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Technology has allowed us to go wireless and avoid the hassle of cables. We can now remotely turn the TVs on, start a coffee machine, and monitor babies using wireless technology. At the same time, we are exposed to unprecedented levels of electromagnetic radiation from wireless signals 24/7.
Have you wondered “Is WiFi Safe?” at these levels?
Is WiFi Safe?
Hang on tight… this may get controversial. There seem to be two rather extreme opinions when it comes to WiFi. One side says that it is completely safe and likes the idea of “smart” houses with everything run off Wifi. The other side is ready to build a Faraday Cage around themselves at all time.
The truth is likely somewhere in the middle.
Understand the Effects of WiFi
WiFi does not immediately cause diagnosable illness. For this reason, many of us choose to ignore that it can have any affect at all. However, it can interfere with our bodily functions which may eventually progresses into diseases like cancer and neurodegenerative diseases after long term exposure.
Because these are complex diseases that develop over decades, it is difficult to conclusively show that the increase in wireless signal exposures directly cause the diseases. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) considers wireless radiation as a class 2B possible carcinogen due to limited evidence. These small number of studies are leaning towards showing that electromagnetic radiations, including WiFi, are not safe.
In the Lancet article outlining their considerations, that IARC states that epidemiological studies that follow humans who use WiFi and cell phones for a few years are not conclusive. However, rodent studies that follow the animals throughout their lifetime find that wireless radiation does cause cancer or worsen cancer prognosis. The same animal studies also observed other changes in the brain and blood brain barrier in animals that are exposed to the radiation.
The limited evidences in humans may be why regulators are claiming that this type of radiation is safe. However, some anecdotal evidences, such as how Canadian families in Ontario are noticing headaches and brain fogs in their children, suggest that WiFi may not be healthy, so it is probably better to err on the side of caution.
It is even more important to protect children and developing fetuses from radiation as their small and growing bodies are more vulnerable to radiation than adults. Many products on the market aim to help protect babies in utero from WiFi radiation (like this belly armor blanket and even this belly-shielding band for pregnant moms).
How to Reduce WiFi Exposure
First, it is important to reduce use as much as possible, especially until we know more about the long-term effects of WiFi. The pro-WiFi crowd may scoff at the idea that anything could be potentially harmful about it, but we once thought smoking was perfectly fine too!
While it may not be possible to get the entire family on board, there are many options to reduce exposure while keeping everyone happy, including:
Turn off WiFi Before Going to Bed (Good)
Everyone should be sleeping at bed time, and WiFi signal may interferes with the brain during sleep, so it is a good idea to turn it off before going to bed. This allows the body to rest more deeply. By turning it off at night, you are effectively cutting down exposure by 33%. (Aside from the WiFi reduction, many security experts also recommend turning off your internet when not using it).
In addition, because many people browse the internet mindlessly at night, some may also find that having a WiFi curfew improves their marriage because they become more present with their spouse.
Many router models will have features that make it possible to automatically shut off WiFi connection and turn it back on at the same time every day, which will be useful for this purpose. You can also use an inexpensive timer to do this for you.
Turn On WiFi Router Only When in Use (Better)
If you and your family members are up for giving up WiFi for the most part, but still insist on connecting some devices from time to time, then having an option to switch on the router when in use is a better option as this reduces WiFi exposure only to a few hours a day.
Give Up Wireless and Hardwire All Your Connections (Best)
Giving up WiFi altogether is the healthiest option. It may sound daunting but it is possible and may mitigate several health issues down the line. In addition, you will enjoy more consistent and faster internet when directly hardwired in. It is certainly more work and not doable for everyone, but something we are (slowly) attempting.
You’ll need to pick up some affordable tools, including:
- Ethernet hub – if the one you have doesn’t have enough ports for every device and everyone to use. They can be plugged into an existing hub that you already have in order to expand the number of ports.
- Long ethernet cables – to allow everyone to connect from anywhere in your home.
- Ethernet adaptors – makes it possible to connect devices that don’t have ethernet ports, including tablets, smart phones, and some computers.
It is also a good idea to use wired peripherals like keyboards, mice, and headphones instead of wireless ones to reduce exposures to electromagnetic radiation.
If that all seems complicated to set up, I’d recommend asking someone to help. My tech-savvy brother was the lucky recipient of my questions.
