Bobadilla, Louis Angelo BM 102

Tumanda, Laurice L.

Wireless Wake-up call is a talk by Jeromy Johnson in Zellerbach Hall in the UC

Berkeley campus for TedxBerkeley. Johnson, an engineer turned technology health
advocate, discusses the generation’s increasing dependence on technology and how its
electromagnetic radiation can affect health.

I decided that this study could be useful, because it is relevant to the current
situation our society is in. With all the technological advancements like A.I., iPhones,
and wireless connections existing in the world with us, it is inevitable not to encounter
electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation. It catches my attention because it is very ironic,
given the fact that almost everyone in the population of the Earth has phones, be it
popular ones or simply Nokias. I was interested in what the speaker has to say about
the effects of electronic gadgets; and it is safe to say that I was not disappointed.
Jeromy Johnson gave examples, scientific evidence, and he even shared his own
experience to prove his point. He also gave ways on what we can do to avoid
overexposure to EMF radiation, and because of that I think that his point had gotten
across very clearly.

In the talk, Jeromy first speaks about the benefits of technology; such as bringing
convenience to daily living, economic benefits to a country, and connection between
other people. However, he says, technology does not always bring only benefits to its
users. In this case, he shares the bad effects brought by technology which has affected
his life. He says that in only a week, he started experiencing headaches, ringing in the
ears, insomnia, fatigue, and brain fog; five of the six few symptoms of EHS or
Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity. Apparently, a bank of wireless smart meters were
installed beneath his living space. In fact, according to him and his supporting research,
overexposure to electromagnetic radiation can cause pain in some body parts (i.e. arm),
headaches, and even worse, cancer. He counters this point again by proving that there
are ways to solve this problem. He suggests that people opt for fiber optics which are
wired, lessening the amount of radiation. Another is for wireless wifi routers to be turned
off at night, and to change it to wired if possible. He basically discusses that EMF
radiation brought about by our technological gadgets damages our well-being, but, it
can be solved if people would work together.

I think that Johnson’s talk about EMF radiation and EHS is truly appropriate to
the current world. He proves that exposure to electric and magnetic fields cause a
variety of problems and burdens. It can affect children, as they are exposed to these
their whole lives. The talk implies that we, as a whole community, must do what we can
to make sure that the future generations are safe from such harmful radiation. It also
implies that such sensitivity to electromagnetic radiation exists and that it heavily affects
lives, so, those who do not experience EHS are very lucky, yet are in danger as well.

It is true that everything good comes with a price. With the comfort and
convenience of gadgets, comes the price of our health. However, it is up to us to decide
if we are willing to take the risk. Are we ready to have good economy, wireless
technologies, robots, and et cetera, in exchange for the risk of cancer and tinnitus?
Moreover, taking care of oneself is what I learned from the talk aside from being well-
versed with the gadgets I associate myself with everyday. Millenials and non-millenials
alike use technological gadgets because of its easy accessibility and efficiency, but with
EMF radiation and EHS constantly increasing, it is best that we take into account the
key points Jeromy Johnson has made.