ELECTROMAGNETIC POLLUTION

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Some of these symptoms may come from exposure to electric and electromagnetic fields — both low-frequency pollution (household wiring, transformers, lighting, some appliances) and high-frequency sources (radar, mobile telephony, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, DECT, Bluetooth, and so on).

Only recently have some scientists and technical bodies begun to take these facts into account. Newspapers and other media often carry accounts of people who report ill health after living near a power line, an industrial transformer or the ever-multiplying mobile-phone masts.

The diagram shows a simple classification of emissions, from the visible light our eyes capture — roughly 380 to 780 nanometres — to radio waves that can stretch over several kilometres.

We are surrounded by many natural sources of radiation — cosmic rays, radioactivity, the Earth's magnetic field and everyday sunlight. Over the last century, technology has added countless artificial ones, from radio waves and lighting to the most advanced microwave communication systems.

Should we worry about the emissions we are exposed to in the modern world? Can some of the emissions that industry regards as normal really be linked to certain illnesses?

Common sense suggests that the link between emissions and health matters more than the media let on. People who cannot see radiation tend to underrate its influence. Yet there is a simple experiment, open to anyone, that has helped many people realise that electrical radiation is a real and present energy. Take a fluorescent tube and hold it near a power line as darkness falls: with no cables, batteries or trickery of any kind, the tube in your hand lights up clearly, because the radiation drives the chemical activity inside it even at a fair distance from the line.
It stands to reason that if an electromagnetic field can light a tube by mere proximity, then living tissue must also react to that radiation in some way. Many researchers link regular exposure to high radiation levels with fatigue, chronic fatigue, headaches, and even diseases such as cancer and leukaemia. As with other fields, different people show different degrees of sensitivity and of harm.

FENG SHUI AND GEOBIOLOGY

Many feng shui consultants and geobiology practitioners recommend keeping a healthy distance from these sources. To confirm an emission, it is best to use the proper instruments, which give a reading of the electromagnetic or electric field. Today a good environmental professional should take the relevant measurements with suitable equipment. Countries such as Germany are well ahead of us, both in awareness of the problem and in measurement technology.

During a general feng shui study we look at several things, among them whether there is any low- or high-frequency radiation risk. The most common, as noted above, are transformers or power lines near the home, the city's supply cables running past a window, poorly shielded domestic appliances, alarm clocks on the bedside table, monitors and screens placed too close, installations without proper earthing, repeater antennas, and so on.

MICROWAVE RADIATION AND MOBILE TELEPHONY

Mobile telephony concerns many people today. You may have noticed yourself that after a few minutes on the phone you begin to feel congested; heavier users report headaches, palpitations, earache and general fatigue. Is there a real danger? Again, consider the facts. The most useful tip for anyone who is constantly on the phone is to use a hands-free kit, so that the device and its antenna are as far as possible from the brain. The skull is, without doubt, one of the most sensitive parts to the various sources of radiation. Some recent studies report the appearance of certain tumours in the skull with heavy mobile-phone use, not to mention other symptoms. Some governments have required companies to reduce radiation levels as a precaution, though officially they draw no link between mobile phones and health problems. As usual, business interests are at stake, and it will be some time before these facts are clarified in a fully objective way, for the good of consumers.

SOME BASIC ADVICE FOR PROTECTION

Try to keep electrical appliances away from the head of your bed; keep your face and head a safe distance from fluorescent tubes and lamps; avoid working with a laptop resting on your body; do not let children get too close to the TV or a monitor; and watch out for places where a wall hides appliances such as microwaves, fridges, electric ovens or other heavy consumers.

Do not overuse plastic materials and surfaces that tend to build up static, nor carpets, synthetic fabrics and clothing. Finally, do not forget how important proper earthing is in the home for reducing electric-field pollution.