Baby, It’s Cold Outside: Electric Blankets and Your Health

Winter is on its way. Temperatures are dropping. No matter how hard you curl your toes on those long, cold, and frosty winter nights, they won’t get any warmer! Electric blankets are a convenient, cost effective way to stay warm during the winter months. But do you need to be concerned about electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure from these appliances?

The answer is an unequivocal yes. Here’s why.

Any electrical appliance emits EMFs. When electricity passes on a wire, it creates an electromagnetic field. EMFs have been linked to an increased risk of cancer and a whole host of other terrible diseases. In 2007, the Bio-Initiative Report reviewed over 2000 published studies on the negative health effects of EMFs on humans and animals. It concluded that there was cause for concern and that the existing standards for public safety were, and still are, completely inadequate.

Electric blankets emit EMFs at levels 5 to 20 times higher than the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed safe level of exposure. (The Trifield 100XE EMF meter can give you readings if you want to know exactly where you stand on this.)

Why Are Electric Blankets So Potentially Dangerous?

Recently, the World Health Organization classified EMFs from cell phones and other devices as possible carcinogens – placing them in the same category as DDT! But electric blankets pose a potentially greater risk than other appliances, such as cell phones, because of two factors.

1. Duration One of the key determinants of the magnitude of the health risk you’re exposed to is the duration of exposure. The longer you’re exposed, the greater the risk. If you sleep under an electric blanket that’s turned on, you’re wrapped (no pun intended) in EMFs through the night. This increases the amount of EMF radiation you’re exposed to by leaps and bounds. Nighttime is also when your body is secreting melatonin, a hormone that protects against cancer. Epidemiological studies have shown that EMFs inhibit its secretion, leading to fatigue, sleepless nights and increased cancer risk.

2. Proximity The rule of thumb with all forms of radiation is: the further you are from the source, the lower your exposure. The EMFs produced by an electric blanket are emitted very close to the body: they penetrate deeper. They also radiate across your whole body, unlike cell phones and other devices. So electric blankets expose you to EMFs for a long duration, perhaps up to 8-10 hours a day in winter, and at close proximity to your body.

This constitutes chronic exposure, and is what makes them so dangerous, especially for pregnant women and children. Children have been shown to absorb more EMF radiation than adults, due to various factors linked to their undeveloped bodies. Studies indicate that women who used an electric blanket around the time of conception and during early pregnancy were nearly twice as likely to miscarry as women who did not.

What Are The Alternatives To Using An Electric Blanket?

Due to these concerns, manufactures have developed “zero magnetic field” blankets. Though these blankets eliminate magnetic fields, they may still emit electric fields. This poses an unnecessary risk to you and your family. There are other more natural alternatives to electric blankets.

* Use an extra blanket or duvet to cover yourself. Fleece sheets and a down duvet are a great way to stay warm over the winter months.

* It’s not very romantic, but you can don a hat and socks in bed.

* Use a hot water bottle, wheat bag, or a rice bag to warm your bed at night.

If you can’t live without your electric blanket, here are a couple of ways to minimize your exposure.

1. Turn the blanket on about 30 minutes before you go to sleep and let it warm the bed. Turn it off before you tuck in and unplug the cord from the socket. This is important; when the blanket is turned off but still plugged in, it emits a powerful electric field.

2. Buy a newer blanket. Though they still pose a risk to your health, newer models radiate less EMFs into your home.

So you see, keeping warm on those winter nights does not have to mean EMF exposure. The other alternative, if you already own an electric blanket, is to lay it over the bed without plugging it in….

Lloyd Burrell went from being very healthy to very electrosensitive in 2002. He now shares his insights on all aspects of EMF protection: EMFs in the workplace and EMFs in the home, including general EMF remediation and smart meter shielding. Lloyd enjoys writing both as a guest blogger and through his own EMF protection website.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside: Electric Blankets and Your Health is a post from: Modern Hippie Mag

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