This is the first of a three-part series of my investigation of EMF in my house.
Part 2 EMF – The Survey
Part 3 EMF – Remediation
The topic of Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) and how it may affect the health of occupants of houses is complex and contentious. It has been an item of concern to many people for quite some time. A lot of people do remember the controversy in the 1980’s and early 1990’s in the Bridlewood area of Ottawa-Kanata. There were power lines near some residential areas and a school that had some residents concerned due to EMF.
Not that much has been heard lately regarding that particular issue and indeed most government and institutional expert opinion seems to me to be cautiously reassuring if I can put it that way. I am rarely asked about EMF in my home inspection practice. It is also not part of the professional standards of practice of the Ontario Association of Home Inspectors (OAHI) nor of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI). I tend to lean to the direction of the precautionary principal and this is a topic that I have been wanting to learn more of. I therefore decided to start with my own house.
Figure 1 – Tri-field gauss meter
The first instrument that I acquired on this quest is known as a gauss meter. There are many commercially available and I selected the Trifield Meter from AlphaLab, Inc. I set out to do an EMF survey of my house which is a detached bungalow built around 1962. Upon completion of the survey I was shocked, and I don’t mean that to be a pun, but shocked at how high the EMF readings were in my house.
See the next post in the series Part 2 EMF – The Survey to see the results.
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