A study of the effects of Magnetic, Electric, and RF fields on growth rate of mold exposed vs a control sample left outside in nature with no exposure.
Show Notes
By Daniel Stih, BSE, CMC, CIEC
HealthyLivingSpaces.com www.DanielStih.com
Overview : To study the effects of Magnetic, Electric, and RF fields on the growth rate of mold exposed to fields vs a control sample left outside in nature with no exposure. (The outdoor plate likely had some exposure to cellular from distant sources. There was no Wifi or electric sources.)
Experimental Design & Procedure
Sample Preparation Equipment & Supplies:
MEA agar plates from the laboratory, Anderson sampler, Bio Primary Standard calibrator, vane high flow vacuum pump, alcohol swabs to clean the equipment prior to sampling, stop watch.
Sample Preparation procedure:
The plates were prepared by impacting 113 liters of air of outdoor air onto each of them using an Anderson sampler calibrated with a digital Bio primary standard calibration tool. Air sampling is used as it’s practical and allows one to observe growth rates over time vs other sampling methods.
Sample Randomization
After being collected outdoors, the 10 samples were randomized using a random number generator into 5 groups or two, to minimize variability inherit with air sampling.
EMF Measurement Equipment
- A W.F. Bell 4010 was used to measure A/C magnetic fields.
- Electric fields were measured using the Body Voltage method with a multimeter, one end connected to ground as reference.
- The WiFi signal was not characterized for field strength or frequencies. The unit was operating and transmitting at typical low and high bands for Wifi in residential buildings.
Sample Conditions
Two (2) samples were placed in each of the following conditions and locations:
-
Exposed to A/C Electric fields by placing the plates on a table in the living room next to an electrical cord plugged in. The cord was placed on the table next to the plates. The magnetic field in this location is ambient - what’s normal for the building.
- 2.7 Volts (2,700 mV)
- 1.0 mG ambient
- RF ambient
- Exposed to A/C Magnetic fields by taping the plates to the cover of the fuse box.
- Note: it was interesting to note that while the A/C magnetic field was high at the fuse box, the body voltage was lower than what’s typically found near electric cords plugged into a wall. This is likely as the metal cover for the fuse box and the box is grounded, providing shielding from electric wires inside the box. An interesting natural phenomenon about EMFs - while grounded metal can be used to shield/reduce electric fields, it’s not as easy to shield or reduce magnetic fields. Magnetic fields are not affected by grounding. The 600 mV observed is therefore not due to sources inside the fuse box, rather to wires in walls outside of it - there is a light switch on the wall two feet to one side of the fuse box for lights in the hallway in that location.
- 0.6 Volts (600 mV)
- 15- 60 mG. (Normally 15 mG. Varied depending of use of power. 60 mG+ when air-conditioner/ heater blower running, otherwise approximately 15 mG.)
- RF ambient
- Exposed to RF (high frequency radiation) by placing the plates on top of the WiFi router.
- Note: In hindsight this will have exposed the plates to some elevated level of magnetic field and electric fields due to proximity to the power transformer and electric cord for the WiFi equipment. The experiment tool place in the middle unit of a 6-unit condominium duplex.
- Note: These plates were exposed to both a high level of RF as well as elevated levels of electric fields. In regard to magnetic fields, while not as high as what the plates at the fuse box were exposed, elevated levels of magnetic fields due to the power transformer in the WiFi equipment.
- 3.2 Volts (3,200 mV)
- 1.5 - 3.5 mG. (1.5 mG with interment pulses to 3.5 mG from the WiFi unit. An average of 2.5 mG is used in the data table that follows.)
- Elevated RF. Assumed, not quantified.
-
Shielded from Electric fields by placing the plates on a sheet of conductive Velostat material connected to a cord plugged in to the electrical ground. The magnetic field in this location is ambient, what’s normal for the building.
- 1.0 mG ambient
- 0 Volts
- RF ambient
-
Outside, in Nature, 30 minutes from town
- 0.0 mG (as measured with the meter)
- Volts (Not measured. Assumed to be 0. No visible power lines)
- RF (Not measured. No Wifi present. limited cellular coverage)
| Sample Location & Conditions | Electric Field (mVolts) | Magnetic Field (mG) | RF |
| Plates on a table in living room next to an electrical cord. | 2,700 | 1.0 | Ambient |
| Plates at cover of the fuse box | 600 | 15 - 60 | Ambient |
| Plates placed on the top of the WiFi router. | 3,200 | 2.5 | Extreme |
| Plates on a sheet of conductive Velostat connected to a cord plugged into ground (shielding from electric fields) | |||
| Outside in nature, 30 minutes from town, no power lines | Assumed 0 | 0.0 | No WiFi. Limited cellular coverage |
The plates were allowed to sit in under the measured conditions for 7 days.
