Don’t you hate it when you are visiting someone away from your home, and you plug in the toaster, and the electricity is all brown and disgusting? I have never experienced that either. But Dirty Electricity is a thing. So why don’t we discuss it? What exactly is “dirty electricity''? It has nothing to do with the electricity being filthy, or pinching your behind without permission. Essentially it is the unusable electromagnetic energy that is created by electronic devices as they operate. Your home runs on 60 Hz AC power, but interruptions to this flow can cause this energy to leak out (and yes, it is wasted… either going back into the system, off into the either, or through your body doing whatever it is going to do).
Before I get too far into this, I am going to acknowledge that not everyone believes in the same things. There are those who think that Dirty Electricity is a made-up thing done by the dirty hippies so you would be left with nothing but patchouli oil smells after they had stolen your television while the lights were all out. Others believe it is the be-all, end-all to all of our health problems, and no one is going to convince me otherwise! Hopefully you (like us) are somewhere in between, and are open-minded enough to change your mind if you are given more facts.
Potential causes of dirty electricity and electropollution
Solar panels
Inside wiring errors
Computers and laptops
Variable speed motors
Televisions
Entertainment units
Energy efficient lighting
Energy efficient appliances
SMART Meters Dimmer switches
Fluorescent light bulbs and tubes
Power tools
Cell phone antennas
Broadcast antennas
Solar Power panels
Cordless phone systems
Video game consoles
Wi-Fi routers and modems
Microwave Ovens
Kitchen appliances
Hair Dryers
Health Issues associated with EMFS
Health Symptoms of EMF exposure
According to some scientists, EMFs can affect your body’s nervous system function and cause damage to cells.
Neurological: headaches, dizziness/nausea, memory and concentration difficulties, insomnia, depression/anxiety, fatigue/weakness, numbness/tingling, muscle and joint pains.
Cardiac: heart palpitations, shortness of breath, heart arrhythmias, high blood pressure.
Eyes: pain/discomfort, pressure in the eyes, deteriorating vision, cataracts.
Ears: ringing in the ears, hearing loss.
Other: skin problems, digestive problems, dehydration, nosebleeds, impaired sense of smell and light sensitivity.
sleep disturbances, including insomnia
headache
tiredness and fatigue
lack of concentration
changes in memory
dizziness
irritability
loss of appetite and weight loss
Origins of Dirty Electricity
The origins of dirty electricity obviously started before humans even used much electricity. Thousands of years ago (before you could turn on a light with a switch) no one understood, or was exposed to electricity. And if you were, it was usually in the form of a lightning strike, so you had obviously offended God (or one of his co-gods) and you deserved to die. Or not. But, if you look back at the advent of electrical power we could use, it wasn’t until well into the 20th century that Americans began to wire up their houses where they live (the Edison Electric Illuminating Company of New York began to distribute electric power in 1882. But boy, did the distribution infrastructure suck on that power grid!). So what has happened in the last 100 years or so? Have humans drastically reduced their lifespans being around all this electricity? No, quite the opposite! Only that is due mostly to the advent of healthy foods, seat belts, sanitation, medicine and a host of other things that will help you live longer.
So as I mentioned at the outset, our homes today are running on 60 Hz AC Power. When you plug in that lamp, two little pieces of metal you plug into the wall create a connection of 110 volts of electricity that will flow through the light bulb and create a soft, warm glow (or even a harsh, blue laser-like glow if you buy really cheap LED bulbs!) that you can read by. But what if something goes wrong between the power generators (the larger ones in the big hydro dams can churn about 10 Megawatts of power…. WAY more than you need to turn on that light) and the outlet? What if enough power isn’t stripped away, or something surges, and sends more power to the outlet? That is what we call “dirty electricity”, or “electrosmog”. The problem in the 2020’s is that so much of our electricity is becoming “dirty” due to the thousands of dirty electricity-making things we have plugged in between the power company’s power-generator and your outlets.
Did you know that incandescent light bulbs are actually dirty electricity filters, whereas LED and fluorescent bulbs create dirty electricity by alternating between the frequencies of Alternating Current (AC) and Direct Current (DC)? This backfeeds into the power line. It isn’t a huge amount of power, but you need to ask yourself how many LED light bulbs are between the power station (the Bonneville Dam is roughly 55 miles away from my office) and your fuse box? Some other things that can screw up electricity are solar inverters, plasma televisions, dimmer switches, and improperly wired houses (we know that never happens!). So by the time the power makes it all the way to your little fuse box, it is likely all kinds of screwed up, and ready to melt your hairdryer!
At least you will know which way the electricity is going the next time you look at a substation! Just don’t stand there for too long unless you want to go home “medium well”. (Photo courtesy of OSHA)
I listened to this podcast: The POWER Podcast, and the guest was talking about Dirty electricity. He recalled watching cartoons as a little boy, and his mother turning on the vacuum somewhere else in the house. His television signal would get all wonkey, and he would attempt to adjust the rabbit ears on the television (I, on the other hand, thought it was a good idea to yell at my mom to stop vacuuming, since it was messing up that week’s exciting Scooby Doo mystery. I then learned what it was like to go without any television for a week!).
