[Mariana (OP)]

Don asks:

Should I worry about EMFs from cell phones?

I keep hearing claims that electromagnetic fields from cell phones (in particular fears about 5G), cell towers, "smart" meters and even LED lights are harmful. The harms include "dirty" electricity causing cancer, killing or chasing away birds and wildlife, causing infertility, and so on.  How fearful and how cautious should we really be?

What do you think?

[Bored chemist]

"Should I worry about electromagnetic fields (EMFs)?"
Almost certainly not.
Unless you are struck by lightning or work in some job that require you to spend time next to very high power transmitter antennae (For example long range radar or a microwave oven with the door removed and the interlocks defeated so it can still run), there's practically no danger.
There may be some tiny additional risk, but it is massively outweighed by, for example, the benefit to your health and safety from being able to use a mobile phone to call for help if you need it.

The stories you see in the press about the things you mention are scaremongering.

[syhprum]

make sure you are not getting your electricity from EDF its generated by NUCLEAR plants in France.

[alancalverd]

...or from coal, Russian gas, or Saudi oil. Today is a good day to boil a kettle with wind power, but don't try to heat your house with it: the coldest days are windless in the UK!

Seriously, none of the sources you mention has any demonstrated physical health detriment. Tablets and mobile phones will destroy your sanity and ruin your children's lives, but not through physics or chemistry.

[Bored chemist]

Be careful about coal derived electricity.
The coal industry disperses more radioactive waste than the nuclear industry.

[RD]

"dirty" electricity causing cancer ...

"dirty electricity" is only a problem for electronics: it can cause digital-devices to crash.
So not harmful to human health, unless you're attached to electronics keeping you alive.

[alancalverd]

....which is why we use line conditioners and uninterruptible power supplies for all life-critical systems.

[syhprum]

When I worked with MAC computers in the nineties they had PSU,s that auto switched from 110v or 220v input, if the mains voltage dropped for any reason they would switch to the 110,v mode and as soon as the power came back up would self destruct.
Did you ever encounter this problem ? I take it they don't still do it !

[Pregily]

Hope EMFs are REALLY not harmful...

[flummoxed]

Don asks:

Should I worry about EMFs from cell phones?

I keep hearing claims that electromagnetic fields from cell phones (in particular fears about 5G), cell towers, "smart" meters and even LED lights are harmful. The harms include "dirty" electricity causing cancer, killing or chasing away birds and wildlife, causing infertility, and so on.  How fearful and how cautious should we really be?

What do you think?

No the EMF field strength from a mobile phone is not something you should worry about, it is in the order of mW. New radars using 3,4,5 G technologies are perfectly safe, however the old radars on ships banging out lots of Watts could make your fillings hurt, if you stood in front of them, and even light fluorescent light tubes. Which I am pretty sure was not good for your health. A good trick with apprentice electricians was to point a radar at a fluorescent light tube and tell them to fix the light switch, with the wires disconnected the tube remained lit. Very funny, but in retrospect possibly dangerous.

[evan_au]

causing infertility

A problem in the past for males was using a laptop the way it was described - sitting on your lap.

Early laptops ran very hot, and could cause overheating of the testes, temporarily reducing fertility. In extreme cases, people ended up with burns on their legs.

Today's tablets and phones are much more efficient, and are often held closer to the face (but can still get quite warm with extended use).

If you are going to use a laptop on your lap, put a magazine or similar under it for insulation.

[PmbPhy]

Should I worry about EMFs from cell phones?

No. You heard wrong. A few years ago I did some calculations to determine the strength of an EM field inside the body. It was negligible. Worst case the EMF will alter chemical reactions in the body but there seems to be no evidence that its harmful.

The worry about such things is based on poor to no understanding of the physics. One person might say "Hey. There's radiation coming out of your cell phone.' making people compare it to nuclear radiation. Such phones cannot send out fields which ionize atoms or alter nuclei.

[spruce]

No, you shouldn't worry about everything tbh - it's stupid and pointless in most cases since it reflected on the mental health state