Negative Health Impacts of EMF.

Asbestos.  Leaded paint.  Formaldehyde.  5G and EMF?

Someday, folks in the building industry may look back at electric and magnetic fields (EMFs) as a hazard that we should have done more to prevent.

Let’s be clear.  The verdict is still out on how dangerous EMFs might be.

But the scientific evidence showing negative health impacts is beginning to mount.  Studies funded by neutral parties were much more likely to find biological effects than those funded by the telecommunications industry (Environmental Health Perspectives, 2007).  But as exposures increase, researchers will have an easier time finding health effects if they exist.

Those potential biological effects include brain tumors, memory loss, low sperm count, birth defects, cancers, cardiovascular stress and Alzheimer’s Disease.  And this year, separate studies by the US National Toxicology Program and the Ramazzini Institute (in Italy) found identical health effects from both cell phone (categorized as a “near-field” exposure) and cell tower (“far-field”) radiation exposures.

Exposure.

We are completely immersed in EMF radiation.  And it’s only going to get worse as the industry begins to test and roll out their 5G networks.  (Note: for a primer on EMF radiation, see the information from the National Institute of Environmental Health, below.)

5G requires installation of many more cell towers – about 300,000 new antennas, which is approximately the same number of cell towers installed over the past 30 years.

Frisco Station near Dallas, will be one of the first communities in the US designed to accommodate the 5G network with fully integrated infrastructure.  This 242 acre mixed-use development will have 5 million square feet of office space with a daytime population of 15,000 people and 3400 full-time residents.  That’s a lot of connections, a lot of cell towers – and a lot of exposure.

And not everyone is happy about it.  Several cities in the San Francisco Bay area have blocked the installation of the new 5G cell towers over health concerns (Marin Independent Journal.  A similar effort in Montgomery County, Maryland, is also underway.  As the local battles begin to heat up, the FCC is attempting to remove barriers to installation, including taking away some of the local rules that might halt or slow down building out the network.

While all of this plays out on the national and municipal levels, building owners, developers and facility managers will likely have customers on both ends of the spectrum: those that want the best and fastest networks, and those that want to minimize exposure to EMF radiation.

Exposure from cell phones, computers and other personal devices are individual behavioral and lifestyle choices.  But as buildings become “smarter” and more interconnected, the amenities we provide will amplify those exposures and health impacts:

• Building offices and residences with smart meters and smart appliances.  The “Internet of things” will vastly increase the number of devices emitting EMF radiation.
• Security systems and cameras provide a safe environment for residents and building users.  They also are sources of EMF exposure.
• Placing mobile towers on the tops of office and multifamily buildings.  These mobile towers are especially dangerous because they emit microwaves at a frequency of 1900 MHz -“a frequency that will impact every biological organism within 1 square kilometer.” (Global Health Corps, 2014.)
• Roll out of 5G networks.  This too will exponentially increase EMF exposure as 5G will require installing small antennas approximately every 250 feet.  There may be an antenna placed on a street light right in front of your building.

Ten or more years ago, I was advising owners, developers and managers of affordable multifamily high-rise buildings to lease their rooftops for cell tower placement as a way of increasing revenues.  I’m not sure that would be considered best practice today.

What can we do about it?

Just as with asbestos, leaded paint and formaldehyde, we may chalk up EMF exposure as a necessary side effect of progress.  That works only as long as we don’t KNOW that EMF exposure is harmful.

You’re not likely to gain many customers if your building is NOT equipped with the latest and greatest technologies, that also emit EMFs.

Ideally, there will be parallel technologies to reduce or eliminate those exposures.  Just as the Faraday cage can block radiation from personal computing and mobile devices, there are emerging technologies that may have the same impact for large spaces.  SafeSpace uses an “a-harmonization” strategy to render the EMFs less harmful to humans.  And even if these emerging technologies work for the current WiFi and mobile devices, they will have to keep up as technology evolves.

The common belief is that we are exposed to 100 million times more electromagnetic radiation than our grandparents ever were.  And exposures are only likely to increase.

More sophisticated customers expect more sophisticated connectivity in their homes and offices.  But soon, the smartest consumers may also welcome interventions to decrease potentially dangerous exposures to EMFs.

When that happens, it will redefine what a healthy building is.  The winners may be the building owners, developers and facility managers that can provide the greatest connectivity with the least exposure.  And that will take partnering with vendors who can minimize EMF exposures.

---

EMF – The Basics from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences: