Chapter 05: The Beginner’s Guide to

 

AC Electric Fields

In this chapter, you’re going to learn about AC electric fields.

You’ll learn how and why AC electric fields occur and what you can do to lessen your exposure to these man-made EMFs.

We share some interesting ways that you can lower your levels from these in sleeping areas and other frequented spaces in your home.

Let’s begin:

AC Electrical Fields Header Graphic

Chapter Contents

Section 01

In a Nutshell

What are EMFs, in a nutshell? The quick and dirty.

Section 02

Learn More In-Depth

Learn more about EMFs and their possible dangers

Section 03

Measure Your Home Levels

Survey your home for EMFs: Hire an EMF Pro or DIY?

Section 07

Review the Measurements

How to review your electric field measurements.

Section 08

Take Action

Time to take the steps to reduce your electric field exposure.

Section 09

Footnotes & Final Thoughts

Chapter footnotes, links, case studies and a final thought.

Section 01:

 

What are AC Electric Fields, In a Nutshell?

Below we give you the quick and dirty rundown on AC electric fields.

Electric fields are often the least known of the “four fields to forgo,” but certainly should be something to be aware of to provide you and your family the most natural sleeping quarters possible

In this chapter we tell you all about the sources that you should be concerned about.

What are AC Electric Fields, In a Nutshell?

In a nutshell, if you have energized electrical circuits, you have the presence of electric fields.

A Bit More Explanation

When an electrical circuit in a home or business becomes energized the electrical circuit produces an electric field.

AC electric fields are invisible, physical fields of electromagnetic radiation that are present if there is electricity available.01 The electricity doesn’t have to be used, just available to be used.

It’s rare to find a home or office that doesn’t have its electrical circuits on 24/7. This means AC electrical fields are there 24/7, too.02

Unfortunately, electric fields can commonly travel 6-8 feet from these energized wiring sources. As many bedrooms are 10×10′ or 12×12′, there often isn’t much respite from these fields.

In addition to this, the many charging, electrical and extension cords found throughout a normal room can act as extensions for the home wiring and add to the volume of electrical fields present. More on this later.

Section 02:

 

Learn More About AC Electric Fields

Interested in learning more about AC electric fields?

In this section we’ll go over some of the most common internal and external sources of electric fields you may encounter at home.

We’ll show you which ones are easy to avoid and the sources that are not.

Common Sources of AC Electric Fields

There are three common types of sources of AC electric fields:

A) external sources,
B) internal sources that you have considerable control over, and
C) internal sources that you have limited control over.

External Sources

External sources are primarily electrical transmission and distribution lines. These can be effectively shielded through a variety of materials. Learn more about electric field shielding in our shielding section below.

Internal Sources – Controllable

The second category consists of “sources that are internal to the home that you can easily control.”

Examples of these are light cords, plug-in strips, extension cords, and phone charger cords. These sources can be removed easily and we encourage people to do so.

Internal Sources – Limited Control

Lastly, “internal sources that you have limited control over” are primarily the electrical wiring within a buildings walls.

These can be reduced through the de-energization of the electrical circuits, but this can often cause inconvenience and shouldn’t be done unless the circuit breaker box and breakers have been examined and determined to be safe by a licensed electrician.

Here’s a brief list of some common household sources of AC electric fields from all three categories:

  • Overhead powerlines
  • Buried powerlines
  • Energized electrical circuits
  • Computer peripherals
  • Un-grounded, un-shielded cords (such as from lamps, extension cords, phone charger cords, alarm clock cords)
  • Basically, a whole lot of cords

Many more examples can be found in our EMF Field Guides and our –Step-by-Step EMF Guides.

What Affects Electric Field Strength In Your Home

Voltage

Remember, voltage is defined as “a measure of the difference in electric potential between two points in space.

Environmental Factors

How natural and man-made materials in and around our home & office environment react to and conduct electricity.

Wiring, Cables and Devices

This includes the placement of wires, devices and cabling and whether any of the above are shielded properly.

How Far is the Source?

The farther the distance from the source of the electric field, the lower the field reading will be.

