Is Electromagnetic Frequency radiation (EMF) dangerous?

Electromagnetic radiation falls into two main groups – ionising radiation and non-ionising radiation.

Ionising radiation is where the radiation emitted from a source has enough energy to remove an electron from an atom or molecule. In a biological system ionising radiation can cause DNA damage and has long been recognised as dangerous to humans. Sources of ionising radiation are the radioactive elements such as uranium or radon as well as X-rays and CT scans.

Non-ionising radiation does not have enough energy to remove an electron from an atom or molecule and has for a long time been seen as ‘safe’ to humans. Sources of non-ionising radiation include: microwaves, Wi-Fi, mobile phones, power lines – pretty much any electrical device will emit some form of non-ionising radiation or EMF.

There is rising awareness of the effect EMF may have on humans with many people recognising that they may be sensitive to EMF and the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2011 changed its listing for EMF to ‘possibly carcinogenic to humans’ – the same grouping as for lead.