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This is a rant.
I have some very well-meaning Facebook friends who post articles about how electromagnetic fields (EMF) or devices that emit EMFs cause cancer, autism and other medical issues.
The electromagnetic spectrum includes radio waves, microwaves all the way through gamma rays.
The idea of EMF causing cancer was first raised in relation to power lines.
This EMF nonsense has been debunked multiple times.
Since cell phones have been in wide spread use since the mid-90s, a simple epidemiology study would show massive increases in particular types of diseases. Certainly, people get brain cancer and this is horrible. However, if cellphones were the cause then the number of people getting brain cancer would have increased at the same rate as cellphone usage.
The power output from a microwave oven is more than 10,000 times that output by a cellphone. Standing within a few feet of a microwave and you will get a massive dose of EMF.
However, standing out in your backyard and you will get a massive dose of EMF. Because the earth's magnetic field (EMF) is significantly more powerful than a cellphone's electro-magnetic field. You are constantly exposed to an electro-magnetic field - even in your house.
There are multiple types of radiation. In fact, everything radiates - even you. For this particular argument, there are two types of radiation. Ionizing and non-ionizing. Ultra-violet light (alpha particles), the kind that causes sun burn and skin cancer is ionizing, as are, x-rays, gamma rays, etc. Ionizing radiation can cause issues. Lightwaves or any EMF with frequencies below ultra-violet are non-ionizing and do not pose a health risk.
Ionizing radiation can create free radicals (hence the term ionizing). Lower frequency EMF, such as, microwave, radio signals, and so on cannot create free radicals. It simply cannot happen.
Ionizing radiation can damage your DNA, but only if an ionizing particle collides with a particle in your DNA. Since your are exposed to trillions of radiation particles passing through your body every day, and most matter consists of empty space, these particles pass right through you without doing and damage. In fact, many of these particles can pass right through the earth.
Depending on the wavelength and particle size, ionizing radiation can be blocked by certain materials. So for example, alpha rays can be stopped by a thin layer of sunscreen. If you were to drink a small amount of alpha rays, such as, polonium, one of Mr. Putin's favorite poisons, you would die a slow agonizing death.
The main difference between ionizing and non-ionizing radiation is ionizing radiation's effects are cumulative. All of these will increase your risk of cancer: x-rays at the dentist, granite counters, spending time at very high elevations, like on a plane, or on a mountain top, and living a long life. Because the effects of this radiation is cumulative. Non-ionizing EMF is not cumulative, and has no long lasting effect.
Oh, and some other things. The earth is 4 billions years old. Evolution is a fact. Climate change is real. We don't live on a flat earth. And we don't live in a geocentric universe.
References:
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