Our gaussmeter is an instrument used to estimate your individual EMR level. Up to 1 milligauss continual radiation exposure is regarded as safe, anything above 1 milligauss places you in the danger zone. For more information about the most common sources of Electromagnetic Radiation visit our
Ask yourself: could you and your family be at risk from EMFs?
To help you answer this question, determine your level of exposure and evaluate the risks answer this short questionnaire:
Do you press your cell phone against your head while talking?
Do you talk for 2 hours or more per day on your cell phone?
Do you carry your cell phone on your person when it is switched on (ie in standby mode) for most of the day?
Do you talk on a cell phone in your automobile?
Do you keep your cell phone close to your bed at night?
Do you use Bluetooth wireless?
Do you use your cell phone when the signal strength indicator is low?
Do you use your cell phone for streaming more than 2 hours per day?
Do you use a computer for more than 4 hours per day?
Does your computer monitor use a cathode ray tube?
Does your computer have the WiFi function enabled? (this is harmful even if you connect to the internet on a cable)
In your place of work are you within 6 feet of other computers?
Do you use a laptop rather than a desktop model?
Do you use a laptop primarily on the mains power supply?
Do you use a laptop computer or smart phone type device on your lap?
Do you use a wireless modem router? And do you sit within 6 feet of it?
Do you remain near your microwave oven when it is on?
(Have you had your microwave oven tested recently for leaks?)
Is your home protected by a wireless burglar alarm?
Do you have DECT cordless phones installed in your house?
Do you have a cordless phone next to your bed?
Do you have WiFi installed in your home?
Do you or your children use wireless video gaming software like the Xbox360 or the Playstation 3?
Do you have a wireless music system installed in your home?
Is your home within 1/4 mile of a cell phone tower?
Is your place of work within 1/4 mile of a cell phone tower?
Are you surrounded by other homes with WiFi installed?Is you home equipped with a smart meter to measure your electricity consumption?
In addition, please read the latest BioInitiative Report prepared by an independent panel of doctors and scientist from around the world, which concludes a volume of key scientific evidence that Electromagnetic Radiation has been causing some of the most dangerous conditions, such as:
The answer to that question depends on who you ask. Government agencies might give one answer, which will vary from country to country (see below). Utility companies will offer a different answer. People who are truly concerned about the non-thermal health effects will give a different answer althogether.
The truth is, there is not one answer that is correct for all situations. Remember: the duration of exposure is an important factor, as is the frequency and wave form. Also the age of the individual, and overall health play a heavy role as well. If an individual is electrically sensiticve, his/her “safe” exposure limits might be much lower than usual.
I think we can all agree that less EMF is better. Here is what we would recommend for prolonged exposure for the general public:
The exposure limits in the following tables, gathered from various sources, were derived from well established, severe biological effects (such as tissue heating and nerve stimulation) data. This information is not meant to present “SAFE” vs. “UNSAFE” levels when it comes to the much lower exposure thresholds studied in the epidemiological literature (with respect to cancer, melatonin suppression, and other biological effects). It is clearly not yet known what the truly safe levels of exposure are. With that in mind, here are the exposure guidelines that are available:
|No Concern||Slight Concern||Considerable Concern||Significant Concern|
|< 1 V/m with ground potential||1-5 V/m||5-50 V/m||>50 V/m|
|< 0.3 V/m without ground||0.3-1.5 V/m||1.5-10 V/m||>10 V/m|
|< 10 mV body voltage||10-100 mV||100-1000 mV||>1000 mV|
|< 20 nT(< 0.2 mG)||20-100 nT(0.2-1 mG)||100-500 nT(1-5 mG)||>500 nT(>5 mG)|
|< 0.1 µW/m²||0.1-10 µW/m²||10-1000 µW/m²||>1000 µW/m²|
|< 100 V surface potential||100-500 V||500-2000 V||>2000 V|
|< 2° compass deviation||2-10°||10-100°||>100°|
|< 1 µT steel deviation||1-5 µT||5-20 µT||>20 µT|
|< 1 µT DC current fluctuation||1-2 µT||2-10 µT||>10 µT|
|Equivalent dose rate increase < 50% [e.g. 100 nSv/h baseline]||50-70% [150-170 nSv/h]||70-100% [170-200 nSv/h]||>100% [>200 nSv/h]|
|< 30 Bq/m3 radon(< 0.8 pCi/l) radon||30-60 Bq/m3 (0.8-1.6 pCi/l)||60-200 Bq/m3 (1.6-5.4 pCi/l)||>200 Bq/m3 (>5.4 pCi/l)|
|IEEE Standard for Safety Levels C95.6 based on immediate biological effects at 50/60 Hz for general public|
|ELECTRIC FIELD (V/m)||MAGNETIC FIELD (mT)|
|Head & Torso||18.1/frequency|
|Transmission Line EMF Standards and Guidelines in the US|
|State||ELECTRIC FIELD||MAGNETIC FIELD|
|w/i R.O.W.||Edge of R.O.W.||Edge of R.O.W.|
|Florida||8 kV/m*||2 kV/m||150 mG* (max. load)|
|10 kV/m**||200 mG** (max. load)|
|250 mG*** (max. load)|
|Montana||7 kV/m+||1 kV/m|
|New Jersey||3 kV/m|
|New York||11.8 kV/m||1.6 kV/m||200 mG (max. load)|
* For lines of 69-230 kV.
