Page 123Dirty Electricity
I’d also like to describe a newly recognized hazard from electromagnetic fields
and mains electricity, thanks to the work of engineer Dave Stetzer and Dr Magda
Havas. It has been christened “dirty electricity” and it affects most homes. Dirty
electricity takes two forms: transient spikes at high frequencies and leakages of
current to ground.
Let’s talk about transient spikes first. Most people know computers and sensitive
equipment need to be protected from sudden high frequencies spikes in the
electrical system (“surges”). They’re very damaging but frequently occur in
mains supply electricity. Indeed neighbor houses and even industry nearby
could be creating dangerous transient spikes in your home, even if you are
clean. So we fit surge protectors, if we are wise, in the power supply to sensitive
equipment.
The thing is that no one has taken these transients seriously as a human health
hazard until now. Yet they are unquestionably harmful. It brings down the
immune system and that is the LAST thing you want in your situation.
So you do need to act.
The aforementioned Dave Stetzer produces a useful meter with which you test
your home for dirty electricity. If the readings are reasonable or within the
normal range you probably don’t have a problem.
If the meter shows you do have a problem, you need to fit some protective
filters. Stetzer Electrical supplies these too. You keep adding filters till the meter
shows the readings are back in the safe zone. Then you can relax.
For Stetzer-Graham supplies, see the link later in this section.
The other kind of “dirty electricity” problem is due to the fact that electrical utility
companies insist on dumping too much current to earth. They do this because
their power lines are hopelessly out of date and simply can’t cope with the huge
electrical burden of modern technical and electronic way of life.
But instead of upgrading their systems, they choose to send more of the return
current into the ground (way beyond what is allowed by law in some locales).
The result is that some places do not have a neutral earth as we understand
it but the ground is already highly charged. In fact this can be dangerous and
a person standing on the floor with their feet and touching a water pipe might