Hold Up on Adding Gadgets or Upgrading to Smart Homes, Offices, and Cars
With new wireless technology, wireless-enabled devices with bells and whistles are on sale every single day. Smart home thermostats, bluetooth-controlled cookers, wireless baby monitoring system, and smart beds might make life easier, but they may not be as safe as we think.
Such technologies are still very new. These devices use many forms of wireless technologies, for which we don’t fully understand the long term health consequences. For these, less is more.
Turn Devices on Airplane Mode
Cell phones and tablets emit electromagnetic frequency when the receivers are turned on. Because we typically use these devices very close to our bodies for extended periods of time, exposure levels can be very high. Therefore, important to keep them on airplane mode, especially when they are around children.
Remember to also teach children and caregivers to turn these devices on airplane mode to reduce WiFi and electromagnetic exposures.
How to Mitigate the Harmful Effects of WiFi Exposure
It may be difficult to completely eliminate exposure, especially if you live or work in an urban area. In addition to taking the steps above to reduce WiFi exposures, there are many ways to mitigate the harmful effects of WiFi signals, including:
Use a Dirty Electricity Filter to Reduce Electromagnetic Radiation
Dirty electricity occurs when electronic devices need to manipulate the electric currents into the format and voltage that the devices need. This can create electrical surges throughout the wiring system.
Electronic devices, including WiFi Routers, phone chargers, and computers all produce dirty electricity, which can be a significant source of harmful electromagnetic frequencies (EMF) in the building.
In order to mitigate this effect, consider installing dirty electricity filters on outlets throughout the home and work environment.
Earthing
Wireless devices emit unhealthy positive ions and also interfere with the waves in our own bodies, such as our brain waves and the electrical system that runs our cells. By earthing, the positive ions in our bodies can be equalized with negative ions from earth, which can mitigate the harmful effects of EMFs.
In addition, earthing allows our bodies to synch with the Schumann resonance (7.83 Hz), which is earth’s own electromagnetic frequency that we are naturally built to be exposed to. A Japanese study in 2005 showed that the Schumann resonance can reduce blood pressure and produce some positive health outcomes. By synching with earth’s natural frequency, we reduce the risks of WiFi waves interfering with our bodily functions.
You can earth simply by standing barefoot on the ground for 20 minutes daily. Alternatively, you can also use a grounding shoes with an earthing metal piece, or bed sheets that connects to the grounding port of your home electrical outlets.
Adding Negative Ions
Exposure to WiFi can result in a buildup of positive ions in your body, which can promote inflammation. Therefore, if you are regularly exposed to WiFi and EMFs, it is even more important to regularly expose yourself to negative ions to to neutralize the positive ions.
You can find naturally occurring negative ions near moving water, such as at the beach or moving streams of water.
In addition, you can use a Himalayan salt lamp or negative ion generator in your home to increase your exposure to healthful negative ions and mitigate the negative effects from WiFi exposure.
This article was medically reviewed by Dr. Scott Soerries, MD, Family Physician and Medical Director of SteadyMD. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.
Are you concerned about WiFi exposure and new wireless technologies? Weigh below!
Would a neodymium magnet placed on the riuter (or near shared walls of an apartment, near a neighbor’s router,) placed with the ‘north pole’ upward, be helpful? Or would a small earthing mat be essentially the same thing? and effective?
Hi there! I purchased several Levoit himalayan salt lamps like the ones you recommend (one for our bedroom, one for toddler’s room, and one for my office at work). However, all Levoit salt lamps have dimmer switches and I have read that dimmer switches are to be avoided when trying to avoid EMF’s. So, I tested it plugged in with a emf reader and it showed 0 at the area where the cord goes into the outlet, but up at the dimmer switch it showed between 6-7 gauss (reader went red and started flashing). I have read that many groups recommending staying under 2 gauss. So now I’m questioning whether the salt lamp is worth it if it is producing dirty electricity and has a high reading from the emf reader? Am I doing more harm than good? How far can these waves travel (trying to figure out if they can reach my son’s crib or our bed)?
Look up Magda Haarvas in Canada. She is a Phd researcher that has been successfully helping people to get Wifi out of schools in Canada and England.
I am looking for advice on how to get Wi-fi removed from our school district. Are there any success stories about parents starting a movement to get their schools’ internet hardwired? I seem to remember one podcast in which the expert you interviewed (a man, can’t remember his name) mentioned that he has a procedure to help people who are interested in starting a movement to remove Wi-fi from schools.
