Your phone, your laptop, and the router humming away in the corner. They’re just part of life now, as normal as a coffee maker or a light switch.

If you’ve ever typed “what is EMF” into a search bar and come back more confused than when you started, you’re not alone. EMF radiation from those everyday devices may be doing more to your body than most of us realize. And the research connecting it to sleep disruption, brain health, hormones, and more? It’s been building for years.

That’s why I brought Dan DeBaun onto Homes That Heal. EMF expert, telecom industry veteran, and co-founder of DefenderShield. He’s one of the few people who knows this stuff from the inside out.

Meet Dan DeBaun

Dan didn’t come to this topic as a wellness advocate. He came as an engineer.

With more than 30 years in the telecommunications industry, including executive roles at AT&T and Bell Labs where he literally wrote the standards for telecom technology, Dan understood how these devices worked from the inside out. What he didn’t know until he started digging was what they might be doing to human biology.

That research led him to co-found DefenderShield and write Radiation Nation, a practical, research-backed guide to understanding EMF radiation and protecting yourself from it.

EMF Radiation And Why It’s Different Now

What Is EMF Radiation — And Why Does It Matter?

EMF stands for electromagnetic field. Every device that transmits a wireless signal emits it: your cell phone, your laptop, your WiFi router, even the walls of your home (from the AC electrical current running through them).

This isn’t new technology. AM radio was transmitting signals decades ago. But here’s what changed: we used to keep our distance from the equipment. Nobody was sitting on top of a transmitter.

Today? We carry devices in our pockets, hold them to our heads, and sleep with them on our nightstands. The exposure is constant, close-range, and cumulative. Dan puts it plainly: up to 98% of us are surrounded by transmitting technology every single day. That’s a pretty significant shift from a generation ago.

From Analog to Digital: Why the Signal Itself Matters

Early cell phone signals were analog, meaning they emitted a constant, steady frequency against the body. That was concerning enough. But today’s signals are digital, and they pulse. On, off, on, off, billions of times per second.

That pulsing matters. According to Dan, there is substantial scientific evidence that the biological impact of a pulsing digital signal is more significant than a steady one. And the signal from your cell phone isn’t just a radio frequency signal. It’s also a microwave signal, operating at frequencies similar to what a microwave oven uses to heat food. The power levels are lower, but the proximity is much, much closer.

The safety standards designed to protect us from all of this? They were written over 35 years ago. And they were only designed to measure heat, not biological impact. They’ve never been updated to reflect what we now know about how EMF radiation may affect DNA, brain function, or the body’s nervous and immune systems.

How 5G Changes the EMF Radiation Landscape

Earlier cell phone signals operated around 1 gigahertz, which is 1 billion cycles per second. 5G pushes that up to 20 gigahertz and beyond, with some frequencies reaching 300 gigahertz. 6G will push into the terahertz range — even faster, even less studied.

What does that mean for your body? Honestly, we don’t fully know yet. The health research on earlier cell phone frequencies took years to accumulate. With 5G at higher ranges, we’re in largely uncharted territory. The unknown is, as Dan puts it, more concerning than anything we already know.

What the Research Associates with EMF Radiation Exposure

Dan was careful to frame this clearly, and so will I: this is about associations and emerging evidence, not definitive cause-and-effect. But the list is worth paying attention to.

Research has associated EMF radiation exposure with disrupted sleep, reduced sperm motility, DNA damage, impacts on the gut microbiome, and suppression of the blood-brain barrier, which normally protects your brain from environmental toxins. In other words, it’s not just a “phone by your head” problem. It’s a whole-body conversation.

Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity: When Your Body Is Telling You Something

There’s a condition called electromagnetic hypersensitivity, and it’s more common than most people realize.

Studies suggest somewhere between 10 and 15% of the population may experience noticeable symptoms when in close proximity to routers or other transmitting devices. We’re talking headaches, brain fog, eye strain, anxiety, and sleep disruption. Symptoms that are easy to write off as stress, or aging, or just “how you are.”

In some studies, up to 80% of those affected were women. Dan shared that a woman is more likely to walk past a router and feel something she can’t quite explain. Not because she’s imagining it. Because her body is responding to it.

If you’ve ever felt inexplicably foggy after a long day at your desk, or wired-but-tired despite doing everything right at night, this is worth tucking away.

Why Kids May Be More Vulnerable to EMF Radiation

Children’s skulls are thinner. Their brains are still developing. And many of them are growing up with devices in their hands from toddlerhood.

