Introduction

I am a holistic Realtor and Building Biology/EMF consultant serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metro area. A client recently purchased a home, and I recommended a Swiss Shield EMF canopy for their young daughter’s bedroom because the tightly spaced subdivision has numerous smart meters and wireless devices, as well as a nearby cell tower.

The family has taken extensive steps to reduce indoor RF exposure, including eliminating Wi-Fi, hardwiring devices, and limiting wireless phone use. The canopy has effectively reduced RF exposure. However, after their daughter slept inside it for about a week, they reported unusual sensory reactions.

During my pre-purchase EMF assessment, ambient AC electric fields in the bedrooms measured approximately 3–5 V/m using a Gigahertz Solutions NFA-1000. At a follow-up assessment, body-voltage testing produced an unexpected result:

• Outside the canopy: approximately 1,000 mV AC
• Inside the six-sided canopy: approximately 2,000 mV AC
• With household breakers off: approximately 50–60 mV AC
• Primary contributing circuits: the HVAC air handler and dryer; their wiring likely runs through the floor assembly, and the production builder did not use metal-clad cable

My working hypothesis is that the body is capacitively coupling to energized wiring despite the relatively low ambient field readings, and that the canopy may be affecting this coupling. My understanding is that Swiss Shield fabric is nonconductive and cannot be grounded. I use a groundable canopy in my own home, but it provides less RF attenuation.

Questions

• Have you encountered this effect with Swiss Shield canopies, especially in second-story bedrooms?
• What mitigation strategies would you recommend?
• Could this canopy be returned or exchanged for a conductive, groundable model that attenuates both AC electric fields and RF?

I would appreciate any technical guidance. Please feel free to call me if discussing this by phone would be easier.

Answer

We recommend installing Swiss Shield canopies only in low-electric-field environments: ideally below 100 mV of body voltage or below 1 V/m of potential-free electric field. Lower readings are preferable. The concern here is elevated electric-field exposure.

The recommended solution is to switch off the circuits contributing to the elevated readings around the sleeping area. This will likely produce better results than replacing the canopy with a conductive model.

SLT Support

Book your free EMF consult click here.