It turns out it was the electricity to the television that was so corrupted, it wouldn’t produce a picture. If we fast-forward to this year, we are all watching HDTVs, which all contain a filter because the electricity has gotten so much worse since Scoob and the Gang were driving around solving mysteries. Everything that you plug in to charge… From your phone to your flashlight to your power tools; they all have an effect on the power supply (the DC creates feedback to the power supply). Try to think back to 30 years ago. How many things did you plug in to charge overnight? I am still trying to think of one thing as well! I think I had a walkie-talkie that I could charge every 6 months or so. Today, I can’t even count all the things in my bedroom that are plugged in charging a battery. I even have a trickle-charger on my motorcycle battery that is constantly going!
Ever wonder what this does to the electricity in your home?
I was kidding when I said that your power might melt your hairdryer. But not really. When your electricity is coming into your home “dirty”, all of your appliances have to try to deal with that. They will usually draw extra amperage, and as a result run hotter than they would normally. Have you ever pulled your phone off the charger and wondered why it felt like it had been sitting on the heater all night? Exactly! Your larger appliances, which are normally built into your cabinets (think refrigerator), are running even hotter than they otherwise would. You may notice they make more noise (or, like me, you wouldn’t notice, because it has always been running like that), or are expensive to run (or, again…). Also, when your appliances are hot, so is your home. If you are lucky enough to have an A/C unit, it will run more often. And when it does, it will be drawing extra amps, and be louder. The end result of all of this is money. Not running at full efficiency (and drawing extra amperage) will cause your electricity bill to increase. Running more often will also cause your electricity bill to increase. Running more often and less efficiently will cause your appliances (and just about anything you plug into the wall) to go through their normal life cycle faster, so that you have to replace them more often. This should get even the most skeptical people off the fence. It is going to cost me money?! How can I fix it??
Unfortunately, even the Beatles knew that money isn’t everything. There are countless people who have sensitivities to all that extra electricity floating around. Quick sidenote: Not sure if you realize how electricity is actually delivered (I sure didn’t).
Check out this YouTube clip. It explains it pretty well. The Big Misconception About Electricity
It turns out the energy is delivered in the fields that surround the wires! So the People who have issues around electric fields certainly could be affected by the dirty electricity. There is scientific evidence (yes, it has been replicated) that type 1 diabetics have better blood sugars, and use less insulin when they are in an environment where the Elecreo-Magnetic Fields (EMF) are reduced. Also, people diagnosed with MS have better balance and fewer tremors. There is lots of anecdotal evidence that conditions from asthma to ADD/ADHD are negatively affected by EMFs.
We have all found that it is very difficult to isolate what is causing the symptoms of our clients (most people who call us are suffering some symptoms). Is it chemical, mold, virus, EMF, or something else? Usually there is more than one culprit (for instance, mycotoxins from mold will make one more hypersensitive to EMFs). To find out more information look at the symptoms listed in this website: https://5gfreeoregon.org/common-symptoms-of-electro-sensitivity/
How to check for Dirty Electricity
Besides plugging meters into walls, turn the lights and fans off, so the house is operating under a very light load, and measure the magnetic fields. Then turn on all the lights and maybe a fan or two, and if the meter reads a 2-3 Milligauss jump, you have dirty electricity. Then, you can get an electrician to start going through the house, or you can get a voltage meter, and start checking in your fuse box. You can check the positive and negative of each circuit. They should be about the same, but you can find instances when they are not, and congratulations, you have identified Dirty electricity in that circuit! All of this is assuming the dirty electricity is coming from your house! In most neighborhoods, the transformers each service 4-5 houses, so if your neighbor has CFLs running off of a solar inverter, you may be out of luck!
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Takes up plug space, but it filters electricity quite well!
So whether you are suffering from the effects of dirty electricity, or you are merely someone who doesn’t enjoy shoveling money over to the power companies, what can we possibly do about this? I know that I fall into the latter camp, but why would I want to poison anyone in my house who is electro-sensitive? It turns out there are some things that can be done! The first would be to test. With the right equipment, you can walk around your house and plug a meter into every circuit (just find an outlet on each circuit… we usually go room by room) that exists there. DesignWell Studios uses Stetzer meters, but you can also use Greenwave, DNA, or a host of other products on the market.
In places where the numbers are high (acceptable numbers are below 25 millivolts [mV], and you should filter anything above 50 mV), you can plug a filter into the wall. But, the filters can present their own issues. While doing their job, the filters emit an electric field in the 1-2 foot area surrounding them. Not bad for the electric grid, but not great for your head if you are ever near an outlet! So you can’t just throw multiple filters at the problem!
Unfortunately, most of us don’t live in newly (or correctly) wired homes. There are usually several problems in the wiring setup of a home. This is where you may need some professional help. I remodeled my home a few years back, and once we tore the walls out, we found that our kitchen had been wired with extension cords and electrical tape! Not much a filter was going to do there, seeing as it was all grounded to the countertops. There are usually some wiring errors, and finding them can be a drag. But when you do, you will feel better if you are sensitive to EMFs. Also, cleaning up the electrical errors in your home will go a long way towards your appliances running at full efficiency. So if your meter is putting off numbers in the 300s, you may need an electrician. We have, however, found that most electricians don’t speak millivolt! So you might have to explain to them what you are trying to do. I like to tell them I am looking for grounding errors. If they are still looking confused, give DesignWell Studios a call! We should be able to help.
