This, my first blog article, was published in the magazine nº 4 of the Associació per a la Bioconstrucció de les Illes Balears (11.11.2021), and it was about the importance of living in a healthy home for your health.

TAKING CARE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH OF YOUR HOME IS TO IMPROVE YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE

Electromagnetic measurements are the ideal tool to reduce radiation in the spaces where we spend most of our time

My passion and vocation has always been, and still is, medicine. That is why I have devoted many years of constant training and great enthusiasm to it. Then, at a certain moment, a life experience made me stop, think clearly and take important decisions that completely transformed my understanding of health and illness. I decided to spend some time living in Indonesia, taking an interest in its ancient cultures and medicines. All this generated a change in the vision of health in a more integrative way, beyond conventional medicine. From there I started to train in other areas, such as geo-environmental health, which is crucial for our quality of life.

Westerners spend 80 to 90 per cent of our time indoors. In an ideal world this would not be a problem, but these environments between walls in which we spend most of the day (homes, offices, hotels, restaurants, shops…) usually have high levels of pollutants that are harmful to our health: poor air quality, lack of ventilation, dust, toxic materials or electromagnetic radiation.

From a global health point of view, a geoenvironmental health analysis of dwellings and workplaces should be considered an essential tool for maintaining a healthy state.

The results of this analysis and the resulting recommendations help to improve quality of life, comfort, health and well-being.

The much-needed geo-environmental health favours the collaboration of different groups such as environmental physicians, bio-architectural specialists and professional measurement technicians.

We live in a world where the concept of health encompasses subjects as diverse as business design, economics and architecture. This concept allows us to understand the context and the situation with an eagle’s eye view to reach the conclusion that everything is interrelated. The aim is to reduce the illness of people and all living beings in order to contribute to making the planet a healthier and more sustainable place.

In addition to being potentially harmful, artificial non-ionising electromagnetic radiation has become one of the largest and fastest growing sources of environmental pollution. When we talk about electromagnetic pollution, we refer to the set of radiations of the electromagnetic spectrum (EMG) generated artificially by man. We use the term pollution because these types of fields do not exist in nature and therefore their generation constitutes an adulteration of the natural order.

Depending on their frequency, we can distinguish between two types of non-ionising electromagnetic pollution, low-frequency and high-frequency. Each has different sources and effects, although both have been classified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as possible Group 2B carcinogens. Symptoms and severity levels vary from person to person, depending on electromagnetic field strengths and frequencies. Overexposure or sensitivity to electromagnetic fields can manifest itself through a variety of symptoms: learning and memory deficits, insomnia, neurological disorders, headaches, chronic fatigue, irritability, cell damage, anxiety, nausea, compromised immune and/or reproductive systems, among others.

Multiple studies have shown that children absorb more than twice as much radiation as adults, putting them at greater risk.

Research studies on EMF and health

The BioInitiative Report provides a deep dive into the health effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF).  In addition to examining over 3800 studies on EMR (electromagnetic radiation), it also reviews current exposure standards and concludes that these standards are far from adequate to protect public health. It is important to note that research studies continue to be published showing the harmful effects of electromagnetic fields, not only on humans, but also on animals and plants.

If you want to explore this issue further, I refer you to my website www.bhital.com/mundobhital, where you will find opinions from both scientists and international organisations.

A little bit of history

Technologies such as mobile telephony, DECT cordless phones, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, infrared, 3G, 5G, etc. are proliferating all around us. They have quickly become part of our lives and we use them both for work and leisure. However, the antecedents go back centuries.

Traditionally, electromagnetism had been experienced and studied as two separate phenomena: electricity on the one hand and magnetism on the other. It was not until the beginning of the 18th century that electromagnetism began to sound as a single concept. Magnetic phenomena have been known since ancient times thanks to the natural properties of magnetite, a mineral capable of attracting iron and other materials that we now classify as ferromagnetic.

Electromagnetic measurements

To carry them out follows a complex procedure that requires calibrated and professional EMF detection meters and must be developed by certified specialists who understand the various fields that affect the environment and EMF shielding solutions. The living space assessment will determine whether the radiation levels are within acceptable ranges or not, and from there an effective plan to reduce them will be established.

Why is it necessary to measure them?

