Top 5 Tips for Low-EMF School or Work from Home
Updated: Apr 19
Updated for 2022:
The covid-19 pandemic has certainly changed the world in dramatic fashion. For a large portion of the population, the time we spend at home has greatly increased since Covid. Working and schooling from home is the new norm for many.
Creating an optimal home environment for work or school is essential not only to be at our most productive and most absorbent, but also to maintain optimal health. It is critically important to intentionally create healthy spaces in the places where we spend extended periods of time. While my two daughters were schooling from home via district provided equipment during the pandemic, I put together this list of how I went about lowering their EMF exposures. I wanted to do everything in my power to create a healthy home learning environment. You can use this too for your students, as well as those that telecommute.
To achieve this, most people would want the home setup in a way that ensures a quiet space insulated from the noise in the rest of the home, a comfortable chair or sit ball, perhaps near a window or plants or soothing decorations. They might set reminders for intermittent exercise or getting outside.
These are all excellent ways to create an optimal space, many of which I have used, but I would like to propose to you that they are the tip of the iceberg. There is a looming issue below the surface that affects all modern homes- electromagnetic field (EMF) pollution.
What are EMFs?
EMFs are essentially a variety of forms or ways that energy travels throughout the universe. You may be familiar with the chart below from a high school physics class. It describes visually some of these ways, and handily lists devices we are all familiar with, for each section.
Modern homes with their electrical wiring, all of the devices and gadgets we put in them, and external sources like power lines or cell towers all use various forms of energy (EMFs) to function. There are many excellent benefits from these technologies, but as with many things in this world, there are consequences to be aware of.
Most people are aware that electricity can be lethal, or that a microwave oven can heat up food. Electrocution or having your steak come out tasting like shoe leather are extreme results from these types of EMFs, but did you know that scientific and medical research has built a massive amount of data and studies dating back well over 100 years showing negative health effects from a variety of EMFs at much lower levels? Here is a small sampling.
If you would like to learn more about EMFs, health impacts, common sources in the home, and what you can do about them, I highly recommend you check out my eBooks on the subject.
For now, I'm going to cut to the chase and give you my top 5 tips for reducing your EMF exposures while working or studying from home.
Top 5 Tips for Reducing EMF Pollution at Home
Reconnect to natural EMFs outside. Key times are sunrise and sunset, but regular outside sessions for fresh air, grounding and natural light are of immense benefit in a world full of non-native EMFs.
2. Clear the air! Eliminate as many points of wireless communication (RF) as possible.
Switch to a hard-wired (ethernet) internet connection. It is faster and more secure than WiFi. Here is an excellent DIY from Jeromy Johnson of EMFanalysis.com:
Many devices (printers, TVs, digital assistants etc) will continue to transmit RF pollution once hardwired. The best solution is to leave them powered off until needed. Or get your own RF meter (see below) and test each device. If it won’t go into true airplane mode, consider getting rid of it or replacing with one that does.
Cell phones: A Google Voice number can be created for free, and then you can make/recieve calls and texts through your hardwired computer or phone. You can forward a cell phone number to it, or get extra fancy with this non-WiFi phone handset from OBiHai Obi1022
Wireless headphones like AirPods are problematic. They emit RF pollution 35,000 times greater than the Building Biology Institute’s guidelines (as measured by Stephine @ Sage Living), and they do it closer to your brain than a cellphone. AirTube headsets are much safer
3. Try out a new Light Diet to reduce alien frequencies of light, as outlined in my blog Rethinking the Evening Hours. There are many practical tips found there, but here are the highlights:
Switch out LED and fluorescent bulbs for incandescent.
Use light filtering software like Iris and Night Shift for phones, tablets and computers
Use blue blocking glasses after the sun sets.
4. Cut the cord! Avoid touching phones, tablets, or laptops when charging to reduce exposure to AC electric fields. Never put these devices on your body, and maintain as much distance from them as possible.
Use of an infra-red, non-BlueTooth keyboard is the optimal solution here for laptops and desktops: .
Tablets can use this keyboard for an RF free connection.
The wires in wired headsets are a conduit for artificial energy to travel into your ear canal, dangerously close to your brain. Use a set of these instead, which keep the energy away by inserting an 8” section of plastic tubing near your ears. They have excellent sound quality!
5. For those items that have to plug in to electricity, the grounding wire component of your electrical system is your best friend. It will give you a pathway for excess EMF to bleed back to the utility, not onto your body. Here are some things to keep in mind.
Run power cords, power strips, and cables as far away from where you sit as possible.
Check if your outlets are grounded with a socket tester.
Most power strips are very poorly grounded, especially those with USB ports. Using these two types of power strips will give you awesome results:
Traditional style, shielded power strip.
Newer style, USB-capable with surge protection
Here's a cool demo video I did on that one.
6. Consult with a Building Biologist to fine-tune your home. The guidelines listed above generally work very well for reducing exposures to EMF pollution at your desk. However, they don’t address common issues in your home wiring, or external sources such as a cell tower or power lines. A qualified Building Biologist can help you understand what effect ALL sources might be having on your internal spaces, and what to do about it. Contact me today for a FREE discovery call to learn more about having an EMF home inspection.
The great news is that most of the recommendations above are low cost and DIY, no outside vendors needed! Add in a set of your own EMF meters to take before/after readings, and you are truly empowered to verify the results of these recommendations. Here are the best consumer-grade meters that I recommend to clients all of the time. Use code ‘ODS05’ for 5% discount when ordering:
For RFR (wireless): Safe and Sound
For AC Electric and Magnetic: Gigaherz Solutions ME3840B
Save a bit more with a meter kit.
Unlike a school or office, where you don’t have much environmental control, being at home for these activities affords us an excellent opportunity to craft something optimal. In my own personal experiment with these changes, I have certainly felt the benefits, and witnessed my children thrive while learning. The juice is worth the squeeze here. I would highly encourage you to take action to incorporate the above into your life, to take your performance and health to the next level!
If this information was helpful for you, please support my continued work and writing around EMFs with a donation. It really helps!