Low frequency magnetic fields
House wiring and electrical appliances produce magnetic fields. The strength of the magnetic field near an appliance, or the fuse board or meter box, decreases quite quickly as you get further away from it. Typically, the field decreases to the background level found throughout the house within a metre or so.
If you live near a power line or substation, there is information on the magnetic fields near these elsewhere on this site.
Radiofrequency fields WiFi routers, cordless phones and smart meters produce radiofrequency fields. These devices use low power radio transmitters. Even close to them exposures are hundreds or thousands of times lower than recommended limits. There are examples of measurements near a WiFi router and a cordless phone elsewhere on this site.
There are several types of smart meter used in New Zealand, but they all have common features:
Living near a cellsite
Measurements around very many cellsites show that radiofrequency fields in a house near a cellsite are usually at least one hundred times lower than the recommended limit for continuous exposures. In most of the house, they will probably be much lower than this.
Can EMFs in the home be measured?
EMFs in the home can be measured, but in most homes the levels are likely to be very low. If you are concerned by even very low exposures, the simplest ways to reduce them even further are:
Last updated: 18 May 2017
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