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The Electrophobes: The People Who Are ‘Allergic’ to Gadgets

In our modern world, the sky above us and the world around us is like a tapestry woven with countless threads of electromagnetic signals shooting back and forth. Put some rabbit ears on top of your TV and you magically capture programming. The phone in your pocket constantly snags signals blasted from towers nearby you. Your house and office are blanketed with wi-fi from myriad sources. Even your toaster is putting off an electromagnetic field. For electrosensitive individuals, that’s a serious health problem. Supposedly. To technophobes, the entirety of modern electronics (along with all of the signals pulsing through the airwaves) are a cause for concern that is a matter of literal life or…

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 A sensitive portrayal of a controversial condition

Ten years ago, William was a young Swedish man with a girlfriend and high hopes for the future. But when he started to experience vision problems, intense vice-like headaches, and periods of dizziness, he concluded that his symptoms were caused by electromagnetic radiation from sources such as power lines and mobile phone transmitters. Now he lives in a small chalet in a forest in relative isolation, usually with a copper-lined blanket on his head, which he believes reduces the effect of the radiation. William is the subject of a documentary directed by Marie Lidén, entitled Electric Malady, which reveals the effect that his so-called electrosensitivity has had on William.

 Science vs science: The contradictory fight over whether electromagnetic hypersensitivity is real

For years, sufferers of EHS have maintained that the electromagnetic fields around us are dangerous. A handful of scientists agree. Mainstream science has largely dismissed EHS as a probable psychosomatic illness, thanks to a lack of definitive evidence linking it to electromagnetic fields. But despite its marginal status, the condition has garnered attention from powerful and respected corners — including the World Health Organization, whose website has an entire page dedicated to EHS.

Articles of Interest

Electrosensitivity: is technology killing us?

Is modern life making us ill? Yes, say those who suffer from electrosensitivity. Are they cranks, or should we all be throwing away our mobile phones?

The Electrophobes, The People Who Say Electronics Are Killing Them

Technophobes detest modern conveniences like telephones, televisions and computers. To the electrophobes, being anywhere near these machines is a matter of life and death. According to medical professionals, claims of electrosensitivity are little more than paranoia. As a phenomenon, well, it’s hard to argue with the millions of people – many of them in Europe – who say they suffer headaches, depression, nausea, rashes and other symptoms when they get too close to cellphones or other sources of electromagnetic frequencies. These self-diagnosed people have formed support groups, launched newsletters and websites, and sought to rid all electromagnetic radiation from their lives. A band of electrophobe “refugees” has even moved to a valley in southern France to avoid radiation.

Apocalypse now: wifi and radiation sickness sweeping the world

Electrosensitivity is not a disease recognised by any authoritative disease classification system. It is a self-diagnosed label adopted and promoted by people who believe they are sensitive to exposure to electromagnetic radiation from sources like power lines, electrical appliances, computers, cordless and mobile phones, wifi, smart electricity meters, dimmer switches, radio, television and mobile phone transmission towers.

Better Call Saul: is electromagnetic hypersensitivity a real health risk?

The Breaking Bad spin-off features a character who is afraid of mobile phone signals. As two scientists explain, it’s a psychological ailment – but you wouldn’t know that from browsing media reports

Electrohypersensitivity (EHS): An Overview

Electrohypersensitivity (EHS) (also known as Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance, electrosensitivity, microwave syndrome, or WiFi allergy) is a condition in which some people regularly experience symptoms including tiredness, nausea, heart palpitation, cognitive symptoms, itching, and/or eczema and attribute these to exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) usually well below established exposure limit values. They also claim to be able to “feel” these exposures.

Electrohypersensitivity as a Newly Identified and Characterized Neurologic Pathological Disorder: How to Diagnose, Treat, and Prevent It

The term electromagnetic hypersensitivity or electrohypersensitivity (EHS) was first proposed in 1991 by William Rea to identify the clinical condition of patients reporting health effects while being exposed to an electromagnetic field (EMF) In summary, we showed that there are presently sufficient clinical, biological, and radiological data for EHS to be acknowledged as a well-defined, objectively identified, and characterized pathological neurologic disorder. As a result, patients who self-report they suffer from EHS should be diagnosed and treated on the basis of presently available biological tests...

Electrohypersensitivity Overview

People with EHS can present with an array of symptoms when exposed to electromagnetic fields (EMF). Those with more severe EHS can become symptomatic at EMF levels commonly found in most modern houses and buildings. EMF that may induce a reaction include low frequency electric and magnetic fields, medium frequency distortions of house electricity (“dirty electricity”), and high frequency radiowaves. For those with EHS, the types of EMF that induce symptoms will vary, as do the symptoms that each person develops.

Electrohypersensitivity: Is Technology Making You Sick?

The wonders of modern technology have majorly improved our lives. From laptops and cell phones to microwaves and airplanes – life without technology is nearly unimaginable. But all the benefits of our ever-advancing technology also come with a dark side. Constant exposure to climbing levels of electromagnetic fields, or EMFs, emitted by electronic devices, can have serious implications on your health. A growing number of people are suffering from the effects of neverending exposure to this radiation. And left unchecked, this exposure leads to a condition known as electrohypersensitivity.