Dan shared a particularly sobering story about a young woman who developed frontal lobe cancer after heavy cell phone use, and a fertility specialist who told him about a stillbirth involving two extremely rare mutated cancerous cells. His conclusion: we may not fully understand the generational implications of this exposure yet.

That’s not meant to send anyone into a spiral. It’s meant to prompt a second look at habits we’ve never questioned. Because most of us didn’t grow up with this level of exposure, and our kids are the first generation that has.

Simple Ways to Reduce EMF Radiation at Home

Distance is your single best tool. At just 1 to 2 feet away from your device, roughly 80% of the potential exposure is reduced. At 4 feet, you’re at 98%. That one shift alone is significant, and it costs absolutely nothing.

I’ll be honest — I made a change mid-interview. I already had my business phone app on my computer, but I’d never thought to just leave my phone across the room. So simple. Why wasn’t I doing this already?

Here are a few more practical places to start:

Your sleep space.

This is the big one. Charge your phone outside the bedroom, or at minimum across the room. Turn your WiFi router off at night. It takes five seconds and costs nothing. Your body does its most important healing work while you sleep, and it deserves a lower-EMF environment to do that in.

Your router placement.

Know where your router lives in your home and keep it as far from high-traffic living and sleeping areas as possible. Mine is in my office, as far from the bedroom as I can manage. Not perfect, but intentional. If you live in an apartment building with routers stacked on every floor, that’s a harder situation. But awareness is always step one.

Your phone habits.

Use speaker phone or wired earbuds instead of holding the device directly to your head. Keep your phone on a desk or windowsill instead of in your back pocket. These are small shifts that add up over the course of a day. And if you’re a heavy user, meaning multiple hours per day with the device close to your body, Dan is clear that the research shows accumulative risk is real.

Wired earbuds, specifically.

DefenderShield makes a set that converts the electronic signal to an acoustic one before it reaches your ear. No electronic signal transmitted to the head at all. I’ve been using them and the sound quality is genuinely good. Not a gimmick.

EMF protection products, but choose wisely.

This space has exploded, and a lot of what’s out there is marketing dressed up as protection. Dan’s advice is straightforward: don’t trust any brand that can’t show you third-party, independent lab testing. DefenderShield products are tested by military laboratories, because military labs are the only ones equipped to test at the high-frequency ranges that 5G and beyond require. That’s a meaningful differentiator.

You Don’t Have to Be Perfect — Just More Intentional

This isn’t about fear. It’s not about dismantling your smart home or moving to a cabin in the woods (although no judgment if you’re tempted). It’s about being a little more thoughtful with technology we already know is powerful.

Go room by room. Look at where your devices live and how close they are to the people you love. Make a few small swaps. Start with your sleep environment, because that’s where your body is supposed to be healing, not getting pinged by a router all night.

Furthermore, the simple act of creating distance, turning things off, and choosing protective products when you need them close — those are accessible steps. They don’t cost a lot. And they don’t require you to sacrifice the technology you rely on.

Small changes, made consistently, add up to a meaningfully different environment. And that’s what Homes That Heal is all about.

Daniel Debaun Bio:

Daniel DeBaun is an internationally recognized expert in EMF radiation, EMF shielding, and EMF-related health issues with a special focus on the effect of exposure from mobile devices such as laptops, tablets, and cell phones. DeBaun’s concern regarding the health impact of EMF emissions grew from over thirty years of engineering experience in the telecommunication industry, where he held a variety of executive positions at SAIC, Telcordia, AT&T, and Bell Labs.

DeBaun is the co-founder and Chairman of DefenderShield, a company known as the trusted worldwide expert in EMF radiation education and protection. He also authored a book called Radiation Nation: The Fallout of Modern Technology. Radiation Nation is an easy-to-understand book that is the ultimate layman’s guide for those looking to educate themselves on the science of EMF, EMF health risks and research, and ways to protect themselves and their families.

Resources & Links

• Radiation Nation by Dan DeBaun
• DefenderShield on Facebook
• DefenderShield on Instagram
• Get 10% of DefenderShield Products with code JENHELLERLIFESTYLE:
• Take a peek at my Jen Recommends list to see more of my favorite products.
• Grab my FREE Home Wellness Checklist here for more tips.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for general information purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional health care services. The statements and views expressed are not medical advice and are not meant to replace the advice of your medical doctor. This podcast, including Jen Heller and her guests, disclaims any responsibility and any adverse effects you may experience from the specific use of the information contained herein. The opinions of guests are their own and this podcast does not endorse or accept responsibility for the statements made by guests. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you think you have a medical condition, consult your licensed physician.