Home EMF Hazard: Standing Desks

Hi! I’m Shane Reilly, a professional EMF inspector and certified Building Biologist. I’ve worked in this field since 2017 in hundreds of homes, vehicles, and offices. I do this work across the US, and I have also helped thousands of people via online consulting.

Schedule my free discovery call

This article will highlight one thing you may find in your home that presents an EMF radiation exposure: electric standing desks. I've been coming across more and more of these in my client's homes during EMF inspections lately. Most are shocked to learn that there is a downside to them that could impact health, cognition, and overall work performance.

After all, the marketing around these products touts the benefits of standing while you work for better posture and less soreness after a day of work.

My goal here isn't to explain the basics on EMF radiation, or why there is good reason to believe they can negatively impact your health, you can click on the links to learn more about those topics. This article will focus on the problems with electric standing desks and what you can do to fix them.

The Problem with Standing Desks

As with all things that consume electricity to work, EMF, or electromagnetic radiation is given off as a byproduct. Electric standing desks are no different There are multiple types of EMF, and these desks are particularly high in AC electric fields. The fatigue you find at the end of the day, even burning sensation in your hands or arms, or restless legs, could all be a result of high exposure to AC electric fields.

Most of these desks that I have tested are 100 volts per meter (V/m) or more. In the video featured below, it was 170! The Building Biology guidelines recommend no more than 1.5 V/m in areas of extended use, like your office/desk.

Why are these desks so high in AC electric fields? It comes down to the type of power cord they have. Most come with only a 2-prong electrical cord, which means there isn't a third prong to connect to the home grounding system. That leaves the AC electric fields with nowhere to go, except onto your body.

This is a reader supported publication

Consider subscribing to support my work

Subscribe

How to Reduce the EMF from your Standing Desk

It's easier than you might think to reduce the EMF exposure from your desk. Here are three options that work well, depending upon your preferences.

1. Get a standing desk that doesn't plug in. Enough said!

2. Use this remote on/off switch with your desk to cut off the power to it until you need to raise or lower it. Then cut the power again.

3. As explained in the video below, a grounding plug adapter with a ring terminal can be attached to the metal frame of your desk to pull the AC electric field away from your body and out through the home electrical.

If you've got an electric standing desk, I'd encourage you to give one of these options a try, and let me know how it goes.

The electric standing desk is but one of many sources of EMF in your office. Thankfully, there are many good solutions to lowering your exposure in this key area of the home. If you'd like to learn more, be sure to take me up on my free discovery call offer, or subscribe to my YouTube channel for tips and tricks.

Get back on track to thinking and performing your best!

All my great links!