** For 500-kV lines.
*** For 500-kV lines on certain existing R.O.W.
+ Maximum for highway crossings.
++ Maximum for private road crossings.
R.O.W. = right-of-way.
|The Swedish Computer Monitor Standards|
|Sweden offers two measurement and emission guidelines for computers monitors:The first, known as MPR II, prescribes limits on electric and magnetic field emissions in the ELF and VLF ranges, as well as the static field.|
A more recent and more restrictive standard, promoted by the Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees (TCO), addresses the entire computer. In addition to field emissions, TCO ’95 includes guidelines for energy consumption, screen flicker, luminance and keyboard use.
|Frequency Range||MPR II||TCO ’95|
|DC: Static Field||+/-500 V||+/-500 V|
|ELF: 5 Hz – 2 KHz (Band I)||up to 25 V/m||up to 10 V/m|
|VLF: 2 KHz – 400 KHz (Band II)||up to 2.5 V/m||up to 1 V/m|
|ELF: 5 Hz – 2 KHz (Band I)||up to 2.5 mG||up to 2.0 mG|
|VLF: 2 KHz – 400 KHz (Band II)||up to .25 mG||up to .25 mG|
|MPR II measurements are taken at a distance of 50 cm (approximately 20 inches) at 16 points around the monitor, at 3 different levels.|
TCO measurements are taken at a distance of 30 cm (approximately 12 inches) in front of and 50 cm around the sides of the monitor (except for Band II magnetic fields and the static field, which are measured at 50 cm in front of the screen).
|Guidelines from the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (IRPA/INIRC)|
|Exposure Amount (50/60 Hz)||Electric Field||Magnetic Field|
|Occupational:||Whole working day:||10 kV/m||5 G (5,000 mG)|
|Short term: *||30 kV/m||50 G (50,000 mG)|
|For limbs:||250 G (250,000 mG)|
|General Public:||Up to 24 hours per day:||5 kV/m||1 G (1,000 mG)|
|Few hours per day:||10 kV/m||10 G (10,000 mG)|
|* For electric fields of 10-30 kV/m:|
[field strength (in kV/m)] x [hours of exposure] should not exceed 80 for the whole working day.
Whole-body exposure to magnetic fields up to 2 hours per day should not exceed 50 Gauss.
Source: IRPA/INIRC 1990.
|ACGIH Occupational Threshold Limit Values for 60-Hz EMF|
|Electric Field||Magnetic Field|
|Occupational exposures should not exceed 25 kV/m (from 0 Hz to 100 Hz).|
Prudence dictates the use of protective devices (e.g. suits, gloves, insulation) in fields above 15 k/Vm.
|Occupational exposure should not exceed 10 G (10,000 mG).|
|For workers with cardiac pacemakers maintain exposure at or below 1 kV/m.||For workers with cardiac pacemakers, the field should not exceed 1 G (1,000 mG).|
|Source: American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) 1994.|
|Maximum Recommended Permissible RF Exposure Levels|
ANSI Uncontrolled refers to an environment in which the energy levels are not known, or where some people present may not be aware of the EM fields.
Controlled refers to an environment in which the energy levels can be accurately measured and everyone on the premises is aware of the presence of EM fields.The ANSI exposure limits are the average exposure over a 6 minute period.
Notice that in the frequency range of 30 MHz to 300 MHz, the safe exposure limits are the lowest. This is the frequency range where the human body is a more efficient absorber of radiation. Notice also that the Swedish standards for computer monitors are far stricter that the ANSI standards in the low frequencies.
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory at the University of California has published its Health & Safety Manual on the Internet. Among other things, it contains an excellent section on “Non-Ionizing Radiation and Fields”. It is so comprehensive and well presented that we highly recommend a visit. It covers:
* static (dc) magnetic and electric fields;
* extremely low-frequency fields, including power-line fields at 60 Hz;
* radio-frequency (rf) fields and radiation with frequencies below 300 MHz; and
* microwave radiation with frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz.