The Electromagnetic Spectrum Surrounding Us Something is happening to the human race which has never happened before in our history. We know there are a lot of new diseases around and we are told things such as it is our diet, our genetics or our pollution, which is causing it. Now we are also told it might be many other things. Sometimes large corporations know the truth about something and hide it. A good example of this was the tobacco companies who knew smoking caused cancer and yet even had advertisements saying smoking was good for us. In the 1920s and 1930s ads were put out which showed models dressed as doctors saying smoking was good for your digestion. Other companies, such as big oil are said to have known years ago pollution was causing global warming. I don’t know of any company which talked extensively about what I am going to mention. Since the last century we have been surrounding ourselves with different types of electromagnetic waves. It is not mentioned very often, but when you watch your television you are releasing electromagnetic waves. Molecules are important to some waves, but not necessary for all to travel. When you hear a sound it is because sound waves need molecules to travel. If we were to take a sound wave and put it out in space, no sound would be detectable by our ears. When we talk about the different types of electromagnetic waves we are talking about electricity and magnetism. The electromagnetic spectrum ranges from very short waves to very long ones. When we talk about long waves, some of these waves can conceivably be larger than the diameter of the earth. Electromagnetic waves operate on frequencies. One of the types of waves we are surrounded by are radio waves. They are the longest and the lowest frequency of all electromagnetic waves. Electromagnetic radiation creates light, but human eyes can only see a portion, a tiny portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. This doesn’t mean other waves are not there, because they certainly are. Cell phone towers are pumping out waves all around us and there has been some talk in the past keeping a cell phone close to your ear can cause brain cancer. I haven’t seen any conclusive test on this subject, but I know one thing for sure, these types of waves are not something we would say are good for you. This is why some people use an ear piece and microphone rather than putting the cell phone up to the ear. I really can’t blame them for this, if I used my cell phone often I would do the same thing. I am only an infrequent user of the cell phone however, so I’m not too worried about this particular kind of electromagnetic radiation. One of the things most of us think of as being totally innocuous is our television’s remote control. Most of us don’t even realize it operates on electromagnetic waves, infrared light waves to be exact. We are not able to see the beam coming out of the remote towards the sensor on the television or cable box, but it is there nevertheless. Scientists use infrared to detect heat, even the smallest amount can be detected this way. We know humans can be hurt by infrared, ultraviolet and even high-energy visible light. Near infrared waves cannot be felt by the human body which makes them dangerous to us. It can raise the temperature in our eyes for example and cause damage, because our eyes will not detect it. Prolonged exposure can lead to severe eye damage. One of the most dangerous types of waves are gamma rays. They have the smallest wavelength. They are the most destructive force in the universe and are created on earth by lightning, nuclear explosions and radioactive decay. These waves on earth can cause cell damage and even kill you. I think those of us old enough to remember Chernobyl know many of the workers who first responded died within a couple of weeks from exposure to radiation which released gamma rays. If we had a gamma ray explosion within about 100 light years from earth, we could be in a lot of trouble. Most of us have probably had x-rays. An x-ray has a short wavelength this wavelength is so small it could be as small as an atom of some elements. Every time an x-ray is taken these waves are released. Our bones being denser than our skin will absorb more of the x-rays. X-rays from space are blocked by our atmosphere. In the beginning, when x-ray machines were first invented, many scientists and doctors didn’t realize how dangerous x-rays were and used them profusely even on themselves to demonstrate the power of the machine and most of them unfortunately gave themselves cancer. While x-rays are very handy for detection in the field of medicine and even for detecting problems with machines and for detecting objects in space, they are very dangerous. Every time you use your microwave oven you are using microwaves on the products you are heating up. A microwave can range from the size of a dot to about 12 inches long. They are used not only for heating food, but for communications which means they are in the atmosphere around us. Soon there will be new waves added to our atmosphere and these will be electromagnetic waves conducting wireless electricity. This idea goes back to Nikola Tesla who transmitted wireless electricity in 1899 outside the building he was working in and lit lightbulbs. One has to wonder what effect adding waves which carry electricity into our atmosphere will have. How do we know what these waves may be doing to our body? True, they may not affect us at all, but on the other hand have these ideas been sufficiently tested scientifically with our health in mind? I don’t think so. I know people who live near high tension electrical lines sometimes complain of many different maladies and blame these lines on them. The companies who own the lines are quick to say the lines have been scientifically tested to show they do not harm humans. Remember those early cigarette commercials? That’s all I have to say. |
