Does Copper Protect From EMF

What is Copper?

It is a shiny, reddish metal extracted from the mixture of metals from mother nature by humans and still, today is an important metal in the industry. This element is the third-ranked metal being used in industry. First, it was found in 5100 B.C. in the US and other countries copper pennies were made and at that time they were pure copper but nowadays it is 97% zinc and the rest is the thin copper plating.

Benefits of Copper

Medical Use

Copper was used for sterilization of chest wounds and water back in 1500-2500 BC. Copper was used to treating skin infections and in the 19th-century immunity from cholera was also proven.

Electrical & Industrial Use

Copper is used industrially today widely, from making cables to foils and used in cellphones and making winding of the motor, everywhere copper is a useful element and this cannot be ignored.

EMF Protection

Copper has attenuation properties and it also helps us protect from EMF and RF radiations coming from the devices we have been surrounded with. This article will discuss EMF protection and ways to use copper from EMF.

Does Copper Protect from EMF?

As we know copper itself is a phenomenal conductor of electricity and is used everywhere in our devices around us. Being such a useful element, copper is the main source of all the useful magnetic fields we need in some places. But meanwhile, it is also producing dirty electricity (EMF) within the devices & we all are surrounded by it.

When it comes to this discussion a very popular question arises due to its electric property of copper if it can block or protect us EMF? Well, the answer is Yes! Copper can shield us from EMF, radiofrequency waves. Copper tends to attenuate magnetic and electrical waves and due to this has many applications. Not only copper, but other metals are also good in shielding against the EMF waves such as brass, nickel, silver, steel, tin, shungite & aluminum. Copper can be fabricated to make alloys with other metal elements to use the alloy against the EMF.

How does Copper work against EMF?

When an electric field wave strikes on the conductor it induces a current when the charge is moved inside the conductor. You can understand the concept better if you study about faraday cage. This charge creates an EMF field that cancels the applied field. Similarly, the varying magnetic field creates eddy currents which also cancels the magnetic field applied to it [2].

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6 Ways to use Copper to Minimize EMF

Copper has a wide range of applications. It is being used everywhere today, maybe among the most used components in the world. Here are a few ways in which we can use copper to minimize the EMF:-

1. Mesh Fabrics

One way to use copper is by using copper mesh fabrics. Protection through the fabrics is quite observable, the fabric is capable of reducing the 10 MHz of EMF into 5 GHz and it can be observed through the EMF meter.

The protection fabric is made up of copper and nickel mesh inside a polyester. The ratio of mesh and polyester is 20% mesh & 80% polyester fabric and they are available in the market in the form of 43-inch fabric roll [1].

Picture Source: https://www.solianiemc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Tessuto-argento-SOLIANI-EMC-2-1024×768.jpg

It can be used for absorbing cell phones, smart meters, and Wi-Fi radiations and it can be cut into pieces and used accordingly for example cutting it to the size of cell phones or routers and attaching them on these devices to lower down the effect. Also, it can be simply placed on the EMF producing source and it will do the whole job for you.

2. EMF Shielding Window Film

Another way to shield your loved ones from EMF is by using shielding window film RDF72. This film is made up of 12 metal thin films and it provides 99% shielding effectiveness. Window film as it suggests by the name can be used on your home or office windows or any other glass surfaces.

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They can also be used on doors and other level surfaces [3]. EMF shielding Window films can easily be cut & sewn onto desired pieces and styles whatever suits your need and makes it easy to use.

3. Faraday’s Cage

Faraday the scientist has contributed to science in such a way that he gave a hint to us for controlling the charges through his extraordinary idea of a metal-based cage termed as Faraday cage. There are faraday cages in the market and some online e-commerce websites also sell cages to minimize the effect of EMF in your house or office. They are made up of aluminum, steel, copper-nickel and other metals are also used. Some cages are designed according to your household devices like a cage for Wi-Fi Routers, Smart meters, etc.

