{
  "id": "questions:is-emf-sensitivity-real",
  "collection": "questions",
  "slug": "is-emf-sensitivity-real",
  "name": "Is EMF sensitivity (EHS) real?",
  "summary": "Symptoms are recognised as genuine; blinded studies have not linked them to field exposure. WHO recommends evaluating the symptoms clinically.",
  "status": "verified",
  "lastVerified": "2026-08-12",
  "data": {
    "question": "Is electromagnetic hypersensitivity a real condition?",
    "answer": "The symptoms are real and can be disabling — WHO states this explicitly — but blinded provocation studies have not shown that affected individuals can detect whether a field is present, or that their symptoms track actual exposure. WHO therefore describes the condition as idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to EMF and recommends clinical evaluation of the symptoms themselves rather than assuming a cause. This site records that position and links the primary literature; it does not give medical advice, and anyone with persistent symptoms should see a clinician.",
    "cluster": "health",
    "aliases": [
      "electrosensitivity real",
      "EHS condition",
      "am I EMF sensitive"
    ],
    "related": [
      "studies:who-ehs-2005",
      "glossary:ehs"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "who-ehs",
      "title": "Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (WHO backgrounder, December 2005; formerly Fact sheet 296)",
      "publisher": "World Health Organization",
      "url": "https://www.who.int/teams/environment-climate-change-and-health/radiation-and-health/non-ionizing/hypersensitivity",
      "year": 2005,
      "kind": "government",
      "retrieved": "2026-08-12"
    },
    {
      "id": "europaem-2016",
      "title": "EUROPAEM EMF Guideline 2016 for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of EMF-related health problems",
      "publisher": "European Academy for Environmental Medicine",
      "url": "https://europaem.eu/en/library/blog-en/97-europaem-emf-guideline-2016",
      "year": 2016,
      "kind": "ngo",
      "retrieved": "2026-08-12"
    }
  ],
  "links": {
    "self": "https://emfbase.com/api/questions/is-emf-sensitivity-real",
    "html": "https://emfbase.com/questions/is-emf-sensitivity-real",
    "markdown": "https://emfbase.com/questions/is-emf-sensitivity-real.md",
    "collection": "https://emfbase.com/api/questions"
  }
}