If this is true I don’t like wifi anymore
It isn’t true so don’t worry
Do you have any information about home security systems and if they emit EMFs? Is this something I should be concerned about? We just moved into a new home. We decided to skip WiFi altogether, but my husband had an adt security system installed. Now I’m worried that it’s just as bad or worse than having the wifi.
It depends on the system and how it communicates with the base and company monitoring it…
It really doesn’t Katie. EMFs are not harmful. Only harmful frequencies on the entire electromagnetic spectrum are that with a frequency higher than Ultraviolet. Since all wireless technology uses frequencies much much lower than even the visible spectrum there are absolutely no health consequences so you really shouldn’t worry.
there is a router which is considered healthy wifi made by Asus , model JRS eco-wifi 01A , I’m wondering if its really healthier and ten times safer. Is this true?
For people who live in an urban area it most likely wont make a whole lot of difference if they were to stop using Wi-Fi at home or anywhere else for that matter as there are hundreds, if not thousands of Wi-Fi signals criss crossing in this modern world ! In my apartment for example I can scroll through at least 100 Wi-Fi full strength signals ! It seems as though that regardless of how cautious you want to be there is simply no escaping. Unless of course you want to shield your apartment with aluminum foil which also turns out to be bad for your health :-S
I’d like to find some lo power wireless access points so that rather than have a single hi power wireless router i can run many of the lo output power devices locally around my house. I can’t seem to find net examples where others have identified the appropriate measures or eqpt to do this..
I currently have satellite internet but am wondering if satellite or wireless internet are worse for your health. Thanks
I think this article was written ‘politically correct’. WiFi has been shown to decrease enzymes or irreparably kills enzymes produced by DNA massively. France and Israel have taken Wifi out of kindergartens and schools. Russia and Iran have lower maximum values of radiation.
Do your research, it IS harmful and should definitely be avoided. Look into Dr. Klinghard’s research and youtube videos on this issue.
I would like to get WiFi out of our schools, but don’t know how to go about doing it. Have you looked into it?
I don’t live in the US and from what I heard it can be very difficult. My son has wifi and DEC telephone (and all teachers have cell phones in the classroom) at his kindergarten (kindergarten and schools are normally not in the same building). At the moment, I reduced all personal radiation and put in seltzer filters in our home and at night we turn off the fuses. That has helped my son enormously.
Cancer is known to be caused by many things and to much exposure of those things . understanding knowedge and fundamentals of practicality is key in our life’s . We learn and benefit from our mistakes in life ,Wich is why we are so good at living than our ancestry did .
Example of what is to much of exposure that causes cancer is water m if you drink it wrong then it causes cancer . We learned that our ancestors died from water because lack of knowledge. Purifers are invented for drinking water . We learned it’s much safer .
Example of to much exposure that causes cancer is the sun . If you stare at it to long you can get cancer . If you bask in it you will gdtbcancer. roiters are invented Wich makes the sun much safer .
Two much of anything can cause cancer .the sun and water can both cause cancer. But we need both to beifit from them everyday.we know how to wear jackets and clean water . having a wireless router is just a luxery that benefits you even more in life . Just like drinking clean water t ,it benifits you from cancer .
Chances of cancer from using a router is about as low as getting sick from a water purifier. Chances of getting cancer from being outside uv exposure too long is nearly the same as getting cancer from unclean water . Routers and purifiers are the same they weed out the bad stuff and makes it safe for you to use . Saying wireless is bad for you Is like saying drinking clean water is bad for you .
How do you feel about infrared heat wave therapy for pain management? Is that unhealthy radiation too?
Nope! In most cases, infrared can be great and I use an infrared sauna daily. Some can be high in EMFs but infrared on its own is not harmful.
Thank you so much for your part in getting this information out there. I think that as time goes on, the potential risks of wifi radiation will become more and more publicized, and therefore, studied more deeply. Although the risks may not be fully known as it’s a relatively new “thing” when taken in regard to the history of the earth, what is the harm in reducing your exposure just in case? I am keeping a close eye on the studies, and in the meantime, have my kids (and my husband and i!) using wifi-shielding lap pads. I won’t post the link so as not to violate the comment policy, but they are called Lapdogs. In any case, thanks for this!
My body’s response to wireless is immediate. BP goes up incrementally with the level and length of exposure. Inflammation is visually noticeable within a few minutes of exposure along with skin rashes and insomnia to name just a few.
Visit IAmTheEvidence.org to hear more testimonials.
