# Is electromagnetic hypersensitivity intolerance syndrome (EHS) real? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 27, 2014, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-intolerance-syndrome-ehs-real/705761 "2014-11-27T14:51:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2014, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-intolerance-syndrome-ehs-real/705761/21 "2014-11-30T12:23:47Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Or they could even have vision which covers the same range as us, but with a different basis. Humans see in a three-dimensional color space, and most mammals see in a two-dimensional color space, but there’s no reason that a creature couldn’t have more. Such a creature might, for instance, be able to see and identify both yellow and blue, but disagree that a mixture of the two looks at all the same as green. IIRC no cite … Many insects have a 4-color system. It extends their vision’s frequency range into what we call the ultraviolet. Flowers in particular are even more gaudy in ultraviolet than they are in the human-visible spectrum. And the insects which feed on pollen, e.g. butterflies, moths, bees, are particularly adept at seeing that extra gaudiness. It pays to advertise. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2014, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-intolerance-syndrome-ehs-real/705761/22 "2014-11-30T15:22:18Z")
Won’t somebody please turn off the cosmic microwave background already? It’s giving me diarrhea. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2014, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-intolerance-syndrome-ehs-real/705761/23 "2014-11-30T18:09:18Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Won’t somebody please turn off the cosmic microwave background already? It’s giving me diarrhea. No, that’s just Taco Bell. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2014, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-intolerance-syndrome-ehs-real/705761/24 "2014-11-30T18:16:22Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > No, that’s just Taco Bell. Oh, wow, man…that’s _cosmic_. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2014, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-intolerance-syndrome-ehs-real/705761/25 "2014-11-30T18:22:45Z")
Real? Of course. And [wearing an Aaronia Shield fabric will protect against these waves](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2846494/Could-Wifi-harming-health-Thats-growing-number-people-believe-triggering-headaches-nausea-crippling-pain.html)! :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2014, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-intolerance-syndrome-ehs-real/705761/26 "2014-11-30T18:39:32Z")
The closest thing I am aware of of evidence that someone couldn’t see TV - isn’t very close. In one of Oliver Sacks books (I think it was “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat”) is the story about a man who had some sort of physical trauma to his brain (car accident if I remember correctly). Ever since then he could only see in black and white. I believe this was confirmed by placing color chips of various hue/saturation and whatnot - and he ordered them in what someone would do – if in fact they could only see in black and white. He started to only eat stuff that was white - and actually got a black and white tv as he preferred it to color TV. He could still see the color TV, but it looked less “pure” than Black & White TV. Isn’t there some story about people starving to death cause they didn’t know what fish were or not noticing Spanish settlers cause they had never seen a boat before? That’s what this story reminds me of. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2014, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-intolerance-syndrome-ehs-real/705761/27 "2014-11-30T19:00:40Z")
> [@DataX](#): > > Isn’t there some story about people starving to death cause they didn’t know what fish were or **not noticing Spanish settlers cause they had never seen a boat before**? That’s what this story reminds me of. There was a thread here a couple years back on that last one. Although I think the theory was more along the line that they couldn’t even _see_ it, due to not having seen a boat before. I don’t think (m)any people here bought it. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2014, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-intolerance-syndrome-ehs-real/705761/28 "2014-11-30T19:55:14Z")
> [@DataX](#): > > not noticing Spanish settlers cause they had never seen a boat before? As **ZenBeam** said, the story here is usually that the natives couldn’t see the Spanish ships because they’d never seen ships that big before and couldn’t conceive of them. The Spanish presumably had no problems seeing corn, however, or massive step pyramids, or any of the myriad of animals the New World had and the Old World lacked. Why this defective vision would be limited to the browner peoples of the world, according to the story, is quite beyond my powers of comprehension. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2014, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-intolerance-syndrome-ehs-real/705761/29 "2014-11-30T20:12:26Z")
> [@DataX](#): > > Isn’t there some story about people starving to death cause they didn’t know what fish were or not noticing Spanish settlers cause they had never seen a boat before? In other news, no planes flew into the Twin Towers because all video was created by George Lucas in Hollywood studios, and tsunamis exist only in movie set tanks. Don’t get me started on the biggest hoaxes of all – WW2 or Noah’s Ark. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2014, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-intolerance-syndrome-ehs-real/705761/30 "2014-11-30T20:39:56Z")
