Healthy Building Science Green Festival – San Francisco

The Healthy Building Science Green Festival  booth two weekends ago was a total hit! After the Green Festival we all took a big breathe and dove right into festivities and events for GreenBuild 2012… now we await the air quality results.

It’s been an amazing 10 days. The Green Festival saw thousands of smiling faces and healthy holiday shopaholics. In addition to running some air quality testing for VOCs and formaldehyde, the Healthy Building Science Green Festival booth illustrated Body Voltage Testing and also took Thermal Image (IR) Portraits.

Healthy Building Science tested the air at Green Festival San Francisco for formaldehyde and a number of other common VOCs found indoors.

What is Body Voltage?

What’s Your Body Voltage?

Electromagnetic field (EMF) pollution, or “electrosmog,” is one of the largest environmental experiments laid upon the American public. There’s been a land grab, and every tiny piece of real-estate along the EMF Spectrum has somehow been enfenced and adulterated for use in 21^st century miracles. Humans have occupied all frequency bandwidths all the way up to – and beyond – visible light.

EMF Spectrum – Human Uses Land Grab

EMF Spectrum – Human Uses Land Grab

Body Voltage is a representative measurement of ambient electric field strength. Body voltage is measured in units that quantify relative energetic potential between two points – Voltage (V). Buidling Biologists report Body Voltage in Millivolts (mV), and their Healhty Home Standard considers anything over 100 mV to be severe. During Extremeley Low Frequency (ELF) electric field surveys, it is rare to find Body Voltages below 1000 mV, and Voltages over 3000 mV are not uncommon.

Unlike extremely low frequency magnetic fields, electric fields are very easily interfered with, and, therefore, they are often mitigated with shielding materials. Under certain circumstances even moving 6 inches in bed can result in reduced Body Voltage from 3000 mV to 30mV, so the ancient knowledge of situational awareness is revised to include a connection with environmental influences never before witnessed in the natural world. A little understanding of how 60 Hertz electricity operates allows EMF consultants to manipulate physics and effectively mitigate electric fields with relative ease. The two most effective variables to implement are: 1)eliminate the source, or 2) distance from the source.

Eliminate the EMF Source:

Building Biologists will always advise that source removal is the best option. Common sources of electric fields around a bed may include extension cords, surge protectors, bedside lamps, charger plugs, and clock radios. Ideally these sources are unplugged or otherwise de-energized during sleeping hours. Using a battery powered LED lamp and clock is an easy way to avoid the AC Electric Fields associated with common bedside appliances. Many people manually turn off the circuits around their bed at night. More sophisticated solutions involve installing automatic (or remote) “kill switches” (and relays) that enable users to more effortlessly and conveniently de-energize circuits affecting their sleeping area. A standard Building Biology EMF Assessment involves identifying which circuits have the most impact and should be targeted.

Distance from the Source  – EMF Mitigation 101

If you cannot eliminate the source, you’re left with shielding or distancing yourself from the source. This blog is too short to focus on shielding, but a good rule-of-thumb is to keep at least 6 feet from known, live, unshielded sources of electric fields. So the extension cord under the bed – and any plugged in devices immediately beside the bed – have to either be removed, unplugged, or otherwise de-energized at night when not in use.

Instead of levelly floating through life practicing the precautionary principal we are constantly bombarded with odorless, invisible, and inaudible synthetic energy. Also known as “ElectroSmog.” I can imagine running over the EMF spectrum in a Hummer trying to dodge various intensities of EMF, like running a mine-field, dodging the daily assaults from power lines, wiring errors, cell phones and laptops. Fact is – all the real-estate is already bought up.

What is a Thermal Portrait?

On a lighter note, everyone had fun playing with the thermal imaging camera. The Healthy Building Science Green Festival Thermal Imaging Portrait Booth was a hit!

Smiling and snarling faces were alight in their radiant glow. Minute changes in thermal differentials between surfaces creates for some interesting portraits. Many coming in from the cold had blue (cold) noses and glasses!

We’ll be sending out the IR images to everyone ASAP.

Healthy Building Science will also be posting the air quality testing results from the Green Festival – San Francisco.

Thermal Portraits using an IR Camera