How to Measure an Electromagnetic Field (EMF)

Measure EMF in Your Home

• 1). Purchase an EMF detector, otherwise known as a Gaussmeter. These can be found online for anywhere between $30 and $300. Ideally, you will want to purchase one that is "frequency weighted."
  
  
• 2). Turn on your EMF detector and hold it near your electrical devices. As you get closer to the device you will notice an increase in the reading.
  
  
• 3). Run the EMF detector along exposed electrical wires, like in a basement ceiling, to determine if the there is an EMF leak anywhere. The EPA safety standard for EMF exposure is rated at no more than 1 mG. According to the EPA, anything that emits an EMF higher than that is considered potentially unsafe. However, this is a point of debate, as some organizations rate the safe limit no higher than 0.5 mG, while others believe that anything under 3 mG is safe.
  
  

Sources of EMF in Your Home

• 1). Electric heating blankets give off an electromagnetic field even when they are not on. Sleeping under an electric heating blanket places your body in very close proximity to the EMF being emitted by the device and can result in a wide range of potential health problems. Some studies indicate that the electromagnetic field produced by an electric heating blanket may influence the potential for miscarriages and childhood leukemia.
  
  
• 2). Hair dryers can produce a staggeringly high EMF, sometimes as high as 400 mG. It is recommended by many professional EMF consultants that hair dryers not be used on children who are still in their developmental stage.
  
  
• 3). Some telephones emit a high EMF and some do not. Use the EMF detector to determine if your brand of telephone is within the safe guidelines.
  
  
• 4). If you sleep within 3 feet of an electric clock, you might as well sleep under the power lines. An electric clock can radiate an EMF of up to 10 mG from 3 feet away. It is recommended that electric clocks and other electrical devices be at least 6 feet from your bed.
  
  

Limit Your EMF Exposure

• 1). Practice energy conservation techniques, such as unplugging electrical items that are not in use.
  
  
• 2). Sit at least 6 feet away from the television set and rearrange your home or office setting so you are never too close to an appliance. Try to arrange your appliances, TVs and computers against outside walls so the electromagnetic field they produce doesn't bleed into an adjoining room.
  
  
• 3). Quartz analog watches are also found to emit a rather high EMF, which pulsates right along one's acupuncture median. Holistic practitioners believe that this can affect one's Chi.
  
  
• 4). If you use an EMF detector and determine that your home's wiring is the root cause for the high EMF, you should hire a qualified electrician to investigate and repair the cause.