The Dangers of Dirty Electricity

The Dangers of Dirty Electricity

Modern technology has brought a multitude of conveniences that have changed our lives to the core, and most of us would say this has improved our lives in quantifiable ways.  Just as impactful to our lives is the invisible, hidden force of electricity that powers this technology.  The effects of electrical energy on our health is not as obviously quantifiable as the benefits and conveniences of the technology producing it, and is definitely not at the forefront of our minds, since we cannot see this force.  Many people have no idea that these fields are affecting us on a daily basis.

Manmade electromagnetic fields that most of us are now exposed to 24/7 include wireless radiation from communication equipment like cell phones, cell towers, Wifi routers, Bluetooth, and smart meters; standard AC electrical power emitted by our home wiring and appliances; radar sensors in our automobiles; and electric and magnetic fields produced by motors.

One unusual exposure source that has only become more widely known in the past decade is dirty electricity.  In the past, it was widely believed that the standard 60 hertz AC power from our home wiring was the only type of EMF we were being exposed to from our home electricity, but since modern devices and appliances utilize electricity in a much more complex way than the simpler machines of the past, there are now additional exposures from this same source that have become concerning to scientists and health conscious individuals.

60 hertz alternating current (AC) electricity is part of the extremely low frequency (ELF) range of the electromagnetic spectrum, and the link between ELF fields and poor health has been studied more extensively than most other forms of EMFs.  Riding on the same power lines as our 60 hertz electricity are high frequency surges and spikes, which often reach into the kilohertz and even the megahertz range, considered to be part of the microwave or radiofrequency range of the electromagnetic spectrum.  This phenomenon is called by several different names, including high frequency voltage transients, line noise, power line electromagnetic interference (or line EMI), and most commonly in layman’s terms, “dirty” electricity.

If you were to examine the frequencies with an oscilloscope, you would see a smooth 60 hertz sine wave, as well as a rapidly fluctuating jagged line representing the voltage spikes and surges that are simultaneously “riding” on the line.

 


The reason these voltage surges and spikes exist is because many modern devices and appliances no longer use AC electricity “as-is”. Instead, the device has to change or manipulate the electric current in some way, to render it usable for more complex functions. Many devices convert AC electricity into a low voltage DC current, or a higher frequency AC, including devices that use switching power supplies like phone chargers and computers. Major sources of dirty electricity are electrical equipment designed to operate using an interrupted flow of current, such as light dimmer switches, which interrupt the current flow twice per 60 hertz cycle (or 120 times per second), and “power saving” compact fluorescent light bulbs that interrupt the current at least 20,000 times per second. Because of the interrupted flow, some of the current is rendered unusable, and is forced to recirculate back into the electrical wiring at much higher frequencies, creating line noise.

Some sources of dirty electricity include:

  • Light dimmer switches
  • Compact fluorescent light bulbs and tubes (CFLs)
  • Battery charging devices for cell phones, tablets, etc.
  • Desktop and laptop computers
  • Televisions
  • Refrigerators
  • Multi-speed fans
  • Appliances with variable speed motors (like blenders, mixers and hair dryers)
  • Solar power inverters
  • Wifi routers and modems
  • “Smart” utility meters


The “smart” utility meters that power companies have installed on most of our houses within the past decade are a particularly insidious form of dirty electricity.  Not only are they almost constantly emitting radiofrequency radiation to send information about our electric usage to the power company, the meter is also constantly gathering information about our in-house device usage.  The meters use a switched mode power supply to change the voltage every time current moves between the meter and the electrical line, and since it does this every couple of seconds, this generates a significant amount of dirty electricity.  You can read more about smart meters in particular in an article we wrote on the subject, which elaborates on the dangers of this EMF source:

The Health, Safety and Privacy Concerns of Smart Meters


Unfortunately, dirty electricity created at a specific outlet, from one device or appliance, does not remain localized to that area.  It begins to circulate through the wiring of the home, through every room in the house, and even to neighboring houses, contaminating the quality of electricity in any structure that’s connected to yours.  Dirty electricity that’s generated outside the house (usually from outside power lines) can also contaminate your indoor environment.  This can be caused by power line short circuits, equipment failure, lightning strikes, outdoor objects (especially metal) coming into contact with power lines, and interference from nearby wireless communication devices, radio transmitters and industrial equipment.

Dirty electricity is also produced by cell phone towers, which use switching power supplies to operate their radiofrequency transmitters, and to charge the batteries used for backup power during grid outages.  Structures located near cell towers have been measured to have high levels of dirty electricity in their electrical outlets, as well as abnormally high ambient levels in the air. 

 

Are there documented harmful effects of dirty electricity?

Along with the electric fields generated by 60 hertz power, the high frequency voltage transients riding on the same power lines are radiated into the immediate living environment through outlets, power strips, electronic devices and cords/wires, exposing anyone in the vicinity to harmful electromagnetic fields.  Once dirty electricity became widespread, it was found that many devices were sensitive to it, including computers, as well as audio recording and playback equipment like speakers and amplifiers.  We now protect our sensitive equipment by using surge protectors and power conditioners, to shield it from these voltage spikes and surges.  Our bodies are vastly more electrically sensitive than any device, so it’s astonishing that many have assumed for so long that it has no effect on us.

Scientists Samuel Milham, Magda Havas and David Stetzer have each published extensive materials documenting the harmful effects of dirty electricity.  Their combined body of work has brought to light the health dangers of these high frequency transients that ride on our power lines.

