Page last updated October 19, 2008.

Magnetic Fields

There are several kinds of EMFs, and you find all the three major kinds at a computer work station. The greatest is magnetic field exposure from the old cathode ray tube style of monitor, which is really a TV set. We would never sit as close to a television set as we do in front of a computer monitor. The best solution is to replace old monitors with a flat screen stand-alone monitor or a laptop. There is a strong magnetic field still at the very base of the flat screen or laptop where the screen light is generated, but it is a very compact field of only a couple of inches, and is generally not harmful to you.

There are also magnetic fields from every transformer you have plugged into the power strip, which extend out about 1-2 feet. Move that power strip away from your toes by at least three or four feet. There are also small magnetic fields from the motor of the hard drive inside the computers, but that is relatively small. Still, you should move a computer tower away from your knees by a few feet. Some really EMF-sensitive people who use a laptop need to plug in a remote keyboard, and they move their laptop away and use it only as a monitor. Also, move the inline transformer for a laptop as far away from you as possible as it, too, has a magnetic field.

Electric Fields

Then there are electric field exposure issues from the 120 Volt AC power cords at your computer work station. You can replace them with a shielded AC power cord from Radio Shack, Part # 61-2860. This is a replacement cord that has a molded plug for the wall outlet at one end and a special molded plug at the other end that plugs into the back of every desktop computer and many desktop monitors, both the old style and flat screen. Unfortunately the power cord from the wall outlet to a laptop transformer is generally not replaceable by the Radio Shack shielded AC power cord, but some do accommodate those cords. If not, coil them up (the portion from the transformer to the wall outlet) as small as possible so they radiate less electric field exposure as a point source rather than stretched out as a line source.

You should coil up any 120 Volt AC power cords to other devices at your computer work station (printer, speaker system) into a small point source rather than a stretched out linear source in order to minimize electric field exposure from those cords you cannot replace with the Radio Shack shielded cord (because the molded plug at the end of it does not fit into the back of the device as it does into the back of a computer tower or monitor).

Wired Versus Wireless (Wi-Fi) Routers and Local Area Networks (LANs)

Finally, you have the issue of how high speed Internet service gets to multiple computers in the same house on the same high speed service. That is called a LAN, or a local area network. It doesn't matter how the data stream gets into the home (DSL over phone lines or cable or satellite). There is no problem with that (unless you have city-wide Wi-Fi, which we do not endorse).

The choice for your LAN within the house is what matters. It can either be the old style wired network, which is fine, or the newer wireless (Wi-Fi) network, which we don't recommend. To see research and news articles on the effects of Wi-Fi on human health, see the page on my website "Cell Phone and Radio Frequency Risks" by clicking here.

You need to check whether you have an antenna at the back of your router, which is the device that distributes your high speed data stream to other computers. If you do have an antenna, you will also have a "Wireless" light on the front of your router. There is a way to turn this off but I need to know the brand of router you have and I can tell you how to do this, or you can contact the technical services department of your router manufacturer and they will walk you through how to do that using your Internet browser to access the control panel of the router.

There is one plug for an Ethernet cable to run from the back of the router to a computer at your desktop. To provide high speed Internet service to other computers in your home without having to use your wireless (Wi-Fi) service, you can purchase what is called a "Fast Ethernet Switch," which has multiple jacks in the back to plug in Ethernet cables for multiple computers. That way you don't need to use the wireless router. You need to run Ethernet cables, which you can purchase from an electronics store, to all the other computers in your house, either desktop or laptop. Every modern computer can accommodate an Ethernet cable for its high speed Internet connection. You can purchase long Ethernet cables, up to 50 to 75 feet, and you can even couple them together using a coupler to make even longer combined cables.

If you don't want cables running down your hallway, you can have an installer put CAT-5e or CAT-6 cables in your walls to create a hardwired Ethernet network throughout the house. He/she can run the cables through the attic or basement to get to each room where you will use a computer, and all anyone has to do is get a 6-foot Ethernet cable and plug their computer into a jack in the wall.

Once you have done all this, you will then need to open the control panel of your computer and click on "Network Connections." You will see an icon for the "LAN or High-Speed Internet," which will say "Connected." If your computer also has a wireless card, you will also see an icon for that. You want to right-click on the wireless icon and make sure you make it "Disabled." You don't want to go to the trouble of having all your computers connected by a hardwired Ethernet cable network but keep the wireless card on, broadcasting out harmful wireless Internet signals from your computer. Even though you disable the wireless signal from your router, you also need to shut off the transmission from your computers, as well.

Protection From EMFs Caused By House Wiring

For steps to protect you and your family from the effects of EMFs from house wiring, see "Tips for a Healthy Home" on this website by clicking here.