Electrosensitivity! Is it real?

This letter is from another blog (link listed below). I find it very interesting and something that needs to be looked at very seriously. 'Electrosensitivity case in London for comments' has been posted to EMFacts Consultancy. ******************************************************* Sadly I am a new sufferer. About 6 weeks ago I suffered some grade of maximum toxicity; Symptoms: *erratic and escalating blood pressure ( I am fit an attaned the gym and eat healthily) *Right eye problems needing glasses, which I have now returned for a refund *right ear sounds *right brain burning sensations *palpitataions *night terrors and insomnia ( I sleep like the proverbial log usually) *right body numbness *vertigo *booming sounds erratically The Local UK GP was concerned that I could be hyper-anxious! So that is as far as I have taken my visits to him. I knew there was something environmentally wrong and I was correct. I moved 8 months ago into a beautiful brand new home backing onto a golf course. Unknbown to me then, there are 12-15 mobile masts across the golf course up to 1.5kms away and these had been bouncing off my rear elevation for 8 months. I work, sleep and cook facing the masts which gives me a 24/7 exposure. The burglar alarm had three room sensors running off microwaves and I had 2 separate DECT phones. A ruthless combination truly enough to cook me well and properly. It is the masts which have caused me most harm. Some nights they emit higher powered rays than others. I have received immense help here in the UK and am widening my net further to find out if there are any other ways I can help myslef and ultimately other sufferers. I have now put my house on the market for sale and hope to move soon. I am unable to function corporately and have not worked for 8 weeks now. I would appreciate any comments people on your list may wish to make. Kind regards Angela Luke North London N20 0NL, UK Email: angelaluke2005@gmail.com http://www.emfacts.com/weblog/index.php?p=121

What is electromagnetic radiation (EMR); the electromagnetic spectrum; electromagnetic fields (EMFs)?

(Excerpts and illustrations from Electromagnetic Fields: A Consumer’s Guide to the Issues and How to Protect Ourselves by B. Blake Levitt, Harcourt Brace, 1995. Used by permission of author.) *All links below will open in a new browser window. All documents on this page are PDF files. Electromagnetic radiation is the term used to describe electromagnetic energy radiating away from its source. It is expressed in wavelengths calculated along what is called the electromagnetic spectrum. There are many wavelength magnitudes along the spectrum, which includes everything from the earth’s own natural pulsations, to electric power, to visible light, to cosmic events. The electromagnetic spectrum is divided into ionizing and nonionizing radiation. Ionizing radiation consists of very short wavelengths (like X-rays), which have enough power to knock electrons off their nuclear orbits and therefore can cause permanent damage at the cellular level, such as cancer or genetic mutations. Nonionizing radiation consists of longer wavelengths with generally less power and is considered incapable of knocking electrons off their orbit around the nucleus. Energy is directly related to the inverse of wavelength. The longer the wave, the less energy it creates; the shorter the wave, the more energy it can create. Although less powerful, nonionizing radiation is capable of causing a host of biological effects, so it is far from harmless. The dividing line between ionizing and nonionizing radiation is around visible light. The problem is that visible light covers a wide portion of the spectrum. (Each color, for instance, is a different wavelength.) So no on can say precisely where one form of radiation leaves off and the other begins, but it is thought to be in the lower ultraviolet ranges, or possibly below. Electromagnetic field is the term used to describe electric and magnetic fields. In general, a field is defined as a space in which energy exists. Actually as field is a concept used to describe the influence of something on its surrounding area. Electric fields exist whenever electric charges are present, that is, whenever electricity or electrical equipment is in use. A magnetic field is produced whenever there is electrical current flowing in a conductor or wire. All magnetic fields run perpendicular to electrical current. In other words, while electric current runs in straight lines, magnetic fields surround the line in circular fashion. When the electricity is turned off, there is no magnetic field, although an electric field will still exist to some extent in any wire or conductor. All electromagnetic fields are expressed in wavelengths and move outward at the speed of light – approximately 186,00 miles per second. Both electric and magnetic fields decrease rapidly with distance from the source. Some common consumer products have complex electromagnetic fields. A television screen or the cathode-ray tube on a computer monitor, for instance, plugs into a wall outlet, thereby using electricity in the 50-60 Hz area, then utilizes a broad band of wavelengths that extend all the way up through the visible-light spectrum. At the top ends of the screen’s field, the ionizing band may well be crossed into. EMR Policy Institute FAQ -

Correlation found between mobile phone masts and sleep disturbances

"We have found that people who are very electrosensitive in the evening, do not sleep well in the night". Prof. dr. Norbert Leitgeb of the Technical University of Graz in Austria told it to a journalist of the Grazer Woche. "This could indicate, that mobile phone masts and other sources of radiofrequent radiation indeed have a negative influence on the well being of many persons." His saying refers just to the result of a pilotstudy, meant to verify the design of a larger investigation to come. Nevertheless the result is spectacular, Leitgeb confirms. Of nine testpersons the more electrosensitive appeared to sleep much better when protected from radiofrequent radiation. Leitgeb does not find this is proof yet. The upcoming research has to confirm the relationship between sleeping quality, electrosensitivity (50 Hz) and the load of radiofrequent radiation by GSM masts, DECT wireless telephones, WLAN wireless networks and other sources. The research will not take place in a laboratory, though at home with twenty people throughout Austria. Results are expected in the beginning of 2006. Causal relationship In an article in the magazine Bioelectromagnetics Leitgeb describes the existence of electrosensitivity. It is proven that some persons have a heightened sensitivity for electric, magnetic and electromagnetic fields. "Though there has not been established a causal relationship yet, the symptoms of some persons are thus severe, that they leave their homes and jobs and try to find release in an environment with less 'electromagnetic pollution'. These persons have a serious problem and need to get help. To find proof of a causal relationship is not just a scientific interest, but the problem also has a socio-economic aspect", says Leitgeb. UMTS mobile phone masts In The Netherlands there is a growing stir about the placement of UMTS mobile phone masts. Also the GSM mobile phone masts, DECT wireless telephones and WLAN wireless networks are suspect of causing 'radiofrequent radiation sickness'. A symptom is the heightened electrosensitivity to low frequency electric and magnetic fields (50 Hz), but the sickness also would have other symptoms like sleeping disturbances, palpitations of the heart, high blood pressure, tinglings, concentration and remembrance distortions, dizziness, burning skin, tinnitus, eye problems, lack of energy and many more. In The Netherlands a study by TNO confirmed the correlation of cognitive functional deviations and the radiation of GSM and UMTS. Moreover, the radiation of UMTS appeared to cause tinglings and dizziness. From: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/newssearch.php?newsid=23610 And: http://www.mast-victims.org/index.php?content=news&#nrpbes sources: 1. Grazer Woche, 'Studie: Handymast stört Schlaf' by Dieter Demmelmair 2. Elektrosmognews of 18 Jan. 2005 3. IZGMF Meldungen 'Epros Schlafstudie zwischen Sensation und Dementi', 21 Jan. 2005 4. Answers by N. Leitgeb to questions by Frans van Velden, e-mail, 21 Jan. 2005 5. Electrosensibility and Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity, Bioelectromagnetics 24:387-394 (2003)