Electrical Sensitivity

Electrical sensitivity is has been written about for a long time by forward thinking health writers, and concerned individuals who blame this for their health problems, but is only just starting to be mentioned by the UK government health agencies. In a 2005 report, the deputy director of the Health Protection Agency (HPA) Radiation Protection Division, Dr Jill Meara, suggested that, while scientific studies had failed to establish a case for electrical sensitivity, those that believe they suffer from the disorder should be advised to minimise their exposure to electrical fields.

Electrical sensitivity has also been called ElectroSensivity (ES), electrical hypersensitivity, electromagnetic sensitivity, or electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS). This shows that it is not a topic published in the mainstream medical journals, as there is not a universally agreed word for it. It also used to be called radiation sickness, which mostly affected people working in the electricity or radar industries.

The number of people who have electrical sensitivity is difficult to estimate. In Sweden, 285,000 people (over 3% of the population) are registered as having electrical sensitivity and are claiming disability from the government. That is over 3% of their population. It is not recognised as a disorder in the UK, and unofficial estimates suggest that 3% of the UK population being affected is a reasonable figure. These would be people who's lives are seriously affected, and there would be many more who are only mildly affected. Some researchers believe that the condition is progressive, and those who start to be sensitive and experience mild health symptoms often progress to develop worse symptoms over time, unless they take steps to minimise their exposure to electrical fields.

There are two broad types of electrical fields -

1. Power frequency fields. These are the electrical fields produced by electric wires, and electric equipment in use. These are low frequency, and have been around since electricity was discovered, but we all tend to have a lot of them around us now. Computers and fluorescent lights are the main culprits in the modern world, but also don't forget the TV, the clock radio which sits next to your head all night, electric blankets and hairdryers. Oh and there are also high voltage electricity power lines.
2. Radio frequency fields . These are electrical fields produced by electronic devices which 'talk' to each other, and these are the ones which we are very rapidly collecting around ourselves at the moment. Mobile phones are the worst culprits, as we use these next to our brain, which we also do with cordless (DECT) phones which also produce electrical fields. Laptop computers, wireless computer networks and wireless PDA's are also culprits here, as are any 'blue tooth' device, and wireless baby and burglar alarms. And of course there are always mobile phone masts. Microwave ovens can also leak microwaves, which come into this category.

Some people react only to power frequency fields , some people only to radio frequency and some react to both. In general the nearer something is to you, and the higher the power, the more you are likely to react to it. So not having an electric radio alarm next to your bed while you are sleeping can help some people, as can minimising the use of mobile phones, and using land lines which are wired into a phone socket rather than using mobile handsets.

Electrosmog is a new word to describe the electrical fields which surround us all in our everyday life. The idea is that if you could only see these electrical fields, then they would just look like a smog, hence the term electrosmog. We are all surrounded by this electro smog, and in the last few years there is so much more of it about.

Visualising electrosmog in your home and work environment is made easier by using an electrosmog detector, which gives out a sound in proportion to the electrical fields it detects. This is the best way to find the hot spots for radio frequency fields, so that you can do something to minimise your exposure to them. It does not detect power frequency fields. This allows anyone who thinks they may have an electrical sensitivity to take action for themselves.

Electrical sensitivity is difficult to diagnose, and most doctors will have no experience of it, or have even heard of it. It may be confused with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome . Most people who are electrically sensitive do not realise this, they just know they are not well.