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Transcript

Electricity is all around us all the time.​

It makes our lives easier, safer, more fun,​

and most of us never think about it.​

But is there such a thing as too much electricity?​

Could the thing that is the foundation of the modern world​

slowly be killing us?​

Before we dive deeper,​

let’s try to understand what electricity is,​

and how it affects us.​

Electricity is the movement of an electric charge.​

This movement generates ​​Electric​ and ​Magnetic Fields​

that spread out through space and carry energy.​

We call this phenomenon:​ ​​​Electromagnetic Radiation​.​

Radiation is a word that makes people very nervous.​

But, to radiate just means, “giving off”.​

Like when the radiator in your house gives off heat​

in the form of infrared radiation.​

Different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum​

correspond to different types of radiation.​

And, many of them are perfectly harmless.​

Some of them can be dangerous though.​

Radiation with very short wavelengths​

like UV Light, X-Rays, and Gamma Rays​

are strong enough to rip electrons out of their atoms,​

which can cause burns and genetic damage.​

This is what many people have in mind when they hear the term “radiation”.​

The rest of the spectrum covers a large range of longer waves​

from Visible Light, Infrared,​

Microwaves, to Radio Waves.​

This is the kind of radiation that’s emitted by all sorts of human technology.​

Mobile phones, Wi-Fi routers,​

electric power lines, and household appliances.​

This radiation doesn’t disrupt molecules in our body.​

However, some kinds of radiation can stimulate muscles and nerves​

and can also make the hair on your body vibrate,​

which can sometimes cause a tingly feeling above certain threshold values.​

Other kinds are useful for making dinner.​

Microwaves push the water molecules in your food around​

which warms it up.​

This happens to us all the time.​

For example, the pleasant warmth you feel at the beach​

is your skin heating up from exposure to​

electromagnetic infrared radiation from the sun.​

We are surrounded by natural, and generally harmless,​

sources of electromagnetic radiation all the time​

and always have been.​

But, since the Industrial Revolution,​

we have added a lot of it to our immediate environment.​

The question of whether this is actually dangerous​

first got public attention when a 1979 study​

linked leukemia to living near power lines.​

This particular study was quickly discredited though.​

The connection could not be explained​

and no direct causal link was confirmed.​

But once this had been proposed, the idea persisted.​

And the thousands of studies about possible dangers​

illustrate that it’s still seen as a very real threat.​

A lot of people claim to be sensitive to the radiation​

coming from our appliances and cell phones.​

They report symptoms like headaches,​

nausea, skin reactions,​

burning eyes, or exhaustion.​

But those are just effects reported on a day-to-day basis.​

A few studies have found much more unsettling results.​

Like, possible connections between the side of the brain,​

which people use when they are on their phones,​

and the appearance of brain tumors.​

The question that science is trying to answer,​

is not so much about the acute effects of irradiation.​

We know, for example,​

that x-rays cause immediate damage to the DNA in your cells​

but that the same doesn’t happen with radio waves.​

The question is rather:​

Is the sort of weak electromagnetic radiation we are constantly surrounded by​

harmful in the long run as a result of some as-yet-unknown mechanism?​

Answering this question was much harder than we first thought.​

There are thousands of primary sources,​

reports, and statements by an onslaught of different organizations.​

So, we read a lot for this video.​

You can take a look at our research in the video description.​

What we found is that this debate is a good example​

of how science should be communicated and how it shouldn’t.​

Many of the much-cited studies that spread panic about electromagnetic radiation​

are highly controversial.​

For example,​

a series of population studies based on surveys and self-reporting.​

What this means is, for example,​

asking brain tumor patients how much they think they used their phone in the last few years.​

The problem is that people are unreliable.​

We tend to misremember things or can be influenced easily.​

On top of this,​

studies or media reports may be cherry picking the findings that best suit their opinion​

or make for the most exciting headline.​

For example,​

a study looking for cancer in rats and mice from cell phone radiation.​

The results seemed to show a connection.​

But, for some reason, only in male rats.​

And, none at all in mice.​

But it was ​​reported​ as if this study did prove​

that mobile phone radiation causes cancer.​

Unfortunately, this is the case for studies with both positive and negative findings on the issue.​

Another aspect, is that the WHO did officially classify radio frequency fields​

as possibly carcinogenic.​

But what this actually means​

is that there are some hints that they might cause cancer,​

but we can’t prove it, and that we will keep an eye out.​

So, if we zoom out a bit, what’s the big picture?​

On the whole,​

there was no consistent evidence in human studies​

that electromagnetic radiation below exposure value limits causes health problems.​

There are some statistical associations​

but they’re mostly weak and inconsistent.​

If there were any definite cause-effect relations​

we would know by now because of all the data we have.​

So, based on the current state of science,​

should you worry about the radiation from your laptop, or cell phone, or TV?​

The answer is no.​

You shouldn’t.​

But what about the people who say it ​​is​ harming them?​

Research show they could be experiencing​ ​what’s known as the ​​Nocebo Effect​.​

If you have a headache and happen to start feeling better right when you switch off your laptop,​

you might see a connection between those two things.​

Once you get this suspicion, the idea alone that weak radiation might harm you​

could be the very thing harming you.​

It’s easy to belittle these people;​

most of them feel they’re not being taken seriously,​

which makes the situation even worse for them.​

They should get support.​

But, it’s important to be aware that, so far,​

we have no robust evidence that electricity below safety limits has any negative effect on humans.​

In the attention economy we live in,​

talking about unproven dangers can make us neglect things that we know for sure are bad for us.​

Just one example:​

Outdoor air pollution is linked to 4.2 million premature deaths each year,​

and is definitely something we could have a real impact on today.​

Still, to make people feel safe, and just to make sure,​

there are several long-term studies ongoing already.​

For example, the Cosmos study that will look at the possible health impacts of cell phone use​

by exactly measuring frequency and duration of phone calls.​

But while we wait for the conclusion of these long-term studies,​

there are a lot more pressing problems to focus on.​