Hi Katie,
I’m hoping you will answer this. I contacted my light and power company regarding a smart meter. They informed they do not use smart meters but do use a digital meter that a meter reader can read by driving by or being in close proximity of our home. I requested a meter that do not transmit any signals. They informed that they can put in a meter that is digital that do not and that a meter reader would have to come to the house and walk up to it in order to read it. I’m wondering if all digital meters are smart meters or if there could be a digital meter that do not transmit signals.
Thanks
I am currently doing more research on this now. I found one source that seemed to indicate there are digital non-smart meters, but I’d also push for an old school analog one if I could. “yes, there are advanced digital meters that are not SmartMeters that PG&E has been using for about 30 years for residential customers. These digital E6/E7 meters were sold to customers who have solar systems and want to backfeed power during the day to the electrical power grid.
The SmartMeters that PG&E chose are not advanced meters, and the telemetry( Silver Springs Networks radio smart grid) will not work with measuring the bi-directional flow of electricity.
That is why anyone who currently has a solar or other generation system is not allowed (or I should say PG&E is not allowed to change them out with a SmartMeter), otherwise the customer would not get any credit for returning extra generated power to the local power grid. The digital meters like an E6 and the analog meters that run in reverse have always been read monthly by a meter reader, that is why PG&E will never be able to eliminate the meter readers.
Unless you have a need for an advanced digital meter, if I were you I would refuse a digital meter, tell them that you want to keep your analog meter.
The digital meters that are not called SmartMeter do not transmit a radio frequency, but if FPL puts some new digital meter in , you should check it with a frequency counter just to make sure.
A radio frequency counter is used for detecting bugs, and any transmitter within range will be displayed as well as the frequency that it is transmitting on. This frequency counter is different than a field strength meter, as it does not display the power in watts, I suggest that people use both types of analyzers when it comes to the new SmartMeters.”
Good idea and reason to install solar electric panels. The digital meters used for solar systems read amounts used or added to the grid. The amounts differ. When power is being used it is at the lowest rate and when it is being fed into the grid the rate is highest. An analog meter only measures flow and not time. So by installing a solar system you eliminate the smart meter but solar systems have their own EMF and RF problems so make sure your installer addresses your concerns
Hi Jan & Katie,
I”ve been working on the smart meter issue in California for almost six years. Here is a post I did on the different types of meters:
https://www.emfanalysis.com/do-you-have-a-smart-meter/
It is best to have an analog meter if at all possible. If you can get a non-transmitting digital meter, then that is the next best option. Analog meters are still made and available. It’s just that most utility companies do not want to have two different systems. You will just need to hold your ground, have your neighbors join you and demand a meter that you feel is safe for your family. We did this in CA and now almost 100,000 families have requested and received analog meters.
Jeromy
Hi Katie,
I’m really hoping you will respond to this. I just finished gathering info to discourage our town from putting up wifi towers next to our home. Thankfully the ruled agaisnt it! But while I was researching I came across information on smart meters. We recently moved into a new home so I suspected we would have one. I contacted our light and power company who informed that we have a digital meter that can be read from a distance if say the meter guy was driving on the street. I requested the old fashion meter and of course was told it is no longer in use. He said there is an option of a digital meter that uses no radio frequency… it’s like a digital watch and the meter guy would have to walk up to the meter to take a reading. So my question to you is … are all digital meters smart meters that give off radiation? Do I need to demand the old fashion meter or is there in fact a safe digital one?
He is going to call me back in a couple of days so I’m hoping to have clarification and know what to ask for
Thanks so much
Hi,
I am still confused by this subject. My understanding is that ionising radiation is harmful to health but non ionising is safe. Wifi is non ionising so how can it be unsafe? Isn’t wifi similar to TV signals and radio waves that we have all the time and have had for longer than Wifi?
Also, the strength of the Wifi signal is low compared to TV and radio (which are harmless but all around us already).
Is it that non ionising is now considered unsafe? How different is Wifi to TV or radio waves? I believe they are all on similar parts of the wave spectrum.
