Magnetic Field Reduction Measures
- How can the magnetic field be reduced?
- A magnetic field can be reduced physically by covering the facility or the space with a shield of special material, but this is very expensive. In general, increasing the distance from the source reduces the magnetic field. Changing the shape or scale of the facility also reduces the magnetic field. In connection with this, WHO Fact Sheet 322 (Exposure to extremely low frequency fields) and a report prepared by the Working Group in Japanese Government on Measures against EMF from Power Facilities state, when constructing new facilities and designing new equipment, including appliances, low-cost ways of reducing exposures may be explored since the health benefits from such reduction are uncertain.
- Are there any home electronics appliances with reduced electromagnetic fields?
- Electric blankets and carpets with reduced magnetic fields are sold. These products reduce magnetic fields by improving electric wiring.Specifically, magnetic fields from electricity are generated clockwise vertically to the direction of current. If you generate counterclockwise magnetic fields, both are to offset each other. Then, the magnetic fields are reduced as a whole. These products use this principle.
- I have heard that it is effective to place bamboo charcoal near home electric appliances that generate electromagnetic fields. Does it work?
- We do not have enough data of electromagnetic fields reduction effect of individual product to answer your question. In general, carbon, a component of bamboo charcoal, is known to have an effect to reduce high-frequency electromagnetic fields. These characteristics are utilized for electromagnetic field reduction sheet and other products. However, please note that it is not like that bamboo charcoal placed near a home electric appliance absorbs electromagnetic fields as it does with odor.
- Those who complain about electromagnetic hypersensitivity actually have a problem with their health. Does the government plan to support these people?
- It is true that there are some people with such a problem. Some kind of support is desired. However, the question of what to do and to what extent should be answered based on political judgment about how we think about it as a society and falls into the scope of risk management. As far as we know, only the government of Sweden provides subsidy for environmental improvement cost to those who suffer from electromagnetic hypersensitivity as a part of its social security program.
The government of Sweden does not deem electromagnetic hypersensitivity to be an official disease name. It denies the relation between the symptom and electromagnetic waves.
- I am electromagnetic hypersensitivity. Are there any ways to decrease the symptom?
- There are many cases that a trigger to make people think that the cause of their bad health condition was electromagnetic waves was information without scientific basis that they found on the Internet. We do not deny all information on the Internet, but we need to find out which information is correct. If we regard electromagnetic waves as the cause, we tend to cling to how to prevent electromagnetic waves only. One of the options for early solution is seeking for different possible causes based on each symptom. By doing so, we may find a new way to handle the problem.