Electrohypersensitivity: what is belief and what is known?

Electrohypersensitivity (EHS), or idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF), is a condition with fluid and transient symptoms associated to exposure to non-ionizing radiation by people claiming to suffer from it. However, the scientific evidence linking the exposure to the reported effects to datwe has eluded researchers, and may not even exist.

Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS, microwave syndrome) - Review of mechanisms

Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS), known in the past as "Microwave syndrome", is a clinical syndrome characterized by the presence of a wide spectrum of non-specific multiple organ symptoms, typically including central nervous system symptoms, that occur following the patient's acute or chronic exposure to electromagnetic fields in the environment or in occupational settings. Numerous studies have shown biological effects at the cellular level of electromagnetic fields (EMF) at magnetic (ELF) and radio-frequency (RF) frequencies in extremely low intensities. Many of the mechanisms described for Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) apply with modification to EHS.

Electromagnetic hypersensitivity: a critical review of explanatory hypotheses

Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) is a condition defined by the attribution of non-specific symptoms to electromagnetic fields (EMF) of anthropogenic origin. Despite its repercussions on the lives of its sufferers, and its potential to become a significant public health issue, it remains of a contested nature. Different hypotheses have been proposed to explain the origin of symptoms experienced by self-declared EHS persons...

Electrosensitivity and Grounding: How To Protect Your Conductive Health

Grounding means touching the earth outside to get a daily boost of healthy, soothing, natural EMF exposures, or using an indoor grounding tool to get grounded. If you are electrosensitive, you should select a PureGround cord to use with all of your grounding tools, so that you are protected from AC current and EMF’s in your indoor environment from acting on your ground line. Watch the video at the top of this article for details on how the PureGround cord works to protect the electrosensitive.

Green Bank: the town that banned Wi-Fi

‘Electrosensitive’ people are flocking to the West Virginian home of a deep-space telescope, attracted by the rules prohibiting phones, TVs and radios. But, as Ed Cumming reveals, their arrival means Green Bank is far from peaceful

Self-diagnosing electromagnetic hypersensitivity—A case study

Lacking a formal medical diagnosis, an EHS individual might self-diagnose their own condition. If they are aware of EMFs, they would use one or more EMF detection meters to see what they are being exposed to, where, how often and at what levels, and then correlate these exposures with their symptoms. Due to a widespread lack of recognition and support, an EHS individual may encounter stigma, disbelief and ridicule.

The Truth About the Quietest Town in America

The National Radio Quiet Zone limits wireless communications. But a journey to its center in Green Bank, West Virginia, reveals a town at odds with itself.

When Science Is Lost in a Legal Maze

In a saner world, where science and the law meshed more precisely, a case like Firstenberg v. Monribot would have been dead on arrival in court. But that is not what happened. Earlier this month, five years after the lawsuit was filed, the New Mexico Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s ruling that Arthur Firstenberg, an outspoken opponent of wireless technology, could not seek $1.43 million in damages from his neighbor, Raphaela Monribot, for damaging his health by using her iPhone and a Wi-Fi connection.

Why electrohypersensitivity and related symptoms are caused by non-ionizing man-made electromagnetic fields: An overview and medical assessment

Contrary to present scientifically unfounded claims, we indubitably refute the hypothesis of a nocebo effect to explain the genesis of EHS and its presentation. We as well refute the erroneous concept that EHS could be reduced to a vague and unproven "functional impairment". To the contrary, we show here there are objective pathophysiological changes and health effects induced by electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure in EHS patients and most of all in healthy subjects, meaning that excessive non-thermal anthropogenic EMFs are strongly noxious for health.

Wi-Fi 'Allergies': Is Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity Real?

The symptoms of EHS can vary from person to person, but are usually very generalized, meaning they could have many causes. For example, a headache might tell you that you're coming down with a cold, or that you've had too much caffeine. Dizziness may indicate the onset of stomach flu, or a lack of sleep. While distracting and unpleasant, these indicators are not usually helpful in pinpointing what's causing them, which can make it difficult for doctors to identify and treat the source of the trouble.

Resources

EMFs.info

Electrohypersensitivity (EHS) or electrical sensitivity is a condition reported by some people where they are extremely sensitive to electric or magnetic fields at a range of frequencies, not just from overhead lines, reacting to even quite low levels in various ways. There are a range of non-disease specific symptoms such as headaches and stress, ranging up to nausea and skin rashes.

WHO

EHS is characterized by a variety of non-specific symptoms that differ from individual to individual. The symptoms are certainly real and can vary widely in their severity. Whatever its cause, EHS can be a disabling problem for the affected individual. EHS has no clear diagnostic criteria and there is no scientific basis to link EHS symptoms to EMF exposure. Further, EHS is not a medical diagnosis, nor is it clear that it represents a single medical problem.