Detrimental health effects that have been associated with dirty electricity exposure include cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic stress, abnormal neurotransmitter levels (and the resultant brain and mood disorders), obesity, asthma, and electro sensitivity.

A 2013 study report authored by Sam Milham and David Stetzer, Dirty electricity, chronic stress, neurotransmitters and disease, compiled several instances of abnormal neurotransmitter levels in people exposed to high levels of dirty electricity.  The areas studied were very near cell towers, and had excessively high ambient dirty electricity measurements.  They hypothesize that the dirty electricity is triggering chronic oxidative stress in the body, resulting in neurotransmitter level irregularities.

This chronic stress response and neurotransmitter dysfunction was linked to serious chronic illness.  One of the most alarming studies done was in 2008, where a group of teachers at a La Quinta, California middle school were diagnosed with abnormally high incidences of cancer.  A single year of employment at this school increased cancer incidence by 21%, and the risk increased considerably with each year a teacher spent at that school.  The types of cancer that showed up were varied, including breast, ovarian, thyroid, colon, pancreatic cancers, as well as melanoma and lymphoma.  Unlike the studies on cell phone radiation within close proximity of the head, which are primarily linked to gliomas of the brain and schwannomas of the heart, cancer linked to dirty electricity seems to show up in many forms.

An elementary school in North Palm Springs, California, with a cluster of cancer cases in personnel, was investigated in 2010.  This school was also in very close proximity to a cell tower, and dirty electricity measurements were highest in the room closest to the tower.  Cancer cases were overrepresented in teachers who taught in that room.  Dirty electricity readings became successively lower with increased distance from the tower.  One teacher complained that her 4th grade students were “hyperactive and unteachable”, and were astonished to find these behavioral issues disappear after installing dirty electricity filters in the school.

One may assume that harmful fields from dirty electricity would be contained locally in the vicinity of the walls and wiring itself.  Unfortunately, that does not appear to be the case, as high frequency currents tend to become ground currents, which can increase ambient radiofrequency exposure all throughout a home. Even if one is wearing shoes inside their house, these ambient fields will still try to “ground” through a human (since our bodies are conductive), turning our bodies into part of the electrical circuit.  A man in Ontario was diagnosed with prostate cancer within less than a year of moving to a home with high dirty electricity readings. EKG patches were placed on his ankles while he stood in his kitchen, which showed high frequency currents oscillating up one leg and down the other, like he had become part of a ground circuit.

In 2004, Magda Havas and David Stetzer compiled five case studies of subjects with varying health complaints. The dirty electricity readings in their homes were measured, and various health metrics were recorded before and after installing dirty electricity filters to reduce the intensity of the voltage transients. Three of the subjects suffered from either EHS (electro hypersensitivity), multiple sclerosis (MS) or diabetes, and all found improvement in their conditions. The one woman in the study who initially reported “no health complaints” even found considerable improvement in the form of improved sleep, calmer mood, more energy, less stiffness and better circulation (less coldness in extremities). The final case study was a school in Canada. Teachers reported better mood and less frustration, tiredness and irritability after filters were installed, and students had more focus, better behavior and more energy, especially the younger students.


How do we get rid of dirty electricity and avoid the harmful effects?

Reducing dirty electricity exposure in modern times isn’t a simple task, and it would be impossible to eliminate completely.  The only way to really avoid it would be moving to an extremely remote area, not connecting to grid electricity, and even avoiding a solar power setup.  If you’re okay with an old-fashioned colonial lifestyle, and don’t mind giving up all your electrical appliances, you can probably get away from this ubiquitous pollutant.  For most of us, we will need to consider other options, since it’s not usually practical or desirable for us to change our lifestyle this dramatically.

One way to reduce the voltage spikes is by using plug-in capacitive filters, often called dirty electricity filters or Graham/Stetzer filters.  These plugs have built-in capacitors that absorb the excess voltage, preventing the majority of the high voltage transients from recirculating back into the line.  They are designed to reduce dirty electricity to a safer level, but several plugs (often 8 to 12) need to be used in each home to achieve this goal.  You would also need a line EMI meter to measure each outlet to determine which ones need filters, and to know when you’ve installed enough filters to bump the measurement down to a relatively safe level.

If the main source of dirty electricity is coming from outside the home, these plugs won’t be very useful, and you will need to have a wire-in dirty electricity filter installed, to absorb the dirty power before it enters the house.  The wire-in filters are a considerable financial investment, and you would need to have your home wiring EMI levels measured before and after to make sure it’s an appropriate solution for your situation.

If you have a Blushield home device plugged into your house, this is an excellent way to protect your body from the harmful effects of dirty electricity, down to the cell level.  It doesn’t affect the dirty electricity itself, but produces its own biologically coherent scalar field that the body will preferentially respond to and entrain with.  Blushield emits a frequency cascade that imitates nature with its infinitely varied patterns, which is soothing and nourishing to the body.  This entrainment itself protects the body by preventing it from overreacting to the foreign frequencies (including dirty electricity) by mounting an excessive immune response, like it’s fighting a foreign invader.  To help even more, Blushield devices do not contribute at all to the dirty electricity load on your home electrical wiring.

Since we cannot get rid of all harmful frequencies around us, and can only reduce them to a relatively minor extent by other interventions, then adding a new healthy field that overrides the harmful ones is a highly effective strategy in modern times.  When we give our body a healthier option, it will naturally “choose” that one, since it’s deeply familiar and reminiscent of the natural fields we have lived within for the entirety of our existence.

 

 

 

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