Magnetic fields are common in automobiles. Even cars with gasoline engines can have high levels, depending on the wiring configurations and the locations of the tires and other moving engine parts relative to the passengers. Electric or hybrid vehicles can have very high levels due to the high current demand and re-charging mechanisms. Every vehicle will have multiple sources of a magnetic field, some of which may be in areas that are difficult to access for shielding. With persistence, a satisfactory reduction of field levels is usually achievable. But don’t expect the levels to drop to zero.
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Begin by diagnosing the fields in your vehicle. Use a 3-axis gaussmeter with a range of at least 200 mG, and a flat frequency response.
The Trifield TF2 is a good choice for this work.
Select a location away from powerlines and other sources of background magnetic fields. Notice the background level with the car not running. You will subtract this number from all further meter readings. Park the car, but leave the engine running. Slowly move the gaussmeter in the passenger areas. Check all areas that will be occupied by passenger bodies, including the seat, head, and floor areas. If you have an electric or hybrid vehicle, you should have an assistant drive the vehicle while you take meter readings. Check during the various modes of power: electric only, gas only, accelerating, cruising, braking, etc. Identify areas that have high levels (above 3mG).
Next, for each “hot spot”, sweep around that immediate area looking for the source of the high field. Naturally, the true source may be hidden under the floor, behind a panel, or on the other side of the firewall. But identify the accessible area closest to the source. This will be the surface with the highest readings. Remember to check under the dash as well!
Starting with the area with the highest field, place the meter in a location that you can find again after shielding is installed. You may need to measure its position relative to landmarks in the car, such as bolts, wires, etc. It is important that the meter position be repeated in exactly the same position (before and after shielding), as changing the meter position will change the readings.
Now lay a piece of shielding in the area of the hot spot. Magnetic Shielding Foil was used in this example. Giron is also a good choice. (Caution! The edges are sharp!) Use the largest piece of shielding that will fit. You can always trim edges or corners to work around odd shapes. If your largest piece of shielding is not wide enough, you can place pieces next to each other, with 1-2 inches of overlap where they meet.
Later, you will lock these pieces in position and cover them with protective carpeting. It is imperative that they do not come loose and create a driving hazard!
Complicated shapes and multiple barriers in a vehicle may not permit the placement of shielding in all locations that need it. You have to accept some level of compromise because of these limitations.
Now, place the meter back in the same position and take a reading. The level should be lower. Sweep around the shielded area to identify the remaining “hot spots”. You may need to add more shielding to the edge of the shield. Or try another layer of shielding. Or you may need to shield an area opposite the shield (In this example, we shielded the driver’s foot area, and needed to add shielding to the underside of the dash.)
Keep adding shielding until either you are satisfied with the results, or you find that adding more shielding does not yield any further decrease in readings.
Refine the shapes of the shielding pieces by trimming and bending. You can number them with a marker or tape to help you remember where they go. Take up carpeting if possible and lay the shielding in its final position. Fasten it securely. Use screws, pop rivets, tape, glue or any other mechanism you can think of to keep the shielding material in place. In this case, we were able to achieve an 84% reduction (1.47-0.25 / 7.61-0.25 = 16% field remaining).
Tape any seams with sturdy, water-resistant tape. You can also roll tape over sharp edges to keep the carpet and passengers safe.
Please the carpeting back over the shielded area (or add new carpeting as needed).
At this point, that area is done. You can move on to the next worst area and repeat the process. Tips:
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As I’ve discussed, I recently transferred to a natropathic/holistic health college called Bastyr University and I’m currently living in their on-campus housing. Two weeks ago, in this post, I shared a campus and dorm tour, and showed you how I outfitted my “holistic dorm room.”
One of the most unique features in my room is an EMF sheilding bed canopy. I promised a post discussing this unusual product and here it is!
An EMF bed canopy is made with a special fabric that blocks virtually all electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs, for short). EMFs and electropollution is a topic which I’ve researched passionately for the last year. I believe understanding the dangers of EMFs plays a crucial part in 21st century health.
Since I’ve discussed the science behind EMFs and health problems in my previous posts, I will not go into details here. Instead, I will point you to the following resources where you can learn more about the effects EMFs if you are interested:
In a dorm room, I can’t take the EMF-reducing steps that I practiced at home. For example, in my house we use corded phones instead of high EMF cordless phones. We also turn off our cell phones and the internet router at night. These small steps significantly reduce the EMF burden.
Bastyr has a cell phone tower on campus… yikes! I’m not against cell towers per say, but I don’t think they should be in such close proximity to where people are living and sleeping. Cell towers emit pulsed radio frequency radiation, which has been shown in thousands of studies to cause damage to cell functions. (Check out the links above for more info.) If I didn’t have the option of an EMF canopy, I would have seriously reconsidered my plan to live on the campus.
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The body is most vulnerable to the damaging effects of EMFs while sleeping. When we are sleeping, the body is in parasympathetic nervous system mode. This means the defense mechanisms of the body down while the repair processes are going full-throttle. It’s more important to protect your sleeping environment from EMFs rather than your daily living environment.
