A guiding question of our research in the WAVEMATTERS project turns around how people learn to be affected by wireless electromagnetic signals that are commonly used for mobile phone communication. The most obvious group of affected people describe themselves as electrohypersensitive (EHS). Electrohypersensitivity is not officially recognized. The World Health Organization, for instance, speaks of an Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance, which means that bodily symptoms cannot be causally related to environmental exposures. Electrohypersensitive people do not agree: they know exactly that they sleep better when they are shielded from electromagnetic waves and fields (EMF).
During the 2023 annual meeting of EHS people in Europe, I meet several people who attribute their bad sleep to EMF. A woman tells me there are days when she does not leave her bed, which is shielded by a baldachin, a canopy that hangs over the top of her bed. In a book about the suffering of EHS people she describes her experiences with silver baldachins in detail:
‘First, I rented one, my sleep got better within a week. There are baldachins from different materials. For me, a fabric from nylon-silver mesh has proven to shield me in the best way. However, a canopy is both a blessing and a curse. If I have used the canopy for several months, the fabric becomes statically charged. The reason for this is the dust that collects in and on the fabric. It is then no longer good for me to stay underneath it. It helps to rinse the canopy in the washing machine with cold water. After a year and a half, the fabric starts to leak. It warps due to the weight of the canopy and the shielding deteriorates. I then have to buy a new one. For 16,000 Euros – quite expensive.’ (Haidlauf 2022: 88, our translation).
Later during the EHS gathering, I have a chat with a small group of participants. We speak about their sleeping problems – ‘I sometimes have sleeping problems, too’, I admit. They are not surprised as they expect that we are all electrosensitive but only become hypersensitive depending on our individual constitution and exposure levels. They recommend that I should rent a baldachin (because they are so expensive) to try how it works for me. They are sure, I would sleep much better. I tell them, I think my sleep problems are not caused by EMF, but other factors like coffee too late in the afternoon or stress. They accept my response, but I suspect they might think I am ‘in denial’. This is how many electrohypersensitives look at non-sensitive people, who keep using their wireless devices everywhere and at all times and will not listen to warning signs like bad night sleep.
(Haidlauf: Die unerlaubte Krankheit. Wenn Funk das Leben beeinträchtigt. Stuttgart: Diagnose.Funk 2022)