The Quest for Safe Selfies / Is There A Market For EMF Protection?
Problem
Polarizing topics concerning human health aren’t new. In the past, the use of asbestos, smoking, car exhaust and certain food ingredients were at the forefront of health discussions. Often it took decades for these to be recognized as harmful to human health and for scientific consensus and mainstream thinking to evolve.
Currently, the potential of harmful effects from Electromagnetic Field (EMF) radiation is a polarizing topic. It’s fair to say that scientific research is currently indeterminate. Many people wonder if having a smart phone beside their head or in front of their face for hours every day may harm their health, while others are adamant that there are no ill effects. Although the human body can cope with many natural sources of radiation (like the sun), could prolonged EMF radiation from consumer devices such as mobile phones, WiFi routers, and baby monitors harm us? Exceeding EMF radiation guidelines for mobile phones, electric vehicles, microwave ovens and other electrical devices suggest that these devices can harm us. Interestingly enough, France banned the sale of the iPhone 12 in 2023 due to excessive radiation levels. What about non-consumer products like power lines or 3G, LTE, and 5G communication towers? People have questioned potential harmful effects of EMF radiation, often turning to Dr. Google for answers. Some sources claim EMF radiation from devices such as mobile phones, WiFi routers and baby monitors is benign. However, some animal studies and the WHO suggest that a link could exist between mobile phone use and certain cancers. And research from Dr. Andrew Huberman indicates that “EMF and the heat-related effects of smartphones can indeed have a detrimental effect on sperm quality and, yes indeed, on testosterone levels.”
Celebrities Noting Potential Harmful EMF Radiation Effects
Certain celebrities have also asked themselves if EMF radiation is potentially harmful. Although each celebrity is only one person, their followers number in the tens or hundreds of millions, making their positions on issues important in shaping public opinion and consumer behavior. Wimbledon champ Novak Djokovic has even experimented with EMF radiation, noting that radiation from a cell phone causes the body to react negatively, and a simple test with a cell phone weakened his arm’s resistance. Other celebrities have gone further and taken precautions against EMF radiation:
- Kourtney Kardashian has removed Wi-Fi and other sources of EMF radiation from her home.
- Lady Gaga keeps her mobile phone far from her head for health reasons when making calls.
- Tom Brady’s wife doesn’t allow cell phones in the bedroom in order to promote a healthy sleep environment.
- Gwyneth Paltrow wrote that, “The scientific community’s rumblings about brain cancer and the new-to-us affliction ‘electro-sensitivity’ are worth exploring.” Ms. Paltrow contacted three experts in the field—Dr. David Carpenter, Ann Louise Gittleman, and Devra Davis—to help understand cell phone and W-Fi safety.
- Former Maybelline/Victoria’s Secret model Miranda Kerr has a switch in her home that turns off devices that emit disruptive electromagnetic radiation, the lights and Wi-Fi.
- Adele has concerns too, noting, “this Wi-Fi, you watch, it’s going to f*ckin’ kill our insides . . . it’s just floating around. I’m telling you, we’ll find out in 25 years.”
Current EMF Radiation Protection Solutions
We are not medical professionals and will not opine about whether or not prolonged EMF radiation exposure can negatively affect your health. We will say that many people believe that EMF radiation is potentially harmful. And recognizing that using common devices like mobile phones, WiFi routers and baby monitors are as ubiquitous as wearing clothes, several websites and businesses offer recommendations on how people can reduce their exposure to associated EMF radiation. For example, when it comes to minimizing EMF radiation exposure from mobile phones, suggestions include texting rather than talking, waiting for calls to connect before holding phones to your ear, carrying phones in purses and bags instead of pockets, and even talking less.
There are also physical products that claim to reduce mobile phone radiation. EMF radiation sleeves and cases that slip over mobile phones claim to deflect these radio waves away from the user’s body. The disadvantage of these solutions is that they completely block EMF radiation, meaning that phones cannot receive incoming calls or text messages.
To minimize mobile phones becoming inoperable due to EMF radiation cases, some phone cases have openings with conductors that redirect incoming radiation away from the head and hand holding the device. One disadvantage of these types of cases is that they may cause mobile phone batteries to drain faster to maintain connections.
Plug-in solutions supposedly create an opposing force to cancel EMF radiation. However, if a mobile phone’s EMF radiation is “cancelled”, it won’t function as a communication device. Plus, when the devices are plugged in, they will create electromagnetic waves, similar to anything plugged into a power socket.
EMF radiation stickers are also popular options to minimize radiation. These easy-to-apply stickers are designed to absorb and transfer EMF radiation via special materials. Although they are lightweight and inexpensive, there is conflicting evidence as to whether or not they are effective. In fact, stickers may put extra strain on an EMF radiation connection, causing the device to increase its power usage to secure a connection with a closer cell tower.
EMF radiation protection products also extend to clothing and furniture. A specific use case is to protect pregnant women from EMF radiation. Additionally, there are hoodies, shirts and long underwear products to safeguard against EMF radiation. However, for full protection you need to wear these clothes all the time – which may be uncomfortable, may need cleaning, or be unfashionable. HOGO manufactures beds with a patented silver and graphite mesh that the company claims create a bubble of natural protection against electromagnetic pollution.
Market Size
Shielding consumer products from EMF radiation is a niche market. However, the broader market, which applies to military equipment, medical devices, and shielding cables, is worth billions of dollars and forecasted to continue growing.
For example, different research organizations have estimated the Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) shielding market alone to be worth billions while being forecasted to grow rapidly going forward, as seen below:
- Grand View Research: USD $6.8 billion in 2022 and forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.5% from 2023 to 2030
- Spherical Insights & Consulting: USD $8.1 billion in 2022 and forecast to grow to USD $11.5 billion by 2032
- MarketsAndMarkets Research: USD $7.0 billion in 2023 and forecast to grow at a CAGR of 5.9% to reach USD $9.4 billion by 2028
The consumer EMF radiation protection market is probably much too new to have market size reports but it could be fairly large, given a recent report indicating that 44% of the population are concerned about EMF, (with 13% classified as “enduringly concerned”).
The market for EMF protection is likely driven more by public perception of potential risks than by scientific reports, which seem to be still in the open debate stage. However, some stakeholders could believe that the telecom industry may revisit EMF radiation safety guidelines as research evolves, in a manner similar to evolving industry, regulatory and public perceptions over harm from asbestos, smoking, and car exhaust, which are now commonly accepted as being detrimental to health. For example, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit ruled against the FCC, forcing it to revisit its radio-frequency exposure standard since it had not been updated since 1996.
Coming Up…
In Sophic Capital’s next report, we’ll introduce our client American Aires Inc. (CSE:WiFi, OTCQB:AAIRF) (“Aires” or the “Company”), a pioneer in cutting-edge technology designed to protect against EMF radiation and optimize human health. The Company is currently engaged in the business of production, distribution and sales of electromagnetic protection devices. American Aires has a full suite of consumer products under the brand name “Lifetune” that diffract EMF radiation from mobile phones and other devices, rather than blocking it. We’ll also detail CEO Josh Bruni, who was attracted to Aires due to the advantage that comes with targeting a market around a polarizing issue, bringing his 25 years of proven success in building international brands and supercharging growth through predictable and scalable data-driven marketing and e-commerce models.
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