I don’t think an EMF bed canopy is a priority for everyone. Is reducing EMF exposure beneficial for everyone? Absolutely. But I don’t think everyone needs to start saving for an EMF bed canopy, especially if one practices stress management and excellent nutrition. These aspects help bolster the body against EMF damage.
My health is profoundly sensitive and is my top priority. I’m on the recovery path from a very severe autoimmune disease (ulcerative colitis), and I’m also trying to address another autoimmune disease (Hashimoto’s) and other health issues at the same time. My health challenges, at various points in my life, have left me bedridden for months and in the hospital for weeks. Through the healing power of food and mind-body medicine, I’m healing my body… even though doctors said it wouldn’t be possible! My point here is that supporting my health is my most vital priority and I’m eager to do whatever it takes to continue on my journey to wellness.
I’m hypersensitive to just about everything. My poor parents… I was one sensitive baby. And one sensitive kid. And now I’m one sensitive adult. Sound, flavors, light, food, clothing, temperature, environment, emotions, energy… I’ve always been super sensitive to everything. I believe this is partly a personality/genetic trait. Sure, it’s presented challenges, but it also makes me who I am. I do not consider myself an electro-hypersensitive person, since I don’t have chronic symptoms such as tinnitus when I’m around computers. However, I think that the combination of my sensitive personality and sensitive health issues makes it prudent for me to be cautious with EMF exposure.
This is a lifetime investment, and there is no better investment than supporting my health. I got a Queen size canopy to fit my XL twin dorm bed, so I can use this canopy to fit a larger bed when I move out of a dorm. When I have a family, I can use this EMF canopy around my kids’ crib/bed. Children are most susceptible to the damage of EMFs because their brains are developing.
Note about the cost: An EMF bed canopy is a big investment and not something everyone can – or needs to – consider. I saved for this purchase for a very long time and made significant sacrifices elsewhere in my budget.
1. First, I ordered the canopy. My EMF consultant Scot Appert recommends getting a canopy from Safe Living Technologies. It comes in Twin, Queen and King sizes. Like nearly all dorm beds, mine is an Extra Long Twin, so I needed to get the Queen Size canopy to have enough length.
There are two fabric options for the canopy: Daylite and Naturell. Both are made with actual silver thread, which is what blocks the EMFs. (It’s also the reason for the price tag.) The Daylite is polyester/silver and the the Naturell is cotton/silver. I choose the Naturell option because I’m sensitive to polyester in clothing and I believe it could potentially offgass chemicals.
If you have living space beneath your bedroom, you will also need a floor mat of the same fabric to block EMFs from the room below you. I got the Queen size to fit under my XL twin bed.
2. The canopy is designed to be hung from the ceiling with some hooks and wooden dowels you can purchase at any hardware store. However, since I’m in a dorm room, I cannot screw anything into the walls. So, I needed to create a frame over which I could drape the canopy.
I called Scot Appert at Bio Health Homes to help me set up the canopy and take some EMF measurements in my room. Scot is based in Seattle (and he was already familiar with the Bastyr campus) and he specializes in EMF mitigation as well improving water and air quality in homes.
I wanted the frame to be made of non-offgassing, natural materials so Scot brought in some pre-cut cedar 2x2s and build the frame around my bed. When I am ready to dismantle the frame and move out, I just need to remove some screws and take out the cedar beams.
Scot is a wealth of knowledge and it was a privilege to work with him. He does work around the Seattle area but he has also traveled across the world to help people create safe and healthy living spaces. You can contact him here.
3. It’s recommended to take measurements inside the canopy, to make sure it is properly set up. Scot took the measurements for me and the results were incredible to see on his meter. In the room, the reading was about 400 microWatts per square meter (µW/m2). That’s not considered dangerously high by “normal” standards, but it would be problematic for electrosensitive individuals. Inside the closed canopy, the meter read 5 microWatts… that’s considered a virtually negligible level of EMF!
Regardless of whether I feel a difference, I know that at my bed canopy is protecting my health at a cellular level. I’m sleeping in a virtually zero EMF environment, which allows my cells to repair and regenerate without the interrupting buzz of electropollution.
Interestingly enough, however, I do feel like I am experiencing unusually deep sleep. This surprises me, because 1) I struggle with insomnia, especially when I’m stressed 2) I’ve just made a huge transition and have a ton of new things on my plate and 3) My dorm and the campus is pretty quiet, but still louder than my old home.
Can I credit my EMF-free sleeping environment to improved sleep? It seems to me like reasonable part of the picture! Of course, there are also other variables to consider. Perhaps I’m just super exhausted with my new schedule. Also, I have an IntelliBED non-toxic mattress topper which has also greatly improved my sleep. Whatever the case, I’m happy to be sleeping so well and I’m happy with my bed canopy.
Also, I forgot to mention… the canopy makes my room look bohemian and beautiful! I get compliments on it from everyone who sees my room.
Would you be interested in trying an EMF bed canopy? Do you take steps to reduce your EMF exposure?
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