I’d appreciate any clarification from someone knowledgeable. Thanks
There are two kinds of non-ionizing radiation in the full electromagnetic spectrum. There is the analog or wave form which life has evolved with (radio & old TV) and there is the pulsed or digital radiation that is new to life. The digital microwave radiation carries information in pulses that are rapid offs and ons. The rapid pulse is how your microwave oven heats. H2O is unbalanced in charge so the pulsed microwave causes it to vibrate and the friction causes heat. Your cell phone sends and receives info through digital signals that are not as nearly as powerful. The antenna in your phone is a coiled coil called a fractal antenna. DNA is a coiled coil and looks and acts like a fractal antenna and carries an ionic charge. The signals cause the DNA to vibrate and so probably interferes with its function. The process of living creates oxidative damage that is always being repaired. Aging is much about the loss of the ability to repair damage. Digital signals interferes with the repair of many systems and advances aging and all the problems that go along with that. A six year study of people living within 500 meters of a cell tower showed a decline in six different hormones over time including T3, T4 and testosterone. The seventh hormone tested was prolactin and that showed an increase. I hope this explanation answers your question. If not I apologize.
Whether a wave is digital or analogue will have no difference to its impact on the body.
A microwave oven uses 900 watts of power. A phone uses 0.6 watt – 3 watts.
Microwave ovens use a frequency of 2,450 MHz whereas mobile phones use a frequency of 1,900 MHz. This means that even if the amplitudes of the waves were the same then a mobile phone use a frequency with half of the power of a microwave oven.
Fractal antenna are nowhere near the same shape as DNA. Have you ever done a Google Image search?
What evidence is there for “Digital signals interferes with the repair of many systems and advances aging and all the problems that go along with that”?
The methodology for the study that you mentioned is flawed. How do you know that it wasn’t some other factor? Post hoc ergo propter hoc!!! A correlation does not necessarily mean causation!! This is GCSE level stuff!!
You said that the levels of testosterone went down after 6 years? Well the levels of testosterone goes down with age anyway!
Claire, please always look upon things with scepticism. Do your own research and draw up your own conclusions and always make sure you listen to people of two different opinions. I spent ages researching things after finding this article and came to the conclusion, just like many, many other scientists that WiFi cannot harm you.
Everything you said in the initial statement is true so don’t let people tell you things that are not backed up by, reliable, peer-reviewed papers.
Kind regards, Thomas Young.
Thanks Thomas. I have been researching and I have found there are many scientists who are finding harm from wifi etc… For example many negative effects are compiled here: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ab/2014/198609/
Also many schools and organisations are already trying to remove/limit wifi : http://www.wifiinschools.com/uploads/3/0/4/2/3042232/schools_and_organizations_wifi.pdf
Ok, here’s some : the EM spectrum is made of a wide range of wavelengths, visible light is a very narrow bandwidth within this range. Those waves (or photons) have many different frequencies (that are proportional to the energy they carry as in E=hf). High frequencies carry more energy – past the blue / UVA limit they can be called “ionizing” (also depending on the absorbing molecule or atom).
Microwave is not ionizing – however it is absorbed by the water-molecule and the delivered energy translates into molecular rotation and vibration – we detect it as “heat”. The energy build-up of lower frequencies depends on how many photons (quanta of energy) were absorbed. Since the human body contains water – microwave is in principle absorbed, however – the tissue should heat up as the absorbed energy translates into molecular rotation / vibration.
Radio frequencies are very low and pass through our bodies – no interaction (and therefore no energy transfer).
Before I type up a whole lecture – I could not find a date anywhere within this thread… it may be ancient….
The bottom line : radiation intensity falls inversely proportional to the square of the distance (1/d^2) – so I would absolutely make the effort to keep devices away from head and body. For the rest – my own jury is still out on a continuous low-level exposure – the “coiled DNA” analogy is not correct.
I understand some people may be more sensitive – our nervous system is not very different to electronic PCBs and I fully agree that more research in needed (by medical physicists). However – there is no fear greater than the unknown, so I hope I shed some light on this issue (ya – also photons).
Thanks Alexander
It wasn’t me that asked the question but I am most impressed by your answer, Alexander.
Fascinating!
We recently looked into switching from wifi to ethernet. However, our ports are specifically for phone and wifi connectors, our ethernet cable does not fit. What needs to be done so that we can have an ethernet port in our house?
Can taking sea kelp help protect my system?
Yes kelp can help but what works best is just getting in the ocean or putting unrefined sea salt in your bath. It is absorbed through the skin even better than through the gut and all 60 or so minerals the body uses in the ionic form that it uses is in sea water. The cheapest place to buy it that I have found is a feed store.
Another and maybe more important protection is a high saturated animal fat and coconut oil diet. The myelin sheaths that insulate your nerves including in the brain are 70-80% saturated fat. Vegetable oils are an inferior and even harmful replacement for animal fat. Canola and other industrial oils have only existed for a few decades and were never part of our diet before. Butter good margarine bad.