Mike,

I received the email last week about EMFs folks have in their homes and need help resolving. I really enjoy reading and researching issues on your web site, so keep up the good work. However, I totally disagree with where the EMF newsletter​ is leading folks. I was disappointed with how this article mislead people into thinking that they could find an EMF expert to solve their minor problems within their home and this may lead to them not having an EMF health issue. Yes, there may be some miss-wiring within the structure and if found it should be corrected. As a contractor I've seen my share of this, but I think 100% of these would not cause any direct health issue. I'll explain this statement further below.

As a licensed electrical engineer (NM) and electrical contractor with 14+ years experience at electric utilities and 22+ years in the semi-conductor industry, I have worked on numerous EMI & EMF issues. A majority of these were with the utilities' residential customers.

I did some research about 25 years ago on effects of EMF and how it may impact folks health. It basically boiled down to that the numerous scientific studies completed resulted in no known correlation between EMFs and negative impacts on people's health. Look at the following two links for a bit more on this: * emfandhealth.com * www.who.int/peh-emf/about/WhatisEMF/en/index1.html

While these are just two examples, there are numerous studies completed on animals and humans and in all true data-based cases the medical community can find no major link to issues with human health. I know not everyone is the same, so there may be some folks out there that are more sensitive to EMF and EMI; however, in the cases where I ran into someone that stated that they had an issues with a power line or a field in their home, I was able to show them that they had larger concerns than the electrical wiring within or outside of their homes. In most cases, I hate to admit, I think these people could use a good psychiatrist, but since I'm just an EE, I couldn't tell them that. Maybe having an expert come and say their wiring is fine, would also cure them.

I remember one person stated that they were sick because of the magnetic field at her residence. As an engineering supervisor for the utility I was told to go investigate this issue, since they kept complaining about power problems. I met the customer at their home and took an ac Gauss meter along with me. I began questioning them about where it was they were getting the worst feelings about this. They took me to their property line and said it occurred along the north side of her lot. It just so happens that there is a single-phase 7200V line paralleled with this lot line. The power line was properly installed and only about 10 years old at that time. The highest EMF reading along the stated line, that I observed with the Gauss meter, was 7 mG. Yes, this would vary with the load, but the hot summer day I measured the field, would most likely have been within a few percent of when the line saw its peak load.

I then asked the person if they used the electrical power within their home. They gave me a strange look, but answered the following questions: 1. Do you have an electric range? 2. Do you use a hair dryer? 3. Do you have an electric clothes dryer? 4. Do you have any fluorescent lighting in the home?

The individual answered yes to all of these questions. I asked them how they felt when near these locations while operating the appliances or lights. They said they felt fine near them but only had problems near the power line outdoors at the property line.

I asked them when they started having the health problems they associated with the EMF. I asked them if they had done any reading on the health effects of power and the magnetic flux density associated with them. They stated they had gone to the library and read about it. It turned out their problems started after the library trip. I then asked if I could measure the field strength at the appliances within the home. They said that it would be okay and here are my findings: 1. Range = 511 mG at 1 foot above surface, with oven on and largest burner on high. It varied depending on which element was energized and at what level it was set. 2. Hair dryer = 235 mG at 1 foot from the dryer on the low setting. I don't remember the high number, but it was worse. 3. The clothes dryer had a 400 mG reading at 1 foot in front of the dryer. 4. The worse reading (highest) was at the surface of the fluorescent fixture mounted on the ceiling in the kitchen. It was over 1 Gauss (>1000 mG). At 5' off the floor is was just under 900 mG. That is 128 times the reading taken under the medium-voltage single-phase line.

I told them to stay away from the property line if that is where they felt ill, but I told them I didn't know how they were going to live in the home with the field strength in the home being many times larger than was outdoors.

Yes, this is just one example, but I have lots of them. Some were with 345 kV transmission lines that were within 100' of the back of residences. Yes, at times it may induce a low-level current on their rain gutters, but as far as the flux density goes, there are many more devices within a home that have a significantly larger field.

This leads me to the ethical statement that I wrote above. I really feel it is unethical to tell people to go find an expert on EMF and have their homes looked at. Yes, the wiring may have the non-grounded conductor and the neutral separated for some distance, especially at the panelboard; but the field nearby is so low, compared to the other electrical appliances, it is insignificant.

In most of my dealings with EMF/EMI, especially with residential customers, I think these people would be better off spending their money getting some psychosomatic medicine.

Regards, Dwight D. Dupy, P.E.