I covered my WiFi router in aluminum foil and the Radiofrequency (RF) radiation from it fell ~48x!
The levels that are considered safe differ by benchmark. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)1 would say even 715mW/m² (the level without the foil) is safe. However, some of the more health precautionary benchmarks like the Building Biology Institute would say its 700x the extreme concern limit! This brings me to the debate on whether WiFi signals and phone radiation have a health impact.
Do WiFi signals and EMF from phones have a health impact?
RFK Jr., the Health and Human Services Secretary of the U.S. has come out and said that cell phone use is connected to cancer and neurological damage in kids. A lot of people will say that this is “batshit crazy.”2
However, it is not as crazy as mainstream would like us to think. There are many studies linking EMFs to cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders etc. For the past 30 years, Dr. Henry Lai has documented studies on the harmful impacts of EMFs like the RF radiation from WiFi and phones, and low frequency radiation we are flooded with in today’s electrical and technological society. In 2018, the US government's own $25 million study3 found evidence that cell phone radiation caused tumors in male rats.
Yet, the mainstream continues to say that the science is settled and EMFs have no impact on health because it does not cause DNA damage. However, biology extends beyond the gene, and there is evidence that EMFs can impact electrical and ion channel signaling, and cause oxidative stress.4
One of the most telling arguments against the mainstream is that the DC court ruled against the FCC in 2021, and found the agency’s decision to keep its 1996 radiation limits “arbitrary and capricious.” The FCC was ordered to explain how its radiation limits protect against long-term exposure. 5 years later, the FCC has not responded.
Practical tips to mitigate EMF exposure from your cell phone
I’m of the camp that these days we are flooded with constant EMF radiation from phones, WiFi, cell phone towers, microwaves etc. Our biology did not evolve with these. They are a foreign toxin, especially the constant doses we are subject to these days.
I also recognize how inconvenient it is to live without these wonderful inventions. So, I take a practical approach and mitigate their impact on my family’s health as much as feasibly possible, without causing inconvenience.
Whether you merely want to take precaution or if you think EMFs are having an impact on your health, here are some practical tips to mitigate EMF exposure from your cell phones. They’re free, low-cost, convenient, and extend beyond just “put your phone on airplane mode at night.”
Learning these tips took me months of research, testing with my EMF meter, and understanding how EMF from devices works. Below are 16 practical tips on how to reduce EMF exposure from your phone when sleeping, walking, driving, and using or not using your phone.
Cover your WiFi router in aluminum foil. As I showed above, it makes a huge difference to the EMF emission. And it did not seem to affect my WiFi signal or make it spotty.
Do not put your phone in your pocket, especially for men. Multiple meta-analyses point to how it reduces sperm count, changes sperm quality, and dampens male fertility. It’s also associated with higher risk of colon cancer5. You can use a phone pouch on your arm like this one. For women, do not put your phone near your breasts.
16. Blue light from phones and flicker is also an EMF. Turn your phone screen red at night like I detail in these posts.
In another post, I will write my practical tips to reduce EMF exposure from computers and electricals around the house.
Fun fact I’ll leave you with: The idea of “tin foil hat” comes from using foil to protect from EMF radiation. Woops, I guess I’m now in the tin foil hat camp!
You can see the EMF shielding products I use on Health Stacked here.
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FCC is an independent U.S. government agency that regulates radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable communications.
The problem is that the health impacts of EMFs have been bucketed in controversial territory. As a result, they elicit judgement and visceral emotions from both sides, instead of rational, healthy debate. Most people rush to take camps without looking at the data or underlying explanations. I wish that instead of labeling arguments as “batshit crazy”, we could address the real concerns and multitude of evidence that points to EMFs having a negative health impact.
National Toxicology Program. (2018). Toxicology and Carcinogenesis Studies in Hsd:Sprague Dawley SD Rats Exposed to Whole-Body Radio Frequency Radiation at a Frequency (900 MHz) and Modulations (GSM and CDMA) Used by Cell Phones. NTP Technical Report 595. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Toxicology Program. Research Triangle Park, NC. DOI: 10.22427/NTP-TR-595.
Detailing this long list of evidence is for another post, but if you want to go deeper, I recommend the following books: The Rainbow and the Worm, Overpowered: The Dangers of Electromagnetic Radiation, and Electromagentism and Life. In particular, I’d highlight Andrew Marino’s book Electromagnetism and Life. He worked as a postdoc at Robert Becker’s lab, who documented various studies showing the negative effects of EMFs on mice and humans. He also started a public appeals case to protect the people of New York from the various cell phone towers. Unfortunately this led to his lab getting defunded most likely because he was coming out against telecom companies. When major corporations have a vested interest in suppressing research, it immediately should make one question deeper.
De-Kun Li, Jeannette Ferber, Andrew Hirst, Roxana Odouli, Charles Quesenberry, Theodore Levin (2024), "Is Cellphone Carrying Below the Waist (Exposure to Non-Ionizing Radiation) Contributing to the Rapid Rise in Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer?"
Hi Aastha, could this not cause potential overheating or even a fire hazard?