EMF’s are all around us, both in nature and man-made. But where do we draw the line when something that’s designed to help is actually harming us? This is why I wanted to learn more about the EMF levels of diabetes devices.
EMF’s of Diabetes Devices
There is no question that getting almost real time blood sugar readings from CGMs help with sugar control.
Or that the precision of an insulin pump helps to fine tune insulin delivery, typically leading to tighter blood sugar control.
But knowing that these devices use EMF’s to function I had to wonder if this control was worth the EMF exposure.
Are EMFs Safe?
We know that some EMF’s pose little to no risk (like the sun and the earth ), others pose a very high risk (like 5G, smart meters, power lines, x-rays, etc).
We know that plants that are fed microwaved water die shortly after, that people living near power lines have higher rates of cancer, that we’re not supposed to keep our phones in our pockets (and especially not our bras), and that we should limit x-ray use as much as possible.
But what if the devices that are supposed to help your health are actually harming your health? Where do you draw the line?
This was a concern I had in regards to diabetes devices, which is exactly why I decided to test the EMF’s of diabetes devices that I have.
So I ordered an EMF meter and have tested the following diabetes devices:
- Contour Next One Meter
- Dexcom G5
- Dexcom G6
- Dexcom G7
-
Freestyle Libre 1 (aka 14-day wear)
- Freestyle Libre 3
- Omnipod EROS
- Omnipod DASH
The Results
Currently, in the United States, EMF safe limit guidelines are between 2 to 10 mW/m2 (200 uW/cm2 to 1000 uW/cm2) depending on the frequency. See how we stack up against other countries:
Switzerland 10 microwatts/cm2
Poland 10 microwatts/cm2
Italy 10 microwatts/cm2
China 40 microwatts/cm2
India 45 microwatts/cm2
Spain 450 microwatts/cm2
Germany 450 microwatts/cm2
United States 450 microwatts/cm2
Japan 600 microwatts/cm2
See the full list of countries on the Physicians for Safe Technology website.
Below are the EMF ratings of the diabetes devices I’ve tested.
These readings were taken at the point of communication. For example, the Libre 3 communicates every minute to your phone’s bluetooth. So every minute you’re getting a pulse of 0.5 mW/m2. The Dexcom G7 communicates to your phone’s bluetooth every 5 minutes.
Something important I need to mention about the Dexcom G5 & G6 “phone as the receiver” readings is that when I was taking the readings I had the EMF reader next to the phone and not next to the sensor… so it was picking up the EMF’s of the phones wifi antenna, cellular data antenna, and location antenna, in addition to the bluetooth antenna. So while that is the EMF levels of your phone with Dexcom G5 & G6, it is not the EMF levels of the part that’s on your body (the sensor & transmitter). I believe the G5 is discontinued, but I plan on retaking the Dexcom G6 reading this summer (summer 2023).
1. Contour Next One Meter
2. Dexcom G5
3. Dexcom G6
4. Omnipod
5. Freestyle Libre CGM
Test YOUR Diabetes Tech
Interested in doing these tests yourself? Maybe you want to see the EMF’s of diabetes devices that you use? Here is the EMF reader I have, use, and love. It comes with a guide on how to use it and what the readings mean.
If you want to dive into the subject a bit further, the book The Non-Tinfoil Guide to EMFs is an excellent read!
And the Facebook group EMF Warriors is a great community to belong to.
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Maybe we need to have some ultra high EMF devices. Like maybe it could be self tanning diabetes items. We might be able to sell those devices to the self tanning market.
hahaha pretty soon we’ll all be looking like inspector gadget
You’re an idiot
This was a concern of mine too so I tested last year. And like you I stopped using my phone as the dex receiver and now use the one that comes with the G5. Like minds, Rachel, like minds! 🙂
yes!! like minds <3
thanks for sharing this! curious, do you use any EMF protection/ neutralizing stickers on your devices?
you’re welcome! no, i do not use any special stickers or covers, but i turn off all antennas unless i need them. and when im done i turn them off. i will also occasionally turn my phone on airplane mode if i’m not using it.
Hmmm…though I understand and appreciate the topic, I think I will take my chances. Just started looping (autobolus branch with Omnipod eros) which one can’t do without an iPhone and the benefits I have received in terms of awesome control, few lows and peace of mind is worth the risk to me. However, I do appreciate the information as well as this site. Being new to this site, I am anxious to read more. Thanks for all that you do!
Hi Rachel,
I recently had reason to look into something like this for my daughter. I am curious as to why you looked into this, and if you had any previous symptoms that would lead you to it. My daughter has some EMF symptoms, not life threatening, but raises eyebrows. They started when starting G5 and I believe were enhanced with G6 (using with her phone). Please let me know if you have any input.
