Dozens of studies confirm that everything from wireless exposures from cell phones, Bluetooth and Wifi to magnetic fields, radiated from laptops, computers and space heaters, can affect our health.

Should we also be concerned about increasing levels of dirty electricity?

Dirty electricity is a recently-coined term, which describes electromagnetic interference (EMI) or electrical noise that radiates from devices, modern appliances and electrical circuits. In the past decade, it has become ubiquitous. Research suggests that this type of chaotic electrical energy (4) can trigger inflammation (1); and headaches, lack of focus, irritability and anxiety. (5) Two studies show dirty electricity may even cause cancer. (6, 7)

Could dirty electricity be putting the US at a competitive disadvantage in education, business and sport? Let’s take a look:

Exactly when and how did this potential threat from dirty electricity arise? The ‘when’ question evokes a simple guess. While dirty electricity has been around for more than a generation, it probably only became a health factor in the past decade or, so. Let’s see why:

Explosion of digital devices and efficiency lighting

High levels of dirty electricity are a result of the unprecedented explosion of electronics and green technologies. The dramatic growth of digital devices and adoption of efficiency lighting is creating a logjam on our electrical circuits. Every added device plugged into your electrical outlets increases the chaos of competing electrical signals. And that can create an even bigger problem.

Rising levels of Dirty Electricity

Our living environments are suddenly filled with potentially harmful electrical energy. Our circuits and devices are throwing off electrical spikes and surges, which are called voltage transients. Ironically voltage transients are both unusable and wasted. The result is rising levels of airborne EMI flooding our living spaces.

And while most don’t notice this invisible phenomenon, something crucial is happening all the same. This interference can radiate ‘positive’ and ‘erratic’ energy onto our bodies. Scientist have suggested that it then can couple to our bodies and possibly interfere with our own critical biological signals.

Dirty electricity is created by devices that are plugged-in: For example: computers, game consoles, Wi-Fi, battery chargers, fluorescent lights, solar power and anything that uses an AC adapter can cause dirty electricity.

Why should we be concerned? It turns out that radiated electrical energy like dirty electricity has been shown to be bioactive (1). That is, when dirty electricity comes into contact with our bodies, it can fundamentally affect our health. This chaotic electrical energy can couple to our bodies and can cause biological effects in humans. So far, as many as 5000 studies (2) have shown low-levels of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) contributes to at least 132 biological effects and dozens of diseases. (3) Dirty electricity is just one form of EMR and it may be one of the most pernicious. Fortunately it is possibly the only form of EMR, which can be successfully addressed with filtration. Dirty electricity filters, like those offered by Greenwave, can significantly reduce exposure to the chaotic electrical energy being produced by our favorite electronics and energy saving devices.

Dirty Electricity – is it an emerging global health threat?

Dirty Electricity has become a popular term to describe the EMI radiating from our electrical circuits. Research has shown that this type of chaotic electrical energy (4) can trigger inflammation (1), headaches, lack of focus, irritability and anxiety (5) — and may be associated with cancer. (6, 7)

While dirty electricity is an increasing problem worldwide, global electrical standards outside of the US are cushioning the blow elsewhere. For instance tight regulations in the European Union (EU) on EMI caused by electrical devices serves to reduce the dirty electricity problem by as much as 50% there. But what about in the US?

Asked differently, how does all this excess electrical energy translate into impacting the competitiveness of the US in education, business and sport? The short answer: dirty electricity and other forms of EMR may be affecting our optimal health. Optimal health is crucial to peak performance across each of these areas. But there’s more. Besides optimal health, which implies physical health. There is also a key mental component of optimal health which underlies peak performance within education, business and sport. And this is where EMR may have the greatest impact. Our attitude, attention and cognitive abilities are critically affected by our electrical environment.

In a single generation, the US has quietly experienced a major setback in public health. Eight neurological diseases and conditions have more than tripled with no apparent explanation. Another twenty-eight auto-inflammatory, neurological, sleep and metabolic conditions have more than doubled (9). More than 170 million Americans are living with chronic diseases and/ or medical conditions. Meanwhile both dirty electricity and other EMR has grown by as much as 6085%.

Here is a snapshot of the growth (1990-2015), prevalence and annual cost for the neurologically-based diseases and conditions in the US (9):

There is little evidence that any one of these diseases is caused by germs. Instead all are caused by something in our diet, lifestyle or environment. Research has shown that all these conditions are associated with a single molecule made in the body called peroxynitrite. Let’s call it P. An elite scientific team from the National Institutes of Health has associated peroxynitrite (P) with over one hundred biological effects and sixty chronic diseases in their landmark paper, “Nitric Oxide and Peroxynitrite in Health and Disease.”

