Is your Property in a Strong Radio Frequency Field?

 

HaShem looks after our health, He also commanded us to look after it ourselves: VeNishmarted Me'od LeNafshosechem - ונשמרתם מאד לנפשותכם. One of the areas that has been frequently debated is the issue of radiation, whether there is a tangible risk and what can be done to prevent its effects.

 

Every day we are bombarded by radio waves. It matters not whether we are at home, at work or out in the open air, each of us comes into contact with a veritable tangle of radio transmission sources, both natural and manmade, as we go about our daily routines. On the list of radiation 'emitters' are items like mobile 'phones and Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) PC monitors (LCD or LED screens emit much less radiation). According to a recent study by US and Swedish scientists, radiation from mobile 'phones may in fact be enough to interrupt our sleep patterns - even when no calls are coming through.

 

Outside we have to contend with radiation from power and wireless telephone masts and, increasingly, from the electronic 'smog' of WiFi communications. WiFi is a mode of wireless communication that allows remote connectivity between a network and wireless laptop computers, PDAs (=Personal Digital Assistants) and mobile 'phones. Many UK towns and cities are now setting up public access WiFi technology across the urban area. Known as WiFi hotspots or clouds, they provide the ability to connect at many different locations - hotels, cafes, airports, parks etc. - without the need for equipment to be physically plugged into a cable or 'phone line.

 

Radio emissions from WiFi technology are likely to be of great concern in the future. But right now the focus for those worried about the affects of radio waves on human health is on the means by which mobile phone signals are transmitted and received. I am of course talking about mobile telephone masts. 

 

Mobile telephone masts

Questions were first raised in the 1990s as to the health impact of mobile phone masts on those living close by to them. A concentration of radio waves in the vicinity of the masts, it was feared, could have harmful effects. Indeed, there seemed a clear case to answer when studies in the late 90's and early 2000's revealed a higher than normal rate of cancer being reported in areas clustered close to mobile phone masts.

More recent studies however seem to have discredited the link. They have cited other external and environmental factors as the cause. That said, there is still no definitive proof, one way or the other. Given that many hundreds of thousands of homes across the UK reside in the radiation 'smog' surrounding mobile phone masts, should homeowners be concerned?

Living in a strong radio frequency field

'Yes', homeowners should be concerned claim Mast Sanity -- the UK's leading opposition organisation to the siting of mobile phone masts near homes and schools. They point to expert opinion and studies independent of telephone operators that cast doubt on research findings which claim to categorically deny that health risks exist from mobile phone mast radiation. The body of evidence they point to is substantial and shows that not only can radiation from mobile phone masts increase cancer risk, but exposure to the radiation can cause a wide variety of illnesses including headaches, skin rashes, nausea and epilepsy.

A petition to the Prime Minister has been organised by the group that calls on the government to put safeguards in place to ensure no persons will be harmed through radiation exposure from mobile phone handsets, masts and WiFi technology.

On the other side of the fence, the Mobile Operators Association (MOA), which represents the UK's five mobile phone networks, takes the opposite viewpoint. They cite the thirty or so studies that underline an absence of risk to the public from mobile phone radiation / mast radiation, so long as radio frequency (RF) fields are at or below the international guidelines on exposure limits -- which they are for the UK's network of base stations and masts.

But who do you believe? If you're like the majority then you're probably of the opinion that the jury's still out on making a decision! Caution on both arguments could well be the best policy - especially when powerful conglomerates have a vested interest of keeping the public in the dark, as they stand to lose potentially billions as a result of negative reports about this issue.  

Protecting your property against RF emissions

If you live in close proximity to a mobile phone mast and feel the need to act against the unit's potentially harmful RF emissions, your best course of action is to form a campaign to lobby the council or local government with a view to having the mast removed or relocated. In terms of protecting your property you can reduce trespass of emissions into your rooms by lining walls with aluminium foil. Failing that you can apply a carbon paint to your walls, one variety of which claims to deflect 98% of incoming radiation from mobile phone masts. Magnetic paint may also be used to absorb radio waves and prevent them from entering your property.

 

 

So far, with the link between mobile phone mast radiation and illnesses in those living nearby still unproven by mainstream science, no real knock-on effect has been observed in the value of property in affected areas. The question is, do you gamble on staying where you are or do you move? The choice is yours.

