Electrical Sensitivity & Hypersensitivity

Can you believe it...?


What is Electrical Hypersensitivity (EHS)?

Electrical hypersensitivity (EHS) is a combination of up to three factors:

a natural sensitivity, similar to other idiopathic or allergic reactions, which is not typical of the general population.
sensitisation by some trigger, which could be one, or more, of a variety of commonly encountered substances.
sensitisation by some incident, which has the capability of damaging the bioelectrochemical communication within the body.


Some people are electrically sensitive, that is they are aware of the presence of electromagnetic fields (EMFs), but are not adversely affected by them. Other people may or may not be aware of the presence of EMFs, but can become seriously ill in their presence. These people we refer to as electrically hypersensitive (EHS). People who have developed EHS have a physiological disorder, characterized by neurological and idiopathic reactions, that noticeably appear or intensify near sources of EMFs such as electrical appliances, especially VDUs (computer monitors), power lines, fluorescent lights, mobile phones, cordless phones, wireless computers (wLANs), mobile phone base stations, etc.

Being EHS means experiencing recurring feelings of stress or illness when near an EMF source. Any noticeable, recurring ill health that is triggered by an electromagnetic field, and that diminishes or disappears away from the EMF source, constitutes a case of electrical hypersensitivity. While symptoms may diminish quickly after the exposure is reduced, it can take several days, weeks or occasionally months if the person has become severely sensitised, for the effects to disappear.

It is not yet known whether EHS is an independent condition, or a kind of Multiple Environmental Sensitivity Syndrome, linked possibly also to Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome.

For EHS sufferers living in a high EMF environment, it is like a person with auditory sensitivity trying to carry on normal life with someone shouting in both ears all the time.

Many electrically sensitive people seem to have quite dry skin and can carry high electrostatic charges on their body. Not only can other people experience a 'zap' when touching the person, but the electrostatic charges can also be transferred to electronic equipment causing equipment to malfunction. This can sometimes give an appearance of clumsiness or ineptitude, which can lead to a lack of confidence in using electrical equipment. This is quite concerning when young people, even in pre-school nurseries, are being exposed to computers, and they may develop this sensitivity, which can lead to a lifelong lack of confidence and self-esteem problems.


How many people does EHS affect?

People who have EHS develop different symptoms, for reasons that are poorly understood. Some people will react to power-frequency electric fields, some to magnetic fields and some to both. They may (or they may not) also react to radiofrequency fields such as those transmitted by the mobile phone networks, some reacting to the phones, some to the masts, and some to both. Some people will only react to radiofrequency fields and not to power-frequency fields. Some people will even react to sunlight, another part of the EMF spectrum.

Because of this the condition is not an easy one to diagnose. People with EHS often cannot go into hospital, even to visit. Hospitals are full of electrically powered equipment, some giving off very high EMFs, and hospitals have fluorescent lights, a common trigger for EHS and intolerable to most EHS people.

The incidence of EHS seems to be slightly higher in women than in men, and there appear to be significant day to day variations in their sensitivity. Many people with EHS have lower incomes and may be unemployed. These variations may be explained, at least in part, by difference in Health and Safety practices, especially with regard to chemical (and other) exposures in lower paid jobs, and the fact that EHS can lead to the inability to work in a 'normal' environment.

The social, work and financial lives of EHS sufferers are likely to be affected by the fact that fluorescent lights are used in public offices (making it hard to make claims for, or to draw, Social Security benefits), shops, libraries, theatres, cinemas, concert halls, restaurants, churches, trains, trams and buses.

A study by the Irish Doctors Environmental Association reported that half the people reporting ill-health effects as a result of living near to mobile phone base stations were unable to work due to the severity of the symptoms. They also led a very restricted social life, feeling like 'prisoners' in their own homes, which were not always comfortable places for them to be either.

Even cars have electrical and electronic equipment (power wiring, fan motors, computerised controls and dashboards) that can disturb electrically hypersensitive people, especially in the front seat.

Many trains, railway stations and planes now contain wireless computing systems, so that passengers can access the internet 'on the move'. City centres are being covered by WiMAX systems, making access for EHS sufferers ever more difficult. Neighbours who are 'ham' radio operators can, even unwittingly, make an EHS neighbour's life almost unbearable. A nearby lamp-post height mobile phone mast can make a house uninhabitable by an EHS person. They may not even be able to go down a road where one of these masts is situated. This makes living a 'normal' life almost impossible in severe cases of EHS.

It is generally accepted that probably between 3% and 7% of the population are EHS to some degree and maybe up to 35% show some mild indications of electro-stress.


Read more here:

http://www.ei-resource.org/illness-information/related-conditions/electrical-sensitivity-&-hypersensitivity/