The electrical codes are many, and they are technical, and they are supposed to keep us safe. Unfortunately, when building inspectors check on electricity in new homes (and renovations), they merely look at the fuse box and check it off. They never bother to check if the wiring is correctly done. If the electrician has made an error (not too difficult to do), it will just live there. The Circuit will resonate, and cause problems, and be against code. But you have to find the needle in the haystack!
Whole Home Filters
Once you have re-wired your kitchen (I really hope that I am kidding), and your home is running as efficiently as possible, you can either live with the little filters plugged in everywhere, or you can get serious and install a whole home filter. These come from Satic, and they work amazingly! You are going to need an electrician to install it (or a lot of gumption and bravery), but once it is plugged into your fuse box, your home will have a giant surge protector attached, and all of your appliances will be running on fewer amps, cooler and less noisy! Satic is a solar company, and they realized what solar power does to electricity. So they built filters for your entire house (it goes without saying that you should get one of these if you have a solar inverter in your home!). You can read about it here:
Here's a link to get your Satic dirty electricity filter with a discount code for 15% off! CODE: DESIGNWELL15 https://saticshield.com/saticshield-power-perfect-sd-1-phase/
RESEARCH
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17178585/
Magda Havas is one of the leading researchers in this field. According to her, (I’m paraphrasing) Everything in the world can be cured if you install electricity filters and turn off the internet (not exactly, but you get the idea). Dr. Havas has written many peer-reviewed articles that purport to say that ADHD, Diabetes (both types), Hyperactivity, Insomnia, and just about everything you can imagine, is caused or aggravated by EMF exposure from your computer’s WiFi network, cell phones, power lines, and yes, dirty electricity. She’s on our side, yes. The problems with her work are too plentiful to write about here. She publishes her papers in suspect journals, and her data is a little questionable. Here is one of the organizations that thinks she is making things up: http://www.emfandhealth.com/EMF&Health%20EHS%20Poor%20Studies%201.html
Let's set aside Dr. Havas for a second, and look at some other studies. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.abe9220
It turns out that EMFs are good for you! Assuming you have Type 2 Diabetes. It increases the body’s sensitivity to insulin (the main culprit in Type 2 diabetics). Why does this happen? Why don’t we just fire up a generator in a random room and set all the Type 2 Diabetics in there? They won’t, because no one knows how safe that would be. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/42542242_Dirty_electricity_What_where_and_should_we_care
It really turns out that there is a problem with most studies that have been done, and no one can say for a fact what the problem with dirty electricity is.
The New York Times Magazine published a lengthy article back in 2011 about whether cellphones cause brain cancer. It should actually be a very short article. Either YES or NO. It just isn’t that simple. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17cellphones-t.html
It turns out that it would be very difficult to conduct a reliable study on this question. It is an RF question, not an EMF one like dirty electricity, but the same principles apply. Finding a control group without cell phones (or electricity in our case) in the same population is nearly impossible.
It turns out that no one can say definitively whether dirty electricity is harmful to you. But we can tell that it does have an effect on various bodily functions. Just because you can’t prove something is harmful (or safe) doesn’t mean you should ignore it. In the 1970s, some of the loveliest forests in Germany were dying. The government stepped in and outlawed the emission of sulfur and nitrogen oxides from coal-fired power plants before they had definitively been proven to be the culprits of acid rain. This likely saved the forests. And what about all the people who simply can’t be around EMFs? Are they crazy? I would argue that no, they are not! Just like someone who claims they are depressed is likely suffering, or someone with Tinnitus; these people have an affliction that greatly affects them, but not other people in the same populations, or even the same household. In 1996 the WHO recognized EMF sensitivity as “idiopathic environmental intolerance”, so I guess you can suffer from it, but they aren’t going to blame anything(?). Something must be happening to all these people. Big shots of tech companies don’t suddenly develop phantom symptoms whenever they are around electrical appliances. Especially ones who are skeptical of the effects of EMFs. https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2017/01/silicon-valley-cellphones-wifi-sickness-emf-hypersensitivity/
Part of the problem is the research. It doesn’t show an acute effect on people, even though there are some studies that show an acute effect on lab animals. What is the “average” dose that everyone in the population is getting? Are the people who are exposed to the most EMF and RF the ones who get sick? It doesn’t appear so. My point is, take a drop of clean, fresh, cool water. It can’t hurt you, and is crucial for life as we know it. What happens when we restrain you, and drip that pure, clean water on your forehead for hours on end (much like the constant “drip” of EMF you are receiving)? This is called “Chinese water torture”, and I wouldn’t want it preformed on me (appearently, it causes a psychotic break in it’s victims)! Are the survivors of the water droplets making it all up? Are they crazy? Or is something really going on that we all need to pay attention to?