Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) are a commonly occurring phenomena which Canadians encounter on a daily basis. Common sources include household appliances, visible light, and Wi-Fi and cellular technology such as 4G and 5G. Radio frequency EMFs, which are used for technology such as Wi-Fi and cellular phones, have been used for communications and other widespread applications for decades. Radio frequency EMFs have frequencies between 10 megahertz (MHz) to 300 gigahertz (GHz) and lack sufficient energy to break chemical bonds.
What are EMFs?
- Electric fields are created by differences in voltage.
- Magnetic fields are created by the flow of electric current.
- Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are the interaction of the two, electric and magnetic, fields
Types of EMFs differ based on wavelength (e.g., distance between waves) and frequency (e.g., number of times the waves cycle per second).
For most people, the main source of exposure to radio frequency EMFs, comes from personal use of items such as cellular phones. Other sources include radios and radar.
What are the health effects of EMFs?
Over the past 30 years there have been approximately 25,000 articles published regarding biological effects and medical applications of EMFs.
Scientific knowledge in this area is now greater than for most chemicals.
According to the World Health Organization, after an in-depth review, current scientific literature does not confirm the existence of health consequences from exposure to radio frequency EMFs.
We have also extensively reviewed reports on human health effects related to exposure to wireless technologies from our scientific and technical advisors at Public Health Ontario, the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health, and Health Canada, among others. At this time, KFL&A Public Health is not recommending any specific accommodations in our region, based on this information.
What is KFL&A Public Health doing regarding EMFs?
KFL&A Public Health is committed to continually assessing Radiofrequency (RF) measurements in our community. The term RF refers to the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that is used for telecommunications purposes, such as cordless and mobile phones as well as WiFi.
To date, KFL&A Public Health has organized two RF surveys within the City of Kingston, one in 2014 and another in 2019. The surveys were led by Public Health Ontario (PHO). PHO provides scientific and technical advice to local public health agencies regarding potential health hazards. PHO’s work is guided by current and best available evidence at the time of publication.
Locations measured |
| Measurements were taken at 12 different locations throughout Kingston, including elementary, secondary and post-secondary schools, airport, cell towers and a local library. |
Instrument used for RF measurements |
| RF measurements were taken with the Narda Selective Radiation Meter (SRM 3006). The instrument has a measurement range of 420 MHz to 6GHz, as this range is typically used for cell phones and WiFi. The SRM instrument is required to be calibrated every 2 years, it was last calibrated by PHO in January 2018. |
Measurements taken |
| RF measurements were taken as a percentage of Safety Code 6 (SC6). SC6 specifies limits of human exposure to RF fields intended to prevent adverse human health effects. Both a cumulative total maximum value and the six-minute time-average RF values were logged. |
Results |
| In both the 2014 and 2019 RF survey, all RF levels recorded were well below SC6, complying by a wide margin. Given these results, KFL&A Public Health does not feel RF exposure is a potential risk to the health and safety of the public. At this time, KFL&A Public Health is not recommending any specific accommodations in our region, based on this information. |
Future plans |
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KFL&A Public Health will continue to monitor the research literature and regularly measure RF levels in our region. We will use this information to make any necessary recommendations as new data becomes available. We will continue to monitor the research literature, making any necessary recommendations as new data becomes available. Within the KFL&A region, we will continue to work with our provincial and federal partners to monitor EMF levels, including 5G frequencies, to ensure compliance with Health Canada’s Safety Code 6. |
What can I do if I am concerned about EMFs?
If you wish to further reduce your personal exposure to EMFs, you can consider the following actions:
- Reduce your personal cellphone use, particularly use of the device close to the head.
- Place your laptop computer on a desk rather than on your lap when using it in wireless mode.
- Use wired headsets or a speaker option to increase distance between the head and phone.
- Use texting (SMS) instead of phone calls when possible.
- Use phones with low specific absorption rate (SAR) ratings that emit a lower output power.
- Switch off devices or place in airplane mode when not in use.