to back up their effectiveness. As more research is conducted about the harmful effects of electromagnetic fields, perhaps some of these technologies will emerge as effective protections against EMFs.
    

References:
Quotes from Dr. G.L. Carlo, courtesy of Tom Magruder

Footnotes:
1 - www.emfhealthsolutions.com/3.htm
2-the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Oct/16/ln/FP610160352.html
3- Cell Phones: Inside the Hazards in the Wireless Age, Dr. George Carlo

Tom Magruder is founder of Synergy Center, a healing arts and dance studio in Asheville, www.synergycenter.com. He is also a tireless advocate for the reduction of electropollution. For more information on this subject, please visit www.biopro.com, or call 828-713-1043.

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