Because many diseases we suffer from are the result of the negative influence of the environment. Their impact is related to the time of exposure, the intensity of the source and the state of the person’s immune system. The latest research is revealing the effect on human beings of a multitude of toxins and radiation that we live with on a daily basis.

When to request measurements?

When buying a plot of land or when you want to give added value to an architectural project – whether it is a new construction or a renovation to create healthy buildings – you should rule out the most geopathogenic areas. With the study carried out, it will be possible to assess, among other aspects, that the geopathogenic areas are not dedicated to spaces in which a lot of time is spent (bedroom, office, living room, etc.) and are relegated to corridors, bathrooms, gardens or swimming pool.

Measurements should also be requested when treating electrohypersensitive patients, patients with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) or when we suspect that they may be affected by environmental toxins, natural or artificial radiation. In this way, the sources are minimised and their well-being is improved.

It should be noted that the most vulnerable population groups are women of childbearing age, pregnant women, children and sick people.

What are the parameters of an electromagnetic radiation survey?

The measurements analyse low-frequency alternating electric fields: emitted by electrical installations, cables, appliances, sockets, wiring in walls, floors and ceilings, overhead high and medium voltage lines, etc.

Also low-frequency alternating magnetic fields: emitted by electrical installations, cables, appliances, motors, transformers, high and medium voltage lines, both overhead and underground, high-speed railway lines, etc. High-frequency electromagnetic fields: caused by emissions from mobile telephony, wireless landline telephony, data transmission, Wi-Fi, radars, etc…

Harmonic currents (dirty electricity), currents or voltages whose frequency is a multiple of the fundamental supply frequency of 50 Hz. Harmonics are generated by non-linear consumers, i.e. household appliances that do not consume electricity as it arrives in our homes. The level of harmonics is related to power quality.

What should a comprehensive geo-environmental health analysis cover?

There are three aspects: electromagnetic pollution – low frequency electric fields and low frequency magnetic fields, levels of harmonic electro-pollution (dirty currents), high frequency electromagnetic pollution, magnetic fields generated by building structures and furniture, magnetostatics and geomagnetic field variations – fields and radiation of natural origin – presence of radon gas, underground water courses, Curry and Hartmann networks, the geomagnetic Bunker network, as well as the Air Quality Index AQI (Air Toxics, Gases and Chemicals).

By way of example, in the case of wanting to carry out a complete geoenvironmental health analysis and survey from scratch, i.e. before the start of construction, this would be carried out in 3 phases: the initial assessment of geoenvironmental factors in the ground, the analysis to check geoenvironmental health factors in housing under construction, once the structures, walls and roof are built and the complete measurement of geoenvironmental health factors in finished housing with active installations.

In conclusion

We have to take into account that we are bio-electromagnetic beings as our cell membranes are key to our transmembrane potential, that our DNA and RNA are made up of dielectric molecules and that our biological processes generate electromagnetic frequencies in three quarters of the total electromagnetic spectrum.

An example of this is the electromagnetic emission at GHz from the tubulins that form the microtubules in the cytoplasm of all cells. It is therefore not surprising that we are sensitive to other sources of radiation. In fact, we use this emission for medical diagnostics, for temperature measurement, electrocardiograms, electroencephalograms, electromyograms and so on.

There are also medical treatments that use radiation such as radiotherapy, radiofrequency in physiotherapy. To claim that non-ionising electromagnetic radiation does not cause a biological effect is to ignore a multitude of scientific studies such as those that can be found in BIOINITIATIVE and the international calls to reconsider the maximum legal levels, including Resolution 18/15 of the Council of Europe of 28 May 2011, where they insist on the application of the principle of ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable), where they insist on the application of the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) principle, i.e. to keep radiation levels as low as reasonably achievable, referring both to the thermal, athermal and biological effects of electromagnetic field emissions.

Therefore, developing a geoenvironmental health analysis for an architectural project has become a differentiating factor and of great added value. Today, more than ever, achieving indoor environments, especially in the home or workplace, with reduced electromagnetic pollution, will help prevent health problems and improve our immune response.

dra carmen romero

*Interview extracted from the magazine nº4 of the Associació per a la bioconstrucció a les Illes Balears.

Dra. Carmen Romero
Founder of Bhital.