Considering we are literally bathing in low level EM radiation anywhere you can receive a cell phone call or hear a radio station…I would say if someone claims this disorder they would need to go out of their way to move way out in the boonies where there is less exposure and be stapling alot of copper mesh to the outside of their home. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2014, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-intolerance-syndrome-ehs-real/705761/31 "2014-11-30T23:54:23Z")
I suppose they could move to Green Bank, West Virginia. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-intolerance-syndrome-ehs-real/705761/32 "2014-12-01T01:27:44Z")
> [@Doughbag](#): > > Here some “hard” and shocking facts from the [Global Healing Center](http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/10-shocking-facts-health-dangers-wifi/) Global Healing Center? Sounds legit. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-intolerance-syndrome-ehs-real/705761/33 "2014-12-01T01:59:46Z")
I’m fairly sure that most of us will remain EHS-tolerant until the chemtrails finish their work. ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-intolerance-syndrome-ehs-real/705761/34 "2014-12-01T17:53:35Z")
I was surprised nobody had shown up to defend the woo, until I realized that using a computer would make them sick. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-intolerance-syndrome-ehs-real/705761/35 "2014-12-01T18:01:21Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Won’t somebody please turn off the cosmic microwave background already? It’s giving me diarrhea. Exactly this. We are exposed to natural RF frequencies all the God damned time, but only when we choose to modulate those frequencies we have health concerns? Ch’yeah right. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-intolerance-syndrome-ehs-real/705761/36 "2014-12-02T23:18:08Z")
> [@brujaja](#): > > Aha! This might just be the place to ask a question about something a friend told me. This guy’s not quite 70, and he tells me that when television was first introduced, some people **literally could not see it.** > > He swears he had a childhood friend who, when this friend looked at a television set that was showing a program, would only see a bunch of lines and squiggles. > > Could this possibly be true? Was he a dog or a cat? Because there’s a [similar theory](http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/questions/qotw/question/2668/) that neither (but I’ve heard cats more often) could interpret the picture on a CRT TV/monitor because of the frame refresh rate. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-intolerance-syndrome-ehs-real/705761/37 "2014-12-03T00:46:13Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > He could also have suffered from retinitis pigmentosa. This basically lowers the resolution of the receiving area in the eyeball (retina is like the film in a camera) and generally starts in the center of the field of vision slowly spreading outwards. > > RP in childhood is generally not diagnosed for some time. The brain fills in the picture, and the eye increases movement to fill in the missing parts. Since none of us really knows what others see, the person has no realization that the loss is occurring until the darkened areas begin to increase and blend into each other. Until then it’s just a lower resolution. > > So, a low resolution retina facing a low resolution TV screen, with no previous experience to allow the brain a chance to fill in the picture? Yeah, I’d say he’d have difficulty figuring out what the hullaballoo was about. RP does the opposite – it shuts down peripheral vision first, on the outer edges of the retina, and gradually reduces the diameter of the remaining effective tunnel vision. Otherwise, what you say is correct, the brain begins to remember, after scanning, the landscape on the edges of the field of view that the patient thinks he can still see. Often, the first indication of RP is lots of car crashes with vehicles that come out of nowhere. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-intolerance-syndrome-ehs-real/705761/38 "2014-12-03T01:15:36Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Exactly this. We are exposed to natural RF frequencies all the God damned time, but only when we choose to modulate those frequencies we have health concerns? > > Ch’yeah right. This is not really a good argument. The cosmic background radiation is very very low power. It is easy to believe that at low power the rf energy does no cause problems but a higher energy it does cause problems. This is true for pretty much everything that does cause us problems. ---
**Author:** ![Doughbag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Doughbag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doughbag)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-intolerance-syndrome-ehs-real/705761/39 "2014-12-03T13:34:56Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Global Healing Center? Sounds legit. > > :eek: Thank you, I thought so too! > [@Musicat](#): > > In other news, no planes flew into the Twin Towers because all video was created by George Lucas in Hollywood studios, and tsunamis exist only in movie set tanks. Don’t get me started on the biggest hoaxes of all – WW2 or Noah’s Ark. Noah’s Ark - seriously… that’s a fact? In a scientific paper, correct? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-intolerance-syndrome-ehs-real/705761/40 "2014-12-03T14:59:11Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Or they could even have vision which covers the same range as us, but with a different basis. Humans see in a three-dimensional color space, and most mammals see in a two-dimensional color space, but there’s no reason that a creature couldn’t have more. Such a creature might, for instance, be able to see and identify both yellow and blue, but disagree that a mixture of the two looks at all the same as green. THe [mantis shrimp](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantis_shrimp#Eyes) can see twelve different colors and four different types of polarization. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-intolerance-syndrome-ehs-real/705761.md?page=1)