Hi! I started learning about the effects of radiation and EMF’s after multiple sources kept pointing to them as a possible “pollution”. I do notice some mild symptoms, like my hand tingles if I’m holding my phone when wifi/data/bluetooth is on, sometimes my face will get really hot and red if my phone is by my face, and if I’m using my phone a lot I will get nauseas. We are very careful around wifi/emf’s in the house and make sure wifi is off at bed time, power breakers and smart meters are at least 15ft away from bedrooms/common areas, phones are on airplane mode if they’re going to be in our pocket/purse or if our son is playing with it. I’m not sure what those mild symptoms would look like if we weren’t so careful and if the house was saturated with wifi/5g/emf’s. Have you noticed less symptoms when you use the receiver vs the phone? I’ve been using the Freestyle Libre CGM for a few months now and keep meaning to get a reading on its EMF levels. But I think they are much less since the libre only gives you the data once you scan it and isn’t constantly transmitting in real-time.
Hi! Did you ever get a reading on the Freestyle Libre?
Hi there, I’d also really love to know if you’ve gotten a reading on the freestyle libre.
This is a great article! Thank you so much for looking into this and posting it. I’ve been wondering about this for awhile.
Thank you and you’re welcome!
Hello,
I was wondering if you have managed to get readings for the G6 with the receiver instead of the phone. That is what both of my little boys use. We were thinking about switching to phone, but as this is on them 24/7 I wanted to check this information out. I appreciate you looking into this as it’s likely not something that the companies will be willing to share. I wish I had the money to purchase the EMF reader you have. It looks like an awesome tool.
Thanks again!
Thank you for this post! This was my concern with getting a CGM. This is super helpful 🙂
Have you been able to rate the omnipod dash or 5 for their EMF levels yet?
Have you tested the dexcom g6 and g7 while using the dexcom receiver?
My bedroom is shielded, so it’s essentially a faraday cage. This means that a device would run full power trying to connect at all times if I attempted to use a cell phone or bluetooth in my bedroom. Do the sensors on the arm give off any emfs when the cell phone is off or in airplane mode? Would the sensors be safe to wear in a fully shielded space for 8 hours/night?
Love this article!! I’m using a dexcom g6 with the reader (versus phone). I use injectable insulin versus looping or pump-type delivery. I’ve felt using the dexcom reader is a much safer option than using the phone and your article secures my feelings on this. Thanks so much and best wishes on your t1!! I’ve been t1 for 41yrs and low carb for 4.5yrs now with an a1c of 5.3 and have never felt better! I hope to keep my g6 for a long as possible as I’ve heard negative things about the g7.
Have you done a reading for the Dexcom G7? I’d be interested what the reading is near the body wearing the G7 device
Thank you so much for putting this information together! Forgive my confusion… Wouldn’t the most relevant EMF reading be near the actual CGM sensor, because it’s closest to the body, as opposed to a reading next to the phone or device itself? Apologies if that is explained and I’ve missed it or misunderstood. In my case, I’m using the Freestyle Libre 3 and tend to keep my iphone as far away from me as possible.
I’m curious about this too.
I would love to know what the reading is on Libre 2 and or Libre 2 plus!’
I am in the midst of deciding which one to get.
Hope to hear from you! mary
I know you’re busy. Is there a CGM that doesn’t communicate with the data collection device ( I assume that’s the phone or receiver) that often, but still gives all the glucose data from the day, AND doesn’t throw off EMF’s to the wearer? Sort of the same question: is there a CGM that uses bluetooth that one can disable the bluetooth, but it still stores the glucose ( hey and why not insulin as well?) data. This is for people who want all day data but don’t always need it in real time. And could this CGM be compatible with an Apple Watch/Garmin/Oura ring, or Whoopie Goldberg? ( sorry I couldn’t resist that). 🙂
yes! The Libre 14 day wear (aka the Libre 1). that’s what I use because i wasn’t comfortable with the constant pinging.
I have tried the Libre 3 which uses the constant bluetooth, but i would turn it off at night (by turning my phone on airplane mode). All the data would upload in the AM when i reconnected it.
Hi there. I have a question and am a little confused by the data. On the chart at the top, the Libre 3 paired with phone is one of the lowest on the graph, but then in the text you mention it being one of the worst. Was that the libre 1 in the video and explanation? My son is newly diagnosed and we have to use a phone to pair (which I don’t love and have concerns about the EMFs from the phone!) because he goes to stay with his sometimes unreliable bio dad every other weekend and I need to be able to see his numbers while he’s gone. We are using the libre 3 with an iPhone and we do take measures to reduce the emfs from the phone…. but wondering if this is an ok option? It looks like it based on the graph….?
Hi! I’m realizing how confusing this blog post is now that i’ve stepped away from it and am coming back – i’m like what was i trying to say here?! So i’m going to re-write this and re-organizne it.
The libre 3 did have very low readings. the reason i was saying it could be of concern is that it connects with the phone every 1 minute, so every 1 minute your body is getting an EMF pulse…which is a lot; it’s 1440 pulses per day. And depending on how close your phone is to you, you’re also getting that exposure too. but that’s just the nature of these new CGMs. The only way to avoid the constant pings would be to get the Libre 1 (aka libre 14 day wear), but then you don’t get the automatic alarms/alerts to your phone.
So i think the libre 3 is a great option for your son, especially since you’re taking steps to mitigate the EMFs from the phone.
Hello,
I had a question regarding if you know if diabetics can wear EMFs deflective devices such as EMF Harmony products aka bracelets and still use CGMs?