Keep Up To Date:

 

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Deep Dive: The Electrical Grid

Similarly to AC magnetic fields, AC electric fields are a result of the electricity delivered from the electrical grid. When your home or office is hooked up to the electrical grid the electricity is then distributed through your home through electrical circuits controlled by one or more breaker panels.03

When these electrical circuits are energized (capable of delivering electricity through the outlets in the walls), AC electric fields are present.

For those of you that are interested in learning more about how electricity is distributed from power plants to your front door, check out the video below from Practical Engineering.04

Electricity was transformational for our society and it’s interesting to understand the delivery process.

How Does the Power Grid Work?

"When you turn on a breaker, it is like opening a spigot for a garden house. Now you have 80 pounds of pressure in the garden hose, yet you haven’t squeezed the nozzle. In the same way, when you turn the breaker on, you have 120 Volts of pressure in the circuit at all outlets, and when you plug in a lamp, it is like adding a six-foot length of hose and moving the nozzle to the end of it."

 

– Oram Miller
Building Biologist and Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist05

Health Concerns with AC Electric Fields

As with AC magnetic fields, there’s no current open-and-shut epidemiological study that conclusively proves that AC electrical fields cause harmful biological effects. However, there are multiple studies that detail the possible risks of being in proximity to excessive man-made electrical fields.

We link to many of these on our EMF Health Studies page.

Perpetually energized homes and work environments mean most occupants are being inundated with electric fields throughout the day.

Unfortunately, the human body makes an excellent antenna for these fields and can create electric currents in and around the body that are detectable with a body voltage meter.

We all would do well to reduce our exposure during the daytime hours, but it’s the constant torrent of electric fields during the night that many in our field view as especially problematic.

At a minimum, it’s likely that having electric fields oscillating around you at night will affect the quality of your sleep. As we’re all well aware now, sleep is an incredibly important restorative time for humans (and pets) and its disruption can be a catalyst for health problems.

EMF specialists recommend limiting your exposure to AC electric fields, if possible, out of precaution for family members, especially younger ones, and for the likely betterment of your sleeping cycles.

Getting enough sleep makes us better family members, friends, lovers, drivers, writers, cooks, and pretty much everything else that is of importance in our lives."

– James G. Stavridis

AC Electric Field Health Studies

Below are two studies of the non-thermal effects from AC electric fields.

There are much more in our section on EMF Health Studies.

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES OF AC ELECTRIC FIELDS

One of the more interesting studies on the effects of AC electric fields is an occupational study that claims a higher incidence of leukemia in electric utility workers. Found in the American Journal of Epidemiology, it’s titled “Leukemia following Occupational Exposure to 60-Hz Electric and Magnetic Fields among Ontario Electric Utility Workers.”06

Another interesting study is Dr. Martin Pall’s research into the effects that electric fields may have on the cellular level and the activation of voltage-gate calcium channels. The study was published in Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and is titled “Electromagnetic fields act via activation of voltage-gated calcium channels to produce beneficial or adverse effects.”07

In this same vein, here’s an interesting article in Scientific America about cells’ bioelectrical communication.

Recap of Possible AC Electric Field Health Concerns

Leukemia in High Risk Occupations

Read more about this in the Ontario Electric Utility Workers study above.

Voltage Gated Calcium Channels

Read more about this in the Martin Pall study found above.

Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity

Also known as EHS. While RF radiation is often believed to be the main cause of this, ELF AC Electric Fields may be a contributing factor.

Melatonin & Sleep Disruption

The theory goes that magnetic fields may lead to less melatonin production and result in poorer and less regenerative sleep.

How AC Electric Fields are Measured

A field strength meter is the tool used to discover and measure electric fields. Measurements are taken in volts per meter or V/m.08 There are many meters on the market that can measure electric fields.

Additionally, many of the meters on the market are dual-use or triple-use and are combined with gaussmeters (for magnetic field measurement) and RF meters (for radio frequency measurement).

See our section on our recommended electric field meters below or visit our “The Best EMF Meters to Purchase in 2020” page to view other options or read our EMF meter reviews.

