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Building Biology Quick Guide

What EMF levels are safe, and how many lights on my meter is bad? These are commonly asked questions. Some would say the short answer is there are no safe non-native EMF levels, and others say non-ionising EMF's present no danger. One thing we can all agree on is that natural background EMF levels aren't just health-supportive but vital for our survival.


If our goal is to reap the rewards of tapping into natural EMF's, noise free, then as far as standards or limits go, Building Biology is posed for the win as their limits sit by far the closest to natures background noise floor. Unlike the more commonly used and highly outdated industry set EMF levels, backed by government authorities, the Building Biology guidelines are anchored around long term biological effects of electromagnetic radiation.

Building Biology Evaluation Guidelines For Sleeping Areas (SBM-2015)
Building Biology Evaluation Guidelines For Sleeping Areas (SBM-2015)

The "V/m" screening handheld values above are specific to the MITO METER 2.0 [EURO] and ENV RD-10 [AU] meters.

* The meters measures down to approximately 0.5 µW/m²/0.0005mW/m2. Allow for extra distance or shielding.

** The meter measures down to approximately 1-2 V/m.

Allow 1-2 meters of extra distance from the source at the first green light to account for voltage drop-off.




RF Mode: Building Biology Guidelines

Our MITO METER 2.0 [EURO] and ENV RD-10 [AU] screening meters detect down to -60 dBm ( approximately 0.5 µW/m²), slightly less sensitive than professional RF meters, which measure below 0.1 µW/m². (0.0001 mW/m²) However, they are effective for screening RF environments.


Most RF broadband meters struggle with accuracy when measuring multiple RF sources. Even top-tier meters can’t calculate precisely in dense RF areas — only real-time spectrum analyzers can. For general assessment, RF broadband meters remain the simplest option.


Ideally, you don’t want any LED lights on RF Mode in your bedroom, or even better, no detectable signals from standing outside of your home, but this is rare today, even in rural areas. 

LFM Mode: Building Biology Guidelines


For a restorative sleep and vivid dreaming, aim to sleep in an environment with less than 0.2 mG / 20 nT of background magnetic fields from the PowerGrid.

In Australia, the best environments we have found are properties that sit on non-fluctuating A/C fields around 0.05 mG / 5 nT 24/7. (Single axis) Properties this low are mainly rural in location but can still be found in pockets around cities.

The MITO METER 2.0 [EURO] and ENV RD-10 [AU] are designed to provide precise readings at 50/60Hz and weighted for higher frequencies in such a way to enhance magnetic field readings from smartwatches, phones, laptops, vehicles, and electronic devices to more effectively find problematic areas.



LFE Building Biology Guidelines


As far as sleeping areas go, even if you have one green light on the MITO/RD-10 in LFE Mode it places you in the serve concern Building Biology E-Field category. (Electric)


Its important to keep in mind that the MITO/RD-10's in LFE Mode only measures down to approximately 1 V/m. Ideally, we should measure down to at least 0.3 V/m (300mV/m) if we are serous about following the highly stringent German Building Biology guidelines. There are a few ways to get around the limited E-Field sensitivity of MITO/RD10 meters, even though they are the most senstive 3-in-1 e-feild EMF meters in the world. If budget permits, purchase a dedicated profesional e-Field meter like the Gigihertz Solutions ME3851A. (€540) Or you could hire a Building Biology EMF specialist to conduct an on-site survey. As a rule of thumb, you could also work off the inverse square law of the e-Field drop off and make sure you have no LED lights on your meter in LFE Mode within one to two meters from your bed. Try turning off ALL your wireless devices and bedroom power circuits at the switchboard, as in some cases, that's all it takes to get electric fields down to Building Biology levels. Lighting circuits are usually the worst. Note that it is not always possible to reach these low levels with some properties and that the elimination process may require an electrician and/or a shielding solution.



Please contact Blake's if you would like the contact details of a Building Biology EMF specialist in your area.


Related Links


Bio Initiative Report; https://bioinitiative.org/report/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/BioInitiativeReport2012.pdf


Building Biology guidelines and testing methods;

https://buildingbiology.com/building-biology-standard/

Australasian Society of Building Biologists

https://www.asbb.org.au/




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