Similar cages and for the same purpose are made up of pure copper as well and they are usually used in Server Rooms, Medical Examination Rooms like MRI, EEG EMG & EVP, Radar Protection in airports and & also in buildings of Intelligence agencies. The usage of such cages are inside the doors (X-Ray rooms, MRI rooms), Windows (Copper window cages instead of regular ones), Ventilation panels & Ceilings as well but usually the ceilings are protected using copper foils ( discussed next). The attenuation levels provided by it are around 120 dB to 140 dB[4].

Must Read What Makes the Cornet ED78S EMF Meter So Great: Our Review

Picture Source: https://hollandshielding.com/Mu-copper-faraday-cages

4. Copper Thin Foil

Copper products as discussed above have been very helpful in protecting the special rooms such as Medical rooms containing X-rays, Microwave Rays, Server rooms, and intelligence agency research rooms. Copper foil provides high attenuation up to 120 dB in electric and magnetic fields.

Picture Source: https://hollandshielding.com/Mu-copper-faraday-cages

Copper foils are very easy to use and one side of it is adhesive which can stick easily on walls, ceilings, and floors and convert a regular room into a shielded room. The standard width of Copper foil is 1000mm & many different sizes of foil rolls are available.

5. Shielding Mat

We all know about the phenomenon of the earth which is the grounding effect. This is mainly done in our houses for electrical hazards. This is achieved by using the earthing mats made up of copper and nickel which is protective against the 4G and Wi-Fi signals with the attenuation capability of 80 to 85 dB.

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This can be used to lay under your bed, on your bed, the floor of your house and office as well as can be used as curtains and shades to reduce the effect of EMF from outside the windows.

6. Copper Ornaments & Decoration

To shield yourself from EMF and other waves you can also use Jewelry made of neutral copper. They are portable and purely hygienic but if anyone is allergic to metals, should avoid using them.

In a similar way, Copper made home and decoration pieces can also help to reduce the amount of EMF in our houses and offices. They should be placed near the devices producing radiation such as computers, Wi-Fi Routers, Televisions, and in your bedrooms.

Disadvantages of Copper

Copper has many applications in several different ways. Yet this element has its unfortunate shortcomings. Let’s talk about it briefly.

Corrosion

$C:\Users\Souban Mehmood\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache\Content.MSO\399D8D2A.tmp$ Copper being useful has a corrosion problem. You have noticed that old coins which were made up of copper, used to get green or dark (Although you can clean with chemicals). That is due to the oxidation of the copper surface and there is no way to avoid it. Due to this the old cables eventually get low in their performance due to rusting and they need to be replaced.

Must Read Does Black Tourmaline Protect from EMF

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Resistance & Cost

This might be confusing but it’s very easy to understand. Our fiber optic cables are not made up of copper from the inside because over larger distances the copper is not practically good as the copper has resistance inside it and the signal transfer loses its strength with the increase in length. This is why optical fibers were because the regular cables were costly to use and maintain.

Fire Hazard

One drawback of copper is heat and fire. Copper cables, if not pure in form, get heated up, and sometimes they melt insulations and cause short-circuiting. Handling these cables carelessly can eventually blow up with shock & fire.

Alternatives of Copper

The most popular metals used for RF and EMF shielding are mentioned below. Here is a quick view of them

Pre-Tin Plated Steel

This element is a low cost but a good solution for EMF shielding of low frequencies of GHz to kHz range. This is steel with tin plating on it that acts as anti-corrosive for steel. The plating also helps components to be soldered on it easily. This can be molded into mesh fabrics, foils & cages for the low EMF producing devices. To reduce the effect of radiation some old cell phone companies used this element for making shielding cages inside the cell phones.

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Aluminum

Aluminum is not as inexpensive material as steel or copper and also possesses some fabrication issues as well but still, it is widely used today. Among several properties like anti-corrosive and high conductive elements, it is also used for EMF protection in the form of cages, foils. To check its protection you can check it by covering your Wi-Fi router with aluminum foil and checking the levels using an emf meter. More information can be taken from this source [6].