Dirty electricity has been a hot discussion topic among researchers for decades. Many blame it as a cause of various health problems. But the majority of people don’t know what it is actually. If you are one of them, you might find yourself asking, “What is dirty electricity?”
Any deviation to the normal flow of 50/60 Hz AC electricity creates unusable electromagnetic energy which is known as dirty electricity. It is believed to be the cause of many health problems. But there are many solutions to this dirty electricity problem.
This might not give you a clear understanding of what dirty electricity is. This is why I urge you to go through the entire article. In this article, I’ve briefly discussed the dirty electricity problem, why you should be concerned about it and how you can fix this problem. Let’s get started!
What is Dirty Electricity?
The term dirty electricity refers to the surges and spikes in the electromagnetic energy that are traveling through our building wiring and electric power lines. The AC electricity that runs through electric power production, transmission, distribution lines, and household electrical wiring has a standard frequency of 50/60 hertz.
Any deviation in the electromagnetic energy from this standard frequency is known as dirty electricity. It is also known as electrical noise, dirty power, power line electromagnetic interference, line noise, and micro surge electrical pollution.
This is a type of pollution that can’t be seen through naked eyes, is tasteless, odorless, and can’t be touched. And this is why the term “Dirty Electricity” is only known to a handful of people.
How Dirty Electricity is Created?
The main cause of dirty electricity is the electrical components that we use in our house. And in today’s world, you can’t even imagine a life without electronic devices. Most of the modern electronics and appliances in our households are designed to save as much energy as they can to reduce electricity costs.
And to achieve this energy-saving standard, these devices do not use the standard 50/60 Hz frequency AC electricity directly. Rather, they manipulate this electrical current to operate.
For instance, modern electronic devices convert standard 50/60 Hz alternating current (AC) into other forms such as converting it into a higher frequency AC electricity or low voltage direct current (DC) to operate.
These devices do not draw power from wiring continuously. Rather they draw power in short bursts. These devices do this by turning the current flow “off” and “on” repeatedly. In some cases, thousands of times per second. As a result, it interrupts the smooth draw of power, resulting in harmonics and erratic drops, and spikes in electrical energy.
This type of power draw behavior of modern electronics and appliances produces unusable dirty power. Such power surges can permanently damage your electrical devices. Moreover, this phenomenon can spread throughout your home or other households via power lines and electrical wiring.
As it spreads, it radiates electromagnetic fields (EMF) which is harmful to the human body. But as the world is right now, you can’t avoid the dirty electricity phenomenon wherever you go due to the staggering volume of electronic devices that are out in the world.
While these devices have made our life much more convenient and efficient, they also introduced an entirely new form of pollution that we can’t touch, sense, or taste. But it is a real problem that is occurring all over the world.
Here are some of the common electrical devices that are responsible for dirty electricity:
- Televisions and monitors
- Battery chargers
- Microwave ovens
- Fluorescent light tubes and bulbs
- Refrigerators
- Wi-Fi routers
- LED lights
- Laptops and desktop computers
- Solar power systems
- Light dimmer switches
- Home entertainment systems
- Food processors
- Hairdryers
- Toasters
Why You Should be Concerned About Dirty Electricity?
As mentioned before, most electronic devices are not properly equipped to deal with dirty electricity. As a result, surges in electromagnetic energy can permanently damage such devices. But that’s not all. Dirty electricity also has adverse effects on human health.
Dirty electricity has been a burning topic among the scientific communities for the past few decades. In the last 30 years, more than twenty-five thousand scientific articles have been published in the area of medical application and biological effects of non-ionizing radiation.
Despite this vast amount of research findings, the feeling of more extensive research needs to be done in this field still exists. But the findings from these research articles point to a concerning correlation between human health and electromagnetic radiation.
Studies have found that exposure to electromagnetic radiation can have very specific effects within the human body. These effects may eventually lead to temporary or long-term health problems, even if the victim was exposed to electromagnetic radiation that was well below the safety standard.
Although none of the studies found any direct evidence that shows that exposure to dirty electricity has adverse effects on human health, one study has found that this problem has been associated with increased cancer risks.
Furthermore, another study done on the teachers of La Quinta, California middle school has found some alarming results. The study has found that the teachers who were exposed to electromagnetic radiation through the school building’s electrical wiring for a long time had a higher number of confirmed cancer cases among them.
The researchers who were involved in this study had found that risk of developing cancer that was linked to the level of electromagnetic radiation that the teachers were exposed to was 64%. They have also found that working at that school for only 1 year increased the risk of cancer for a teacher by as much as 21%.
Being concerned with this fast-growing electric pollution, a group of health professionals and researchers published the BIOINITIATIVE REPORT in 2007 and again in 2012. Their goal was to make the public aware of the possible risks of electronic devices and technologies that emit EMR (Electromagnetic Radiation).
This report cites many scientific studies that associate low-level exposure to electromagnetic radiation, radiofrequency radiation, and other types of electric pollution and their correlation to diseases like cancer, insomnia, male infertility, autism, and more.
Even the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer has designated radiofrequency, extremely low-frequency, and microwave EFMs as possible human carcinogens. More research in this field is required to fill the existing gaps in knowledge about the biological effects of electromagnetic radiation.
Till now, researchers have found a correlation between a variety of health problems and exposure to EMFs. These possible biological effects are given below:
- Asthma
- ADD/ADHD
- Autism
- Headaches
- Depression
- Insomnia
- Chest pain
- High blood pressure
- Infertility
- Diabetes
- Heart palpitations
- Anxiety
- Weakness and fatigue
- Sinus problems
- Itching and burning sensation
- Muscle and joint pain
- Memory problems
- Behavior/concentration/learning issues
- Tingling sensation and numbness
- Digestive problems and many more
What to Do About Dirty Electricity?
Now that you know the bad effects of dirty electricity on our body, the question arises if we can do something about reducing this electric pollution. And if so, how can we do that? And that’s what I’ve discussed briefly below:
- Get It Measured
The first thing you have to do to measure the electromagnetic field level in your home. In that case, you can use an EMF meter. Using this meter, you can find out how significant the problem is in your home. Use the meter to check the dirty electricity level in your home’s wiring and power lines.
To find out whether dirty electricity is entering from an external source or an internal one, use the EMF meter and start taking reading inside with everything turned off. After measuring the EMF level, turn everything on again and use the EMF meter to take another set of readings.
EMF meters like Acoustimeter RF Meter Model AM-11 are perfect for that purpose. This is one of the best EMF meters that you can find in the market right now. It is a versatile EMF meter that has very good sensitivity. As a result, it can detect any sort of electromagnetic field coming out of electrical devices. And it is easy to use.
After the measurement, if you find that the dirty electricity level is high even when you switched off everything in your house, the source of the problem is external. If the EMF level is high while everything was turned on, the source of the problem is internal. Use the EMF meter to locate the hotspot.
One thing to note here, EMF meters measure the wireless radiation levels in AC electric and magnetic fields, microwave and radiofrequency radiations present in the air. They do not necessarily measure dirty electricity. EMF meters only indicate the source of the problem.
Want to know more about EMF meters? Then check out our article :
The best EMF meters & detectors
- Choose Electric Devices and Appliances Wisely
The next step is to choose appliances and devices that emit less electromagnetic radiation. While buying an electric device, always compare different brands and find out which one is the best in terms of smooth power draw. This will help you to significantly minimize the dirty electricity problem in your home.
Try to avoid using light dimmer switches. They are notorious for creating dirty electricity. Opt to traditional on/off switches. Also, while buying a microwave oven or dishwasher, go for one that has analog dials over digital dials (only if can find one in the market).
Try to minimize the use of dirty electricity-producing devices in your home as much as you can. I’ve provided a list of such devices above. Try to minimize the number of devices from this list in your home.
- Use Anti-Radiation Cases and Bags to Hold Your Smartphone and Laptop
Nowadays, everyone has a smartphone or a tab that we carry around all the time. The same can also be said for laptops. We can’t go even a day without these gadgets. But they are one of the primary sources of EMF radiation in today’s world.
So, it is always a good idea to keep them inside anti-radiation cases or bags such as RadiArmor Anti-Radiation Case and Faraday Defense XL Heavy Duty Duffle Bag to protect yourself from harmful EMF radiation emitted by your mobile or laptop.
- Turn Off Devices That Are Not in Use
Turning an electric device off while not in use is always a good idea. Keeping it turned on will only waste precious energy.
Plus, it will emit electromagnetic radiation (EMR) while it is running. So, keeping it turned on without any reason will not benefit you in any way.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is “Dirty Electricity” a real thing?
Answer: Yes. However, it should be noted that the term “Dirty Electricity” is not a scientific term. It means that the AC electricity has been corrupted or transformed.
- Is dirty electricity harmful to human health?
Answer: While there is no solid evidence that shows dirty electricity is harmful to the human body, scientists have found some correlation between this and about a dozen of health problems like infertility, diabetes, asthma, and many more.
- Are LED lights a source of dirty electricity?
Answer: Yes. LED light converts alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) which back feeds a small portion of the current into the power line. This is what causes LED lights to produce dirty electricity.
- Can I fix my house’s dirty electricity problem?
Answer: Yes, there are several solutions to the dirty power problem of your house. Line reactors, high-frequency filters, surge protectors can be installed to fix the dirty electricity problem.
- What is the difference between clean electricity and dirty electricity?
Answer: The main difference between clean electricity and dirty electricity is that clean electrical power is free from voltage drops and spikes. Any change in the ideal sine curve form of AC electricity is referred to as dirty electricity.
- What is dirty voltage?
Answer: Dirty voltage refers to an abnormality to the electric power that is being delivered to an electrical system via a power line. These abnormalities can be frequency or voltage variation, surges, and low power factors.
- How to find out the source of dirty electricity?
Answer: You can use an EMF meter to detect the source of dirty electricity.
- What does dirty electricity mean?
Answer: Any interruption to the normal flow of 50/60 Hz AC electricity creates unusable electromagnetic energy which is known as dirty electricity.
- Do dirty electricity filters work?
Answer: Yes, they do. These filters convert the dirty electricity back to 50/60 Hz electric power which can be used by electric devices.
- Is less exposure to EMF good for the human body?
Answer: Yes, it is. Less exposure to EMF lessens the load of electrostress in the human body. As a result, the body can concentrate on healing and recovery.
Conclusion
Dirty electricity is certainly a problem that you can’t overlook as it may well be the cause of many of your health problems. But to protect yourself, you don’t have to live like a caveman, away from all the modern technologies. Just be careful while buying any electrical device, turn off any device while not in use and take protective measures whenever possible.
Hopefully, through this article, I was of some help to you. Thanks a lot for stopping by!