Another way of measuring electric fields is to use a body voltage meter. Oram Miller explains more about what a body voltage meter is and how it works in the video below:

Body Voltage Meter Tutorial

Section 03:

 

Learn How to Measure Electric Fields

We’ve gone over why you’d want to measure electric fields.

Now let’s go over how these man-made fields are measured.

We’ll also help you decide whether you should hire an EMF professional or do the measurements yourself.

Let’s get started:

Measuring AC Electric Fields

AC electric fields are not especially problematic to test for and there are reasonably priced entry-level field strength meters that can give you a decent approximation of your electric field levels. We’ll go over some of these below in our DIY EMF section.

As with other EMF measurements, the benefit of hiring EMF consultants is they will provide extensive experience and training, professional-grade meter accuracy and will help you determine and move forward with an appropriate reduction and shielding plan, in concert with experienced contractors.

Most EMF consultants will have reasonable hourly phone consultation rates.  Here are some remote EMF consultants if you’re interested and don’t have a local professional.

To better appreciate the pros and cons of contacting an EMF professional vs. doing-it-yourself, please see our page titled, “Contact an EMF Consultant or DIY?

DIY – Selecting a Meter to Measure AC Electric Fields

As previously mentioned, AC electric fields are primarily measured using a field voltage meter or a body voltage meter.

Measuring properly with either can give you an accurate assessment of your electric field exposure, which in turn allows you to draw up an action plan.

One of our recommended entry-level AC electric field meters is the Trifield TF2 EMF meter.  Read our review of the Trifield TF2 in Appendix 05: Recommended EMF Meters.

The Trifield TF2 and another other entry-level alternative (the Cornet ED88T) can be seen below. 

Cornet ED88T Plus
Meter Review

NFA 1000
Meter Review

DIY – How to detect AC Electric Fields with an EMF meter or Body Voltage Meter

Due to the variety of field voltage meters on the market it can be difficult to demonstrate the use of and address all the possible issues that meter owners may encounter.

We always recommend reading the accompanying manual thoroughly.  If there are still questions or issues afterwards, the next step is to search “How to use + EMF METER MODEL YOU PURCHASED” in both Youtube and your preferred search engine.

If your meter is dual or triple use, make sure and search for “how to search for electric fields + EMF METER MODEL YOU PURCHASED.”

You’re likely to find some great instructional videos from both the meter manufacturers and EMF consultants, as well as some tricks of the trade.

DIY – Worksheets to Use When Taking Electric Field Measurements

We offer printable PDFs of worksheets to record your electric field measurements and other EMFs to those readers that support our cause by purchasing a PDF or kindle version of the Beginner’s Guide to EMFs. It makes a great gift for those family members that may be unaware of what EMFs are or how the fields may be affecting them.

Please consider supporting this worthy cause by purchasing this EMF Guide (PDF, Kindle or eReader) or providing us with a small donation.

Section 04:

 

Review Your Electric Field Measurements

Okay, so you’ve taken electric field measurements or had an EMF pro do it for you.

So, what do these readings mean?

Next, we’ll give you international and domestic standards from which to compare the electric field readings.

Let’s dive in:

Understanding the results of your AC Electric Field study

Below are the Building Biology guidelines for electric fields in sleeping areas. You can read the original PDF here.

Safe Living Technologies also have an Education section with Building Biology and International EMF Guidelines that you can download and use as a reference.

It’s important to note that these are specific recommendations for sleeping areas. The Building Biology field views bedrooms and sleeping areas as especially important due to the restorative nature of sleep.  As such, the guidelines are some of the most conservative you’ll come across.

Learn more about the Building Biology profession and their guiding principles.

Section 05:

 

Take Action to Reduce Your Electric Field Exposure

You’ve taken measurements and reviewed the results.

Now it’s time to take action.

In this section we’ll give you some actionable tips on how to lower your exposure to AC electric fields.