Observations & Conclusions
Table 1: Mold Colony Counts After 1 Week of Exposure
| Plate Counts | |||||
| Sample # | # White Colonies | #Yellow Colonies | # Green Colonies | # Black Colnies | Comments and types of mold present based on sampling a few of the colonies |
| Electric Fields 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | Black is Stachybotrys. Yellow is Aspergillus sp. |
| Electric Fields 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | Green are Asp/Pen-like | |
| Magnetic Fields 1 | 3 | 7 | |||
| Magnetic Fields 2 | 2 | ||||
| RF WiFi 1 | 1 | 3 | |||
| RF WiFi 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Black is Cladosporium | |
| NO Electric (Grounded) 1 | 1 | 7 | |||
| NO Electric (Grounded) 2 | 2 | 2 | |||
| Outside in nature 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | Black Alternaria | |
|
Outside in nature 2
|
1 | 2 | 1 | Black Torrula. | |
Table 2: Total Colony Counts by Sample Type
| Sample Type | Sample 1 | Sample 2 | Average Total Colonies |
| Electric Fields | 7 | 7 | 7.0 |
| Magnetic Fields | 10 | 2 | 6.0 |
| RF WiFi | 5 | 6 | 5.5 |
| No Electric (Grounded) | 9 | 4 | 6.5 |
| Outside in Nature | 8 | 5 | 6.5 |
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END OF DAY 6, OUTSIDE NOT YET INCLUDED
Q. Is there a difference based on only considering total CUFs?
A. Yes.
- Some exposures (Electric Fields) appear to correlate with increased growth; others less.
- RF / WiFi had the lowest growth.
- Comments: The Rf/Wifi plates had condensation on the lids (as did the outdoor samples). It’s not known whether that and/or lack of light or something else were factors. Consider the samples were exposed to high electric and slightly increased magnetic fields, in addition to the RF, from the power source to the WiFi. If the previous is true (electric fields correlate with increased growth) there should have caused an increase in growth regardless of condensation and/or light factors. Consider that mold hidden in walls in a house will be in the dark and might have condensation under wet conditions or another a similar, related variable, in which case it’s a moot point - that would meant that even if EMFs effect growth rate, unless mold is out in the open, those factors will not affect growth.
- Grounding (no electric exposure) appears to result in healthier microbial profiles (more green colonies, fewer black colonies). Being grounded is HEALTHIER FOR MOLD as well as humans.
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END OF DAY 7, ALL SAMPLES (OUTSIDE INCLUDED)
Q: Based on the total counts, not colors, is there a difference - did one set of plates (sample type) grow more than the other?
A: Yes — based on total colony counts only (ignoring colors), there are differences between the sample types (conditions) as follows:
- Electric Fields had the highest consistent total growth.
- Magnetic Fields were the most variable.
- Grounded and Nature samples had a moderate average, with variation between replicates.
- RF WiFi had the lowest average total colony count.
Yes — some sets of plates did grow more or less than others, when looking only at total counts:
- Electric Fields grew the most consistently.
- Magnetic and Grounded showed variable results.
- RF WiFi grew the least overall.
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TO SUMMARIZE:
I was unable to draw definitive conclusions. To perform such as experiment effectively requires a significant amount of money, resources in lab personal, and strict control of environmental conditions, adding to complexity and cost. This is not something you can do yourself at home.
Based on my observations…
1 - No, your cell phone does not help black mold grow.
2- Electric cords may help mold grow. Do the sensible thing and unplug them. The only sample Stachybotrys was detected was in one of those. The only sample Aspergillus was a clearly isolated and identified was one of those samples. Chance? Coincide? Watch the video and see for yourself.
3 - While this study showed there might be some connection between EMFs and mold growth, specifically molds exposed to electric fields, more research needs to be done.
4 - Grounding yourself (to reduce electric fields) may be good for your health - it’s also good for the health of mold. The best way to prevent mold is to keep things dry - when there’s a leak in your home dry things out as fast as possible.It does not matter how low of EMF you make your home - water it and mold will grow
5 - For cases where mold growth was enhanced by EMFs, could it be the “healthier“ growth is due to how competing organisms such as bacteria are affected. If certain fields support or inhibit bacteria growth, mold will have more or less competing organisms. Factors such as bacteria and other competing organisms and their nteractions with mold and EMFs has not been studied.
6 - Under conditions shielded from electric fields (grounded), there appears to be less mold growth; the kinds of mold that grow are mostly outdoor types, and the mold that grows appears healthy and comfortable, perhaps as it does not need to compete with other organisms as much. Could it be that bacteria also thrive in electric fields, molds capable of making mycotoxins that inhibit that bacteria have an advantage?
7 - This is a complex topic. I don’t think it’s worth studying further, as we have better things to study for the purpose of obtaining and maintaining optimal health. In regard to mold, it’s as simple as keep things dry, and if they get wet dry them out as fast as possible. Notice in the video mold growth was visible in 48 hours.
To close:
No. Your phone does not help black mold grow.
If you are concerned about EMFs, or proactively would like to do something that supports your health and well being, consider unplugging any and all electrical cords next to or near your bed.
If you have questions please reach out to me. If you wanting to test your home for mold or have an estimate for remediation and would like to know if it’s a good estimate and it’s going to work, I do phone and zoom consultations. Goto healthy living spaces dot com to schedule one.
If you found this interesting, please listen, follow and subscribe to my podcasts: “The Daniel Stih Podcast”, the “Mold Money Podcast”, and “Do this. It Works.”
Thank you.
Daniel Stih
Healthy Living Spaces
www.HealthyLivingSpaces.com
dan@healthylivingspaces.com