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Electromagnetic hypersensitivity is believed to be an example of a nocebo. A nocebo is a reverse placebo - one's negative expectations cause harm.
EMF exposure hasn't been able to cause symptoms in blind studies.
it has proved difficult to show under blind conditions that exposure to EMF can trigger these symptoms. This suggests that “electromagnetic ...
93
No, it is not true
On the Wikipedia page on "Antistatic Device" there were several references to these kinds of things having been examined in a serious manner.
ESD Journal
It is our opinion that no currently available methods or devices exist which will effectively ground a person without a tethered cord to ground or at least a large capacitance.
...
65
Partially true, but...
If we examine only part of the claim, the bit that says...
"Virus and bacteria can be killed by irradiating them with electromagnetic emissions at the right frequency"
...that part is actually true.
It is just that the "right frequency" in question needs to be so high that what you have is ionising radiation, that is to say ...
54
There is Frankin's letter of Oct 1 1752 saying that the kite experiment was performed successfully in Philadelphia, which was read to and published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society a few months later.
There is also Joseph Priestly's The history and present state of electricity (written about 15 years later after discussions with ...
35
Summary: yes, the area shown is reasonable, as a visualisation of the surface area of panels required to generate electricity equal to total US electricity consumption, on a multi-year average: that area of panels would generate 500 GW, which is above the current US annual average electricity consumption of 425 GW
Calculations below are taken from this ...
30
The whole issue with electrodes in medicine (and Medical physics which I did my degree in) is that there needs to be a good electrical contact between the skin and the item transferring the current, otherwise burns may occur. The aim is to have a low resistance at the point of contact.
If you think about it this is entirely logical electrical physics - if ...
28
The symptoms you describe are commonly referred to as electromagnetic hypersensitivity.
I believe the studies you would be interested in are the following:
The majority of provocation trials to date have found that
self-described sufferers of electromagnetic hypersensitivity are
unable to distinguish between exposure to real and fake
...
23
Yes, but not in a way that is likely to detect Ghosts if they exist
Mobile phones are, by definition, devices that can detect EMF (which is electro magnetic field see wikpedia) since their ability to communicate depends on radiofrequency fluctuations in EMFs. So apps on a smartphone can, at least in a trivial sense, detect EMF and alter it when they send a ...
22
Yes it does. VGA or keyboard cable has side effect of acting as antenna.
Both eavesdropping and countermeasure techniques are widely knows as TEMPEST (which was codename used by NSA). It's described with details and numerous references here. Example from above source:
It is standard to use TEMPEST protected terminals in military (NATO standard requirement)...
20
Heating will have no effect on the oxygen level in the air unless something burns, which will use up oxygen. This is basic chemistry. An electrical heater heats because electrical current passes through it, not because anything burns, so oxygen levels cannot be directly affected. Most burning reactions in the normal atmosphere involve things burning in ...
20
Yes there are people that believe they have the problem but it does not come from physical exposure from electric fields.
It is usually classified as Psychogenic pain, also called psychalgia and can be treated with Cognitive behavioral therapy (ref) caused by a nocebo :
The thesis examines various aspects of "electricity hypersensitivity" (EH)....
19
What Scientology says:
Mr. Hubbard developed the E-Meter based on the knowledge that the mind contains mental image pictures, actual recordings of past experiences. These pictures contain energy and mass.
When a person views one of these mental image pictures, or thinks a thought, the E-Meter registers with precision the changes which occur in this ...
18
It is certainly possible to "harvest" power via induction from high voltage power lines. There is a vertical voltage drop from the wires to the ground. This effect can power stuff.
For an example of this, see this (awesome) picture of a neon being lit by proximity to the power lines.
source
Also, this energy leakage is openly admitted by power lines ...
16
It matters greatly as it becomes the main electrode of what is tantamount to death by electrical cooking.
Smoke frequently emanates from the inmate's leg and head whilst the current is flowing. Witnesses hear a loud and sustained sound like bacon frying, and the sickly sweet smell of burning flesh may permeate the chamber.
—The electric chair
The ...
16
The premise of the question is wrong and the science of electromagnetism suggests why
A simple google search for images using the term "birds power lines" will show many pictures revealing birds sitting on power lines such as this one (source is here):
Or, for those who think only high voltage power lines are the issue, this one (source):
This ...