Let’s get started:

Lowering Your AC Electric Fields Exposure

Taking action in reducing you, your family’s and your pet’s exposure to AC electric fields often takes the form of five steps:

a) creating distance from external electric field sources
b) de-energizing electrical circuits at night
c) removal of cords and computer peripherals
d) creating distance from internal electric field sources
e) shielding

Creating Distance from External Sources

The electric fields from close proximity power lines or electrical substations are far less difficult to shield against than their magnetic field counterpart, but a simple way to lower exposure is to create distance.

De-energizing Bedroom Electrical Circuits at Night

For safety reasons, we always insist that your breaker box be mapped out by an EMF specialist or a licensed electrician.

If it is within your means, our recommendation is to purchase and have a licensed electrician install a remote cutoff switch. These allow each bedroom occupant to remotely turn off the surrounding circuits prior to going to sleep.

Read more about this on our Remote Cut Off Switch page.

Removal of Ungrounded/Unshielded Cords from Sleeping Areas.

We recommend removing all two-pronged, unshielded cords from areas adjacent to the bed. This includes bedside table lamps, extension cords, alarm clock cords, phone charging cords and wireless charging pads.

We recommend using cordless alternatives adjacent to the bed and moving the other necessary items across the room.

Creating Distance from Internal Sources

Simply create distance between the sources and your couch, reading chairs, beds, office desks and any where else family members or pets spend time.

In our EMF Field Guides and our Step-by-Step EMF Guides, we go over the items in your bedroom, office and family rooms that may be causing excessive exposure to AC electric fields.

Shielding AC Electric Fields

Eliminating AC electric fields entirely is the best method, but there are ways in which to shield electric fields when circumstances warrant it (close high voltage lines, unique cabling, conduit and panel situations, etc…).

We recommend speaking with an EMF consultant to help determine the best solution for your unique situation.

Section 06:

 

In Conclusion: Case Studies, Resources, & Footnotes

Below are some final thoughts we have on AC electric fields

There’s also some interesting AC electric field resources below.

We’ve included a few case studies that EMF Experts have experienced in the field. These make for an interesting read, as well.

Lastly, we’ve added all the footnotes from the chapter.

Stories from EMF Specialists – EMF Case studies

We’ll have these up shortly.

Many of these experts are available for remote EMF consulting via Telephone/Zoom/Facetime/Skype and can be extremely helpful in locating problematic areas of electromagnetic exposure.

EMF Resources – AC Electric Fields

To learn more about EMF research and epidemiological studies, many dealing with AC magnetic fields, please visit Chapter 20 – EMF Learning Resources (coming soon).

A Final Note on AC Electric Fields

AC electric fields are often referred to as the forgotten member of the Four Fields to Forgo, but are an important part of any EMF survey.

Definitely test for them.

Many bedrooms and offices are awash in elevated electric fields and, at a minimum, it’s likely to be making people feel fatigued.

Please view our EMF Field Guides, to learn about many common, household sources of AC electric fields.

AC Electric Fields Chapter Notes

01 – Voltage and Electric Fields

Voltage is another way of saying electrical potential or, more simply, the availability of the electricity.

02 – Field Strength

This can vary greatly with the type of electrical wire used. For example, residential homes that have unshielded, non-metallic building electrical wire and device cords will experience higher field levels most of the time.

03 – Circuit Breaker

Here’s a basic explanation of how the circuit breakers in your panels functions.

04 – The Electrical Grid

Practical Engineering also has some interesting videos on how substations and electrical transmission lines work.

05 – Oram Miller

Oram’s website Create Healthy Homes is a wealth of information into all facets of EMF exposure and how to mitigate those risks. Highly recommended.

06 – Ontario Hydro Workers Study

Anthony B. Miller, Teresa To, David A. Agnew, Claus Wall, Lois M. Green; Leukemia following Occupational Exposure to 60-Hz Electric and Magnetic Fields among Ontario Electric Utility Workers, American Journal of Epidemiology, Volume 144, Issue 2, 15 July 1996, Pages 150–160, https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a008902

07 – VGCC Study

Martin Pall; Electromagnetic fields act via activation of voltage-gated calcium channels to produce beneficial or adverse effects, Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Volume 17, Issue 8, 2013, Pages 958-965, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3780531/#

08 – V/m or volts per meter

Also known as Newton per Coulomb, N/C

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