So what causes P? Scientists like Dr. Pacher, the lead scientist on the NIH paper, believes one obvious trigger is sugar. In particular, he cites high fructose corn syrup as one chief suspect. Dozens of studies confirm Dr. Pacher’s belief. Dr. Stephanie Seneff of MIT links P with a pesticide that has been added to wheat, corn and soy crops, beginning around 1998. This chemical is called glyphosate – more popularly known as Roundup. Still, the most convincing evidence may arise from the effects of the burgeoning electrical environment which surrounds us every day. This is the meteoric rise of our constant exposures to EMR.

Dr. Martin Pall, PhD of Washington State University makes a strong case (10) that electrical energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) from devices like cell phones and Wi-Fi is disrupting key messaging within and without our cells. Apparently all this additional electrical energy is affecting concentrations of calcium ions, which use electrochemical techniques to signal the cells. These imbalances can create inflammation and free radicals (oxidative stress) in the body. Both inflammation and oxidative stress are associated with almost every chronic disease from cancer to diabetes; from heart disease to Alzheimer’s. They are also associated with the fastest-growing neurological and autoimmune conditions like anxiety, MS, depression, sleep issues, bi-polar, erectile dysfunction, diabetes II and many more.

Could the dramatic increase in electromagnetic radiation in the environment from wireless signals, electronic devices and dirty electricity be stealing our peak performance? When you think about the potential impacts from inflammation and free radicals in undermining performance in athletics, academics and even business, it’s not much of stretch.

Substantial science has already linked electrical fields to health, disease and inflammation. But most of us are still blaming emotional, physical and psychological stress for our performance shortcomings. Perhaps we should simply turn off our technology when we sleep and install a few dirty electricity filters and test the theory. The science suggests it wouldn’t take long to see changes in our attitude, attention, focus and most of all – our performance. And it would be a whole lot cheaper!

References:

(1) – Carpenter DO, Sage C, Behari J, Xu, Lai H, Blank M, Johansson O, Grigoriev Y, Salford L, Carlberg et al CV, et al  “BioInitiative 2012, A Rationale for Biologically-based Exposure Standards for Low-Intensity Electromagnetic Radiation”; https://bioinitiative.org/table-of-contents/(1) Carpenter DO, Sage C, Behari J, Xu, Lai H, Blank M, Johansson O, Grigoriev Y, Salford L, Carlberg et al CV, et al  “BioInitiative 2012, A Rationale for Biologically-based Exposure Standards for Low-Intensity Electromagnetic Radiation”; https://bioinitiative.org/table-of-contents/

(2) – More than 5000 studies show biological effects from low-level exposures to electrical fields such as radiofrequency, EMI and microwave radiation. This level is reached in just two studies: (1) the BioInitiative Report (2800 studies) and (3) US Navy study (2208) – see below.

(3) – Glaser, ZR “Bibliography of Reported Biological Phenomena (Effects) and Clinical Manifestations Attributed to Microwave and    Radio-Frequency Radiation”; Naval Medical Research Institute, October 1971 https://www.justproveit.net/sites/default/files/prove-it/files/military_radiowave.pdf

(4) – Chaotic Electrical Energy – non-sinusoidal, or continuous waveform. (i.e. modulated wave form, pulsed, AC (alternating current or EMI – electromagnetic interference (dirty electricity)

(5) – Havas, M, Olstad, A. “Power quality affects teacher wellbeing and student behavior in three Minnesota Schools; Science Total Environment. 2008 Sep 1;402 (2-3):157-62. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2008.04.046. Epub 2008 Jun 16.

(6) Milham, S, Morgan L. L., “A New Electromagnetic Exposure Metric: High Frequency Voltage Transients Associated with Increased Cancer Incidence in Teachers in a California School” American Journal of Industrial Medicine (2008).

(7) World Health Organization (WHO) May 31, 2011; IARC CLASSIFIES RADIOFREQUENCY ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS AS POSSIBLY CARCINOGENIC TO HUMANS.  https://www.iarc.who.int/en/media-centre/pr/2011/pdfs/pr208_E.pdf 

(8) Pacher P1, Beckman JS, Liaudet L. Nitric oxide and peroxynitrite in health and disease. Physiol Rev. 2007 Jan; 87(1):315-424. https://misuse.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/error/abuse.shtml?orig_args=/pmc/articles/PMC2248324/&orig_host=www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

(9) Lear, Richard A “Root Cause in the Dramatic Rise of Chronic Disease.” ResearchGate, September 2016

(10) Pall, Martin L “Electromagnetic fields act via activation of voltage-gated calcium channels to produce beneficial or adverse effects.” J Cell Mol Med. 2013 Aug; 17(8): 958–965. https://misuse.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/error/abuse.shtml?orig_args=/pmc/articles/PMC3780531/&orig_host=www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov