New Business Idea: RF Proofing

[Charlie Prime]

This idea has been rattling around in my head for months.

Radio Frequency pollution is growing. Smart meters, ...WiFi, ...bad A/C frequencies; people are beginning to catch on that this stuff is poisonous.

I bet a person could earn a bit of scratch RF-Proofing houses.

You build a website wherein you offer to come to people's houses with an RF meter and identify areas of RF pollution. You print them a nice report with countermeasure options and estimates of cost for each.

The countermeasures would be things like installing line filters, installing an RF blocking panel behind their smart meter, and papering their kid's rooms with wallpaper containing embedded metallic mesh.

If would look kinda dopey, but you could even build large tent-like Faraday cages that go over the kids beds.

Then you prove the countermeasures work by running another RF meter survey afterwards.

Win Win. They get products and services they want, you earn a living doing something wholesome and honest.

I wish one of you young guys would take this idea and run with it.

In 1982 my grandfather advised me to open a quicky oil-change place. I thought it was the dumbest thing I'd ever heard. Such places did not exist back then. Only idiots took their car to the dealership to get the oil changed. Everyone else did it themselves. Boy was I wrong. A few years later those places began popping up everywhere. I could have been a 17 year-old millionaire.

 

[Wade]

I actually like that idea but I think that timing would be everything. I think one could make a living doing it Right now but you'd probably have to do it on a state wide basis in order to have enough customers to pursue it depending on the cost to customers. but still rf pollution as far as a safety concern is probably pretty low on most people's radars. It would be neat to be all ready to go in multiple locations if some "sexy" lawsuit was about to hit our consciousness over just such an issue. Is there an erin brokovich on this forum that wants to see her name on the front pages?

A VERY quick and limited search....I'm getting ready for work...for something like "rf protection licenses" didn't turn up anything noteworthy, if there is no state requirements it may be because there is no demand ? I think people would always want some kind of place to check for proper credentials or place to complain to if certain issues came up.

 

[Charlie Prime]

That's what I was thinking.

All small businesses seem to go this way. At first they are a high margin, custom business a person can live on. After ten years they become a commodity. Corporate franchises come in. They establish regulations to drive out the small guys so that only a corporation with staff lawyers, an HR department, and big accounting departments can comply and survive.

Under our fascist national socialist system, it happens faster every year.

The technical name for it is "Regulatory Capture"...

Regulatory capture - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Wade]

Oh I absolutely agree, regulations are the way that governments gets their cut if it's they don't do it themselves I wonder if the state of California regulates ladwp. Apparently not given the recent news. But still these regulations also give the appearance of recourse if someone is unsatisfied with the work and if I'm having a bunch of strangers crawling around my house I'd feel better knowing there was a way I could have the installers cojones in my hands....figuratively speaking .... if I wasn't satisfied. I'm not sure what would be involved but probably this sheilding would be installed in such a way that it wouldn't actually be visible to the eye do you think this would require any kind of cutting ?'

 

[Ian]

You need to establish beyond reasonable doubt that the levels of RF energy most people are subject to is actually dangerous. Are people really being made ill, or are they equating vague symptoms of life like tiredness, headaches, insomnia with something they've read about RF pollution? How do we separate real symptoms from the psychosomatic ones?

I bet if you made up a story about a new additive in petrol, soap, washing powder or whatever, and got the media to report that it made some people tired/irritable/unable to concentrate and asked if they'd noticed it in themselves or relatives since some made-up date, you'd get reports of exactly those symptoms. (Surely this has already been done?)

Assuming RF fields make people sick; are we talking about 'radiation' from 50/60Hz mains? If so you can't filter that out unless you disconnect the electricity supply.

What about AM/FM radio? OK, an earthed Faraday screen will keep that out, and all other frequencies with wavelengths longer than the holes in the screen. That should also keep out wifi/wimax/cell phone/radar/etc.

But don't go out because you'll be 'radiated' once again.

Not safe in the car either. Apart from the carcinogenic plasticisers coming from the interior, there's all manner of electronics radiating signals from unscreened wiring running about the vehicle.

Lining your home with screening will more-or-less prevent the ingress of RF if you think that is a good thing. And is much more honest and backed by science than the snake-oil type magic crystals you wear or stick on your phone for protection from cell-phone 'radiation'.

Ian

 

[Randall]

I bet a person could earn a bit of scratch RF-Proofing houses ...

Despite the claims that EM pollution isn't harmful, I think the idea has merit. I don't like living in a EM soup 24/7 but I'm not entirely sure how to go about shielding a house from it, and if that's the case, there are probably plenty of other people who feel the same way. I think you would need to be in a fairly large urban environment to make it into a full-time business though. If you're into it, throw an ad into Kijiji. The other thing you might want to try is a DIY mail order kit with instructions.

Potential problems:

1. What's the point if they have Wi-Fi inside their home?
2. What's the point if they want Cellular reception in their home?
3. What about other EM offenders like cordless phones, electronics, heaters, fans?

I also think that @Ian makes a point, but it's one you can avoid problems with provided that you don't make any claims that EM pollution makes you sick. You can however quote all the anecdotal evidence and third party studies you want, and advertising it as EM pollution protection for your peace of mind, is perfectly acceptable.

 

[Charlie Prime]

I'm not sure what would be involved but probably this sheilding would be installed in such a way that it wouldn't actually be visible to the eye do you think this would require any kind of cutting ?'

I don't know. I haven't done the research to see what exactly what kind of shielding would give the most bang for the buck. Some say the choppy frequencies put into your household AC wiring by cheap electronic fluorescent bulb starters are the greatest danger. Some say it's Smart Meters. Some say WiFi.

I'm just saying that I see this as a potential market where a young guy could make a living helping people. 30 years ago nobody had water filters. We were all happy to drink tap water. Now clean water is a multi-billion dollar market run by corporations, but I do remember a time when mostly small independents installed water filters, and paying for a bottle of water was something we laughed the silliness of.

 

[boomerang]

For what it's worth, the FCC has required ham radio operators to evaluate exposure levels caused by their transmitters when licensing or renewing a license. They provide a set of guidelines based on RF power output vs distance from the antenna to people and animals. Remember that we are not talking only about microwaves, but the longer wavelengths as well. Permissible levels may vary with frequency in ways that seem somewhat arbitrary.

What does this mean? I honestly have no idea. Reasons as set out in the FCC literature are vaguely worded.

 

[Ian]

Remember that we are not talking only about microwaves, but the longer wavelengths as well. Permissible levels may vary with frequency in ways that seem somewhat arbitrary.

Exactly. Most people have absolutely no idea about RF exposure, so half-baked, muddled, non-technical shock-horror stuff we see reported is fertile ground for generating unwarranted anxiety.

FCC regulations are for people operating/maintaining/working very closely to high power (above about 500 watts) transmitters of all types. The predominant effect is heating, particularly at frequencies with wavelengths approximating to the length and width of the body, i.e. above about 50 MHz. The effects are very much reduced at lower frequencies which include AM/short wave/CB radio, so expesure limits are set higher.

Ask someone in the transmitter business if you want a realistic perspective. It's these guys that know what the real risks are. (I guess there will be those who say they're too scared to speak out in case they lose their jobs. Bollocks! It's in no-one's interest to expensively train up a workforce then have them fall sick and die!)

I've read of the fears of stuff 'injected' into the mains by equipment. Yes, the cheap switched-mode power supplies for almost all electronic equipment puts 'hash' into the mains - just put a portable AM radio next to your phone charger/PC/satellite TV power supply/low-energy lighting. It makes no engineering sense to single out lighting in particular, they all radiate some RF. But it's a TINY amount.

What people are exposed to in their homes in MINISCULE compared to working in the high-power RF industry. It's possible that some people are much more sensitive to RF than the rest of us, but is there any conclusive proof, proper peer-review, double-blind studies? The reported symptoms are usually so vague they could be caused by anything - or nothing.

Are water filters just a good example of exploiting a perceived menace in the developed world's water supply? Have any illnesses been reduced by their widespread use? People used to die drinking untreated water, and still do in many counties. But in North America and Europe...? So the filters remove chlorine, fluoride and natural mineral salts too. Where are the deaths from these chemicals in the first place?

