Find a low-EMF home
Some EMF sources are easy to recognize and identify and others can only be detected by taking actual measurements. Use the checklist below to find a low-EMF home.
The distances given are meant as a general guideline only and should be verified by measurements. Low-cost RF and EMF detectors are great tools to indicate the presence or absence of potential RF/EMF sources. Prior to purchasing or renting a home, a professional EMF assessment is recommended for accurate readings and to have peace of mind.
For any questions or to book an EMF assessment,
contact Katharina at 250-642-2774 or info@katharinaconsulting.
Top 10 EMF sources
Small cell antennas in front of the house at utility/light poles
Cell towers in clear line of sight from the bedroom window
Smart meters close to the bedroom
Electrical room in the immediate vicinity of the apartment
Overhead power lines right outside the bedroom window
Electric baseboard heaters and electric floor heating
Fluorescent lighting and dimmer switches
Wi-Fi modems and/or routers
Cordless phone base stations
Knob-and-tube wiring and two-pin outlets in homes built prior to 1960
Keep your distance to
Radar stations from airports and marine navigation
Broadcast or TV stations
Military facilities, police stations, hospitals
Airports, ferry terminals, marinas
Electric railway, subway, tramway
Power lines
Keep ambient levels below 100 nT (1 mG), preferably below 50 nT (0.5 mG).
Keep ambient levels below 10 V/m, preferably below 5 V/m.
To know your actual exposure, measurements must be taken.
For any questions or to book an EMF assessment,
contact Katharina at 250-642-2774 or info@katharinaconsulting.
ELF magnetic fields have been classified as possibly carcinogenic
by the International Agency on Research for Cancer (WHO) since 2002.
Across the field: high-voltage overhead transmission lines
Keep a minimum distance of 100—500 m.
As a rule of thumb, keep 1 m distance for each kV.
For example, keep a minimum distance of 230 m to a 230 kV transmission line.
BC Hydro: Power line infographics
BC Hydro: EMF calculator
Along the street: medium-voltage overhead distribution lines
Keep a minimum distance of 30—100 m.
Choose the side of the street without the overhead power line.
Avoid streets with power lines that have three lines next to each other on the topmost crossbar.
Avoid homes/apartments with overhead power lines right outside the window.
Avoid corner lots with overhead power lines on two sides.
Underground power lines
Prefer neighborhoods with underground power lines.
Avoid the home right next to the pad-mounted transformer or substation.
Transformers
Keep a minimum distance of 10—30 m to a pole- or ground-mounted transformer.
Do not choose an apartment above, below, or next to the electrical room.
Wireless transmitters
Keep ambient levels below 10–100 µW/m2, preferably below 1–10 µW/m2.
To know your actual exposure, measurements must be taken.
For any questions or to book an EMF assessment,
contact Katharina at 250-642-2774 or info@katharinaconsulting.
As a rule of thumb, if you have a clear, unobstructed view of a wireless transmitter from a bedroom window and the home is located at a higher elevation/floor, the RF radiation exposure tends to be higher. In comparison, the RF exposure at a location closer to the wireless transmitter, but at a lower elevation/floor and without a clear view of the wireless transmitter, may be lower.
RF radiation has been classified as possibly carcinogenic
by the International Agency on Research for Cancer (WHO) since 2011.
Cell antennas
Check the location of cell antennas in your neighborhood.
Keep a minimum distance of 300–500 m to cell antennas mounted on cell towers or rooftops (macrocells).
Keep a minimum distance of 100–200 m to cell sites mounted at utility and light poles (small cells).
Smart meters
An electricity meter – whether it is smart, digital, or analog – should not be mounted to a bedroom wall, but should be located away from sleeping and rest areas.
Smart meters can be shielded on the outside by fitting them with a fine metal mesh or they can be moved to the far end of a garage or the last utility pole before the electrical service entrance.
Check if any smart meter from a neighboring house points directly toward your residence; keep a minimum distance of 10 m.
Home wiring systems
Electrical service entrance
Check that the feeder cable does not run along a bedroom wall, certainly not along the wall where a bed would go.
An electrical panel should not be located in the bedroom or right below it.
Two-prong outlets
With only two holes, two-prong outlets are easy to spot.
These electrical circuits are not connected to ground. Besides not being able to use them for devices with three-prong plugs, they also make for elevated ELF electric fields.In addition, check three-prong outlets with a simple voltage tester, especially in homes built prior to 1960. If the tester says “open ground,” either the ground connection got lose or the circuit has no grounded conductor.
For electrical outlets without ground, include rewiring into your budget.
Knob-and-tube wiring
If the home was built prior to 1960, it may still contain knob-and-tube wiring.
The associated elevated ELF electric and magnetic fields can be measured without having to open walls.For knob-and-tube circuits, include rewiring into your budget.
Electric baseboard heaters and electric floor heating
Keep a minimum distance of 1–2 m between any electric baseboard heater and a sleeping or rest area.
Prefer hydronic heating systems.
Fluorescent lighting, LED lighting, and dimmer switches
They can be a source of dirty power, flicker, and electric field exposures in the kHz range.
Prefer good-quality LED or halogen incandescent lighting and standard light switches.
Metal lines entering the house
Metal water and gas lines can be a source of so-called net currents, resulting in elevated ELF magnetic fields.
Measurements
Are there hardwired options for a phone landline and/or Internet access?
Copper phone line
TV coaxial cable
Fiber-optic cable
Data cabling
