Background EMF levels abnormally high?

[philhelm]

Hello I am sitting in my home and I'm using 2 phone apps to measure my EMF levels (they both got the same number). I measured it about every 10 minutes. This is what I got
1)~46uT
2)`~189uT
3)~187uT
4)~48uT
5)~187uT
6)~50uT
7)~50uT

It never reached under 40uT and I would say this morning, on average, it seems to spike up to ~180+ about 1/4th of the time

I am also getting headaches and having trouble sleeping, I have no appliances in the room (or nearby) and no magnets/metals in sight, what could be an explanation for such high levels? are these levels even high? I have no science background but I felt a buzzing sound in my ear and couldn't sleep so I did a bit of research. Any explanations would be much appreciated

 

[berkeman]

What the heck is a negative microTesla? That's sort of a measure of a small magnetic field, but negative makes no sense unless it is a vector for some reason.

EMF is measured in units of V/m or dBV/m, etc. What apps are these? And have you spoken to a doctor about your symptoms?

 

[philhelm]

What the heck is a negative microTesla? That's sort of a measure of a small magnetic field, but negative makes no sense unless it is a vector for some reason.

EMF is measured in units of V/m or dBV/m, etc. What apps are these? And have you spoken to a doctor about your symptoms?

~ --> that's the symbol for approximately not negative. I haven't spoken to a doctor and its measured in uT (microTesla, the u has a extended line on bottom left). thanks for the reply

EMF detector & EMF recorder

 

[berkeman]

If the readings are microTesla, then it is measuring magnetic field, not EMF. It would be good for you to talk to your doctor about this. With the restrictions due to the novel coronavirus, your best option may be to use the video doctor "chat" option.

 

[philhelm]

If the readings are microTesla, then it is measuring magnetic field, not EMF. It would be good for you to talk to your doctor about this. With the restrictions due to the novel coronavirus, your best option may be to use the video doctor "chat" option.

Alright, are those normal levels for magnetic fields? I didn't find much online, one site said anything over 100uT is not considered safe.

 

[berkeman]

one site said anything over 100uT is not considered safe.

Was it the FCC website? Or some pseudoscience website? We only discuss mainstream science here at the PF.

 

[berkeman]

https://www.fcc.gov/general/radio-frequency-safety-0

https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guide...ency-fields-guidelines-cellular-and-pcs-sites

 

[philhelm]

"The table illustrates two main points: First, the magnetic field strength around all appliances rapidly decreases the further you get away from them. Secondly, most household appliances are not operated very close to the body. At a distance of 30 cm the magnetic fields surrounding most household appliances are more than 100 times lower than the given guideline limit of 100 µT at 50 Hz (83 µT at 60 Hz) for the general public."

edit: last sentence

https://www.who.int/peh-emf/about/WhatisEMF/en/index3.html

 

[scottdave]

Hi @philhelm what app was it? I am pretty sure somewhere in the terms of any phone app it will give some guidelines on intended accuracies.

I have an app called Phyphox which can access several of the sensors on my phone.
One is a Magnetometer, which measures the B field (magnetic field) in each direction (x,y,z). The units are in μT and range from about -50μT to +50μT as I rotate and orient my phone. So it is detecting the direction of the field, hence the values could be positive or negative.
NOTE: you can press the (√ square root) button above the textbox to pull up symbols to insert into your post.

This is a static field, like from the Earth's magnetic field or a permanent magnet, or a DC current running through a wire or coil.

Electromagnetic fields (EMF) refer to oscillating fields such as in AC electric power or in radio waves.

 

[philhelm]

Hi thanks for the reply, the app just says "EMF Radiation Detector" as a description (although two different apps gave me the same reading). Other app is called "EMF Recorder"

"Electric and Magnetic Fields (Emfs) are invisible areas of energy, referred to as radiation that are associated with the use of electrical power. Emfs are typically grouped into two categories by their forms of frequency (ionizing/non-ionizing)"

That was from their page

 

[scottdave]

A quick internet search tells me that the Earth's magnetic field strength ranges from 25 to 65 microTeslas, depending on location. So look around and see if you are near a magnet, or a large iron/steel structures which would influence the field around your phone.

 

[philhelm]

A quick internet search tells me that the Earth's magnetic field strength ranges from 25 to 65 microTeslas, depending on location. So look around and see if you are near a magnet, or a large iron/steel structures which would influence the field around your phone.

Yea, there is no metal/magnet within a 2 meters, I have no idea what can cause this that's why I came here. (I'm really bad with science)

edit: for some reason now its only measuring about 40uT, I don't know what was causing those spikes hopefully it was an app error

 

[Dr_Nate]

If I move my phone near the back of the TV I get about 150 microTesla.

I'll tell you that I've been regularly bathed in the stray field of a 9 Tesla magnet with no ill effects. This field is strong enough to pick up nearby metal objects or to force my phone to shut down when I left it 2.5 m away from the solenoid axis. You don't have much of anything to worry about from the magnetic fields in your home

 

[russ_watters]

edit: for some reason now its only measuring about 40uT, I don't know what was causing those spikes hopefully it was an app error

Perhaps your phone is measuring itself?

 

[russ_watters]

I have an app called Z-Device Test, which accesses the raw data from all the sensors on my phone. The app you are using is almost certainly accessing the phone's compass, which is a 3-axis magnetic field detector. @berkeman, mine does indeed give field strength in positive and negative, most likely corresponding to N-S orientation. When I point the phone north, the Y-axis reads zero and when I point it south, it reads -43uT.

[edit] After holding it near my TV, it was showing up to about +100, but now the values for N-S have shifted about +20. So it's pretty inaccurate and drifts when the readings are in the 10s. The total sensor range is 5,000uT.

 

[scottdave]

My app - phyphox - does similar (accessing the different sensors). It has magnetic field (compass), acceleration, gyroscope, light intensity, pressure (barometer), sound amplitude, sound frequency, to name some.

 

[berkeman]

I am also getting headaches and having trouble sleeping,

edit: for some reason now its only measuring about 40uT, I don't know what was causing those spikes hopefully it was an app error

That is good news. Please touch bases with your family doctor if the headaches continue. Your symptoms (Sx) do not match the novel Coronavirus Sx, but it could be seasonal allergies or some other issue.

Best wishes and please be well.

 

[davenn]

Hi thanks for the reply, the app just says "EMF Radiation Detector" as a description (although two different apps gave me the same reading). Other app is called "EMF Recorder"

I wouldn't trust any phone app to give anything like a reasonably accurate reading
Good accurate readings would come from a calibrated scientific instrument

 

[darth boozer]

The compass app on my phone shows the magnetic field strength in μT and is affected by the magnet in the strap that holds the case closed and the metal in the front cover that the magnet is attracted to. Even out of the case, the reading is affected by the screws in the underside of my dining table as well as all the metal and electrical appliances in the house. The only way to get a consistent reading is to go outside away from all metal and power lines, which I just tried.
The readings before were around 90 μT; outside they were around 74-80 μT and the app indicated that "calibration" was required. which involved rotating the phone about three mutually perpendicular axes. After doing this the readings dropped to around 54 μT outside and 60 μT inside.