Back on topic. If you want to live in a Faraday cage, then aluminium foil under the wallpaper, carpets and ceilings is relatively cheap and effective. But it MUST be electrically bonded thoroughly at all joints and earthed - not easy at all. Thin wire mesh chicken netting is easier to join electrically (can be soldered) but unwieldy in a house, unless it's put under panelling. Must also be earthed too of course. Don't forget the windows...

It's a reasonable money-making idea, but not sure it's tackling a real problem and not a perceived problem. And don't forget to remind purchasers they must not operate any electrical device in such a house since the RF will bounce about between the screened surfaces and FRY THEIR BRAINS!

Good luck,

Ian

 

[Charlie Prime]

Exactly. Most people have absolutely no idea about RF exposure, so half-baked, muddled, non-technical shock-horror stuff we see reported is fertile ground for generating unwarranted anxiety.

I agree. This is why it's better to look at the latest scientific research from biologists and geneticists on the subject rather than relying on old wive's tales from radio operators.

There is a good summary here: Conclusions from the BioInitiative Report 2012

Overall, these 1,800 or so new studies report abnormal gene transcription; genotoxicity and single-and double-strand DNA damage; stress proteins because of the fractal RF-antenna like nature of DNA; chromatin condensation and loss of DNA repair capacity in human stem cells; reduction in free-radical scavengers – particularly melatonin; neurotoxicity in humans and animals, carcinogenicity in humans; serious impacts on human and animal sperm morphology and function; effects on offspring behavior; and effects on brain and cranial bone development in the offspring of animals that are exposed to cell phone radiation during pregnancy. This is only a snapshot of the evidence presented in the BioInitiative 2012 updated report.

My daughter is of child-baring age. I drove to her apartment and spent the day moving her WiFi router from beside her bed where the cable company installed it, to the other side of the building. Cost me four hours and a few dollars in materials. It it helps my future grandchildren in the slightest, it was worth it.

 

[Ian]

I hope there are more robust and reliable reports available on RF hazards. That report presented may well contain scientifically valid material, but it has not been accepted as such. The report has attracted comments such as:

"Science-based medicine is great, but it all depends on how you evaluate the scientific evidence. A bad example is the BioInitiative Report (BIR), an egregiously slanted review of health and biological effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) of the sort that are produced by power lines, cellular telephones, Wi-Fi, and other mainstays of modern life." (Science-Based Medicine)

and...

"It was self-published online, without peer review, on 31 August 2007, by a group 'of 14 scientists, researchers, and public health policy professionals' [...] a 2012 version of the report was released on 7 January 2013. It has been heavily criticized by independent and governmental research groups for its lack of balance." (Only from Wikipedia but with references. There are other damming comments from various national and international organizations referenced.)

and...

"The BioInitiative Report-Misleading Findings Derived from Flawed Procedures" (Radiation Doctor)

I know, I know, we can all swap websites and reports to support our argument and undermine someone else's - and it's not very productive.

Nevertheless, call me naive, but if the proponents believe they have evidence (which they may have) and want to be taken seriously, such studies need to be properly conducted using internationally agreed procedures and published in peer-reviewed journals. That way it is much harder to pooh-pooh results we may not like.

Ian

 

[Charlie Prime]

Haha! Instead of trolling comment sections, spend a few minutes actually looking at the 1,800 scientific studies referenced there.

 

[boomerang]

Like so many technical issues and health, there's grain of truth buried somewhere in all of this that is hard to extract. Take the DOD microwave crowd control device made public some years back. It apparently induces serious physical pain not by heating the skin, buy by stimulating pain receptors using pulsed microwaves. Or so we are told. This is the kind of thing that makes me think there may be info somewhere in the black about possible effects of RF on biological systems of which we are publicly unaware. Frankly, I don't know.

Avoiding all EMF is futile and maybe not even desirable. I don't like unnecessary RF exposure, especially microwaves and especially pulsed microwaves. But I wince a bit when watching those YouTube videos about people sleeping on "earthing sheets" and grounding the sheets to the house wiring etc. This is potentially dangerous. And electrical ground is a complex issue. "Ground" is not necessarily earth ground. And even earth ground can be electrically noisy. I just hope the body-earthing fad blows over before somebody winds up electrocuted !