Glossary
Baby Monitor - The older analog 900 MHz monitors have been thought to be safer than the newer DECT baby monitors. View Google Images
Blood-Brain Barrier - Protects the brain from various materials. See Neuroscience for Kids.
Bluetooth - This technology is supposedly much lower in strength than a mobile phone but it runs at a much higher frequency (5.8GHz) approaching radar bands of the microwave spectrum, and it is used right at the ear.
CRT Monitor - Cathode Ray Tube - An old-fashioned box-sized computer monitor. View Google Images
DECT - Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications, is a standard for digital cordless home telephones. View Google Images
Dirty Electricity - High frequency energy that pollutes power lines. For more information, see Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity: Biological Effects of Dirty Electricity with Emphasis on Diabetes and Multiple Sclerosis by Magda Havas
Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS), or Microwave Sickness is a condition where people have heightened sensitivity to electromagnetic radiation, such as wireless technologies.
ELF - Extremely Low Frequencies - This includes 50/60Hz of electricity/power lines.
Microwave Ovens - Microwave ovens operate at 2.4 GHz and cause relatively strong levels of microwave leakage. However, the radiation is only during usage, which is usually brief. Microwave ovens are thought to increase the amount of carcinogens in your food.
Mobile Phone - also known as mobile, cell phone, or handphone. This is the handset used to make phone calls wirelessly over a public telephone network.
Mobile Phone base stations - also known as cell towers, mobile phone masts, cell sites. These base stations are part of the infrastructure used to support cell phones. View Google Images. The masts may have a directional beam pattern with sidelobes, exposing certain directions more powerfully than others. Thus, many masts may have 3 sets of antennas (Left), each covering 120 degrees.
Power Density - A measure of microwave radiation, e.g., in terms of Watts per meter squared. This represents the energy over the surface area. The further the distance, the greater the surface area over which the energy is spread.
Radio/TV Broadcast Towers - These towers transmit the radio/microwave signals that we can receive from radio and TV antennae. FM radio operates at 88 MHz to 108 MHz. AM radio operates at 535 kHZ to 1700 kHZ. TV broadcasting is at 54 to 88 MHz or 177 to 220 MHz
RF - RadioFrequences - This term is used to describe electromagnetic fields of high frequencies in the radio/microwave range.
SAR - Specific Absorption Rating - The measurement of energy (in Watts) absorbed in kilograms of human tissue, in the units W/kg. Read more about the SAR rating.
Satellite - Most of the smaller satellite dishes are only receivers and not major risk factors. However, the giant satellite dishes are typically transmitters of high frequencies, and may pose a risk.
Weather Radar - Police radar gun, weather Doppler station, or airplane traffic control, and military applications) ranges from 50MHz to 40GHz. (GHz stands for one billion Hz). 1 GPS operates at 1.2 to 1.6 GHz (but we use the receiver not the transmitter). Radar has been linked to cancer for policemen
Wi-Fi or WLAN - Wi-Fi is a trademark used for wireless local area network (WLAN) devices. View an illustration here. Personal computers, projectors, printers, and Apple's iPod Touch are a few examples of devices taht use Wi-Fi.
WiMAX - Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (802.16) is a recent technology for Broadband Access "last mile" connectivity for computers. It uses frequencies even higher than cell phones. It can be used to reach distances of tens of kilometers, and has been deployed in some major US cities, with now over 170 WiMAX trials or deployment around the world. Perhaps you have a USB dongle to connect to this network. When WiMAX was tested in Gotene, Sweden, residents exposed unaware, supposedly became affected with headaches, difficulty breathing, and blurred vision.