Are EMF and EMR one and the same? Not quite!
An electromagnetic fields (EMF) is an invisible field or region of energy made up of waves. EMFs originate from either natural or man-made sources, such as lightning and phone charger cables. When lightning strikes, an electromagnetic field surrounds the current of energy. And when you charge your phone, the charger cable emits a high-energy, low frequency electromagnetic field.
Electromagnetic radiation on the other hand consists of waves of electric and magnetic energy. Visible light is an example of electromagnetic radiation we can see. But there are far more wavelengths on the EMR spectrum that are invisible and harmful, such as x-rays and gamma rays.
There are 2 types of EMR. The EPA states, “There are two general kinds of electromagnetic radiation: ionizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation. Ionizing radiation is powerful enough to knock electrons out of their orbit around an atom. This process is called ionization and can be damaging to a body’s cells. Non-ionizing radiation has enough energy to move atoms in a molecule around and cause them to vibrate, which makes the atom heat up, but not enough to remove the electrons from the atoms.”
WiFi is the technology of wireless communication, which is facilitated by electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and the result is electromagnetic radiation (EMR).