16
From the EagleWorks paper:
The test campaign included a null thrust test effort to identify any mundane sources of impulsive thrust; however,
none were identified.
They are not lying, they did detect thrust, but the source of that thrust remains a mystery. The fact that the EM drive would violate Newton's third law, one of the most established ...
16
That number was mentioned in the statement of Dr William R Graham and Dr Peter Vincent Pry, chairman and chief of staff of the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from EMP attack.
The statement quotes an article by ambassador Henry Cooper, former Director of the U.S. Strategic Defense Initiative:
The result could be to shut down the U.S. ...
15
I think the answer is, Yes it certainly can. Is it likely?
Electric toasters work much the same way as space heaters or hair dryers, in that they run a current through high electrical resistant wires to generate incredible amounts of heat.
Most toasters tend to use Nichrome (alloy of 80% Nickel and 20% Chromium).
Electrical resistivity at room ...
15
An interesting claim which starts with a plausible idea: that CFLs produce transient high-frequency noise in your electrical system. This answer is partial and incomplete but I though some observations were worth reporting in the hope that further investigation by me or others can flesh out the detail.
The website of the firm selling the filters that ...
15
Link between Cell Towers and Cancer Elusive
A quick search on cell phone towers and cancer provides many results, some state cell phone towers are dangerous because it can cause cancer, while some others state that tests regarding cell phone towers and cell phone usage are inconclusive with regards to cancer, though there are chances of increased risks in ...
14
Yes, humans and other organisms do have electromagnetic fields. Current western medicine often uses machines to measure the electromagnetic waves of various parts of the body in order to determine the health of a patient.
Electrocardiograms (EKG) are used to measure a patient's heart. The animation shows how the ECG wave in the heart is plotted on a strip ...
14
Whatever theory says, it does happen.
Modern safety systems ought to prevent it but it can and does still happen. The example below was reported this year in the UK. The report if from the London Evening Standard in march 2011:
A PLAYFUL boy of three may have knocked an electric heater into the bath he was sharing with his mother, killing them both, an ...
14
There's a bunch of claims and half-truths combined with some misapplied truths.
First: Yes, electromagnetic waves can influence the nervous system. There are, for example, highly experimental treatments of Parkinson's and Tourette's using little electric pulse-givers embedded into the brain:
http://www.parkinson.org/understanding-parkinsons/treatment/...
13
Not only do they exist, but they make a really easy experiment that can illustrate the speed of light
Microwaves ovens really do create hotspots and it is an issue if it matters to have evenly cooked food. That's why many have turntables.
But the really cool thing about hotspots is that they can be used in a simple science experiment to get a good ...
13
MRI scanners can produce heat in rare circumstances.
Guidelines to Prevent Excessive Heating and Burns Associated with MRI Procedures
Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is considered to be a relatively safe diagnostic modality. However, damaged radiofrequency coils, physiologic monitors, electronically-activated devices, and external accessories or objects ...
12
Evidence and theory both suggest that the answer is no, magnets do not have any health effect whatsoever. A nice article that surveys the topic notes problems with studies showing positive effects not being blind.
"Many “controlled” experiments are suspect because it is difficult to blind subjects to the presence of a magnet. An example is a randomised ...
12
It is known that many animals posess the ability to sense magnetic fields (magnetoreception), a well-known example are migratory birds. Humans are generally considered to lack such a mechanism.
From the article "A behavioral perspective on the biophysics of the light-dependent magnetic compass: a link between directional and spatial perception?":
The ...
12
Another benefit is that it will block alpha radiation (helium nuclei) and most of beta radiation (electrons).
You can read more here.
Of course, this will have no significative benefit.
12
Though tin foil hats do protect you from electromagnetic radiation and from some forms of ionizing radiation, they do not protect you from all possible electromagnetic radiation:
In a not-too-serious-studyRead the conclusion first, it was found that tin foil hats actually amplify frequency bands that coincide with those allocated to the US government ...
11
According to the World Health Organisation there is no risk from low-level, long term exposure to wi-fi networks. (See this BBC article or the WHO itself).
I don't know of any similar information about powerline networking, but it seems unlikely that your home wiring will emit more EM energy that the wi-fi stations antennas. After all, those are ...
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