 

 

 

 

Effects of Damp on Property Structures

In my last article Damp Dangers I talked about the effects of damp environments on people's health. Here I want to switch the focus to the building structure itself. When buildings suffer damp, either by way of rainwater penetration or through rising damp from the ground, the materials the structure is comprised of may become compromised. This damage may show itself both externally and internally. In the very worst of cases it could cause the property to become unstable and therefore dangerous to live in.

 

External damp damage

As most damp problems originate from outside the building, damage to external walls tends to become evident before any effects are detected internally. Usually, damp penetrates through defective brickwork, pointing and stonework. If brick faces are decayed because of long-term exposure to the elements, they will allow moisture to enter the brickwork and take up residency in the property's structure. As well as the obvious entry points for moisture in the walls -- i.e. cracked or broken bricks / stones / render -- look out too for rebated mortar joints; blown, cracked and shelled brick faces, and algae attaching itself to the surface of brickwork. These are all sure-fire signs that moisture is entering the property structure.

 

Once inside the walls moisture begins to eat away at the integrity of the structure. Freeze-thaw of moisture in the wintertime is a particular problem as water expands in volume when frozen. Repeated freeze-thaw systematically destroys external walls, widening the gaps in which moisture can enter the building, so helping the damp to drive inwards to internal walls.

 

Internal damp problems

The first sign of damp trouble inside a property is normally found on the inside of westerly and southerly facing external walls - in our parts of the world, which is in the Northern hemisphere. Rainwater driven in from outside penetrates to the inner wall, often breaking down plaster into cracks and flakes and allowing mould to develop on the internal wall surface. When this happens you know you've got a problem!

 

High humidity coupled with poor ventilation promotes mould growth in damp areas of a property. In the winter, when the room temperature is high, particularly in smaller rooms or spaces that do not have windows to allow fresh air flow, mould takes hold quickly, discolouring and damaging the surface on which it grows. Remember: fungus likes damp, dark places where it can grow safely, as exposure to air for long periods it cannot dry out easily.

Independent of penetrating damp, but just as much of an issue is condensation, which again thrives in poorly ventilated rooms with moisture sources. WCs are particularly vulnerable here. For example a WC with a double radiator installed and no window is a recipe for disaster. Why? Because the cold water pipe from the mains, which passes through this room, creates a clash: the warm air hits the ice cold pipe, causing the air to condensate. If this happens around the clock, you will see a wet pipe with a puddle on the floor. Eventually the walls near this pipe will start showing signs of mould; plaster starts becoming powdery, paint peels off from the pipes and/or the wall - which turn a green colour - and water seeps through the wall underneath wall tiles.

 

Condensation affects other rooms too. Kitchens are especially vulnerable, as are bedrooms (if not ventilated) and any room in which clothes are hung to dry, particularly if they are hung over radiators to dry. You may notice in these rooms plasterboard becoming 'blown up', and chipboard starting to "rise".

 

Protecting your property from the effects of damp

All buildings must be allowed to breathe. This means ensuring rooms are well ventilated, have low moisture content and do not have moisture 'sealed in' to the walls courtesy of non-breathable surface coverings.

 

So, what action should you take? In the first instance, landlords and homeowners must be proactive in checking external walls for signs of damage. Regular checks and preventative / repair work should be carried out to keep brick faces and mortar free from penetrating moisture.

 

Inside the property, homeowners and tenants must take responsibility for controlling condensation. For example, in small rooms, radiator valves should be turned down and doors left open to keep the air from stagnating. Where possible, open a window or skylight to promote better movement of air around the rooms. You could also consider installing dehumidifiers in some of the worst affected rooms.

 

If the problem occurs in larger spaces, check if there is a window / skylight that has been left open or is not properly sealed. A continual supply of cold air could be interacting with the warm air created from the radiator and together they "stick" to the cold water pipes and surfaces in these rooms.

 

To deal with condensation problems in larger spaces, turn the radiator(s) in the rooms down to a minimum and fit lagging to the pipe. For our purposes, lagging a pipe means to wrap a pipe that conducts hot or cold water. The material is a rigid foam available from your local DIY store. It is tubular in shape and is scored across its length. The score opens up to a slit, which then allows you to insulate the pipe. This protects the pipe from coming into contact with air at different temperatures and with different moisture content.