You always hear it from your best friend or read it in the newspaper: do not put your smartphone in your pocket, do not place your laptop on your lap, switch off the WLAN router overnight and keep your distance from the induction cooker. But what is there to these warnings?

In fact, all electrical devices generate electromagnetic fields (EMF). Mobile phone systems, WLAN transmitters and wireless technology such as smartphones, laptops, tablets, Bluetooth headphones, etc. add electromagnetic radiation (electrosmog), which puts a massive strain on our bodies and can harm us in the long term. This has now been proven by around 1,000 scientific studies conducted by researchers all over the world.

Study overview excerpt


Many manufacturers of electrical and digital equipment refer to electromagnetic fields (EMF) or high-frequency radiation in user manuals' warnings and safety instructions and recommend safety measures. Here are a few examples at a glance:

Induction cookers

Induction cookers generate a strong electromagnetic field (EMF) to produce heat. Anyone cooking on an induction cooker should therefore actually keep a distance of at least 30 centimetres to reduce exposure to the electromagnetic field. But how is that supposed to work when cooking? Experts also advise using pots that fit the induction plates perfectly. If the pots are too small, even stronger magnetic fields are created all around, which radiate directly onto the body. For this reason, people with a pacemaker, for example, are instructed to talk to their doctor before using an induction cooker.

Microwaves

The microwave was one of the first domestic appliances to use high-frequency radiation. But what housewife was already concerned about high-frequency radiation in the '80s? And the fact that most microwave manufacturers recommend keeping a distance from the appliance in their instruction manuals was usually not questioned further anyway – and at some point was no longer adhered to. Microwaves are still used in almost 80 percent of all households in Germany.

Some appliance manufacturers point out that radiation can escape through a leaking microwave door and that the microwave must not be used in such a case. In fact, the housing of a microwave acts as a shield for microwave radiation. Damage to or gaps in the housing (such as through the door) can cause radiation to escape, which can be harmful to health in the long term.

WLAN router

WLAN radiation is also in a similarly high frequency range as microwave radiation. In the operating instructions for the Telekom WLAN router, for example, Telekom points out that you should avoid setting up the device in the immediate vicinity of bedrooms and children's rooms due to electrosmog exposure.



Many manufacturers follow the guidelines of the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) in their safety information. However, the ICNIRP has been heavily criticised for years because its recommendations are completely outdated and inadequate – especially for the latest technology standards.

Do the limit values protect us?


Therefore, experts advise not to stay in the immediate vicinity of the router for too long, to keep at least one metre away from the WLAN router and to completely switch off the router and wireless devices overnight.

Mobile phones and smartphones

Mobile phones and smartphones also have warnings and safety instructions in their operating instructions. These can usually be found directly in the smartphone's settings (phone info, legal information). For example, the information on the iPhone states that you should use hands-free devices or headphones to keep your distance from the iPhone and thereby reduce exposure to radiation.

Other manufacturers such as Samsung suggest not carrying the phone directly on the body. It is also recommended to keep the phone away from sensitive areas of the body and to maintain a minimum distance.

But the reality is different. Most people carry their smartphone directly on their body, in their trouser or jacket pocket, for several hours a day.

5 reasons to switch off your smartphone

Baby monitor

Baby monitors use wireless technology to enable audio or video transmissions between the baby's room and other rooms. Most operating instructions warn that the unit should be placed at an appropriate distance from the baby's cot to reduce exposure to electromagnetic radiation (electrosmog). Most instruction manuals warn against placing the device directly by the baby's cot. Instead, the baby monitor should be placed at least 2 metres away from the baby to minimise the baby's exposure to electrosmog.

Even the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), which mostly only follows the inadequate recommendations of the ICNIRP, writes on its website regarding the use of baby monitors: "Use devices with the lowest-possible field intensity. If possible, do not use range control, where the transmitter in the children's room transmits continuously (...). Ensure the greatest possible distance between the device and the child's bed (...)."

Conclusion:
1. Many appliance manufacturers refer in their safety instructions to the electromagnetic radiation (electrosmog) or electromagnetic fields (EMF) emitted by the respective appliance and advise an appropriate distance between the appliance and the body.

2. Manufacturers usually follow the guidelines of the ICNIRP or the BfS. However, both organisations have been criticised for years for working with completely outdated data that does not meet the latest technology standards such as 5G.

3. Our recommendation: Use digital equipment only when absolutely necessary and ensure that the effects of electromagnetic radiation are compensated. The memon technology provides an effective and sustainable solution for this.

To the products