WHAT ELF IS (AND ISN’T)

The ELF spectrum begins, technically, at the lowest possible frequencies (less than 1 Hz) and extends upward to approximately 3 kHz. This corresponds to wavelengths longer than 100 km. The most common ELF field in the modern world has a frequency of 60 Hz. These ELF waves are emitted by all live utility wires in the United States and many other countries. (In some countries it is 50 Hz.) In the Great Lakes area of the United States, the military has an ELF installation that is used to communicate with submarines. The ELF waves travel underground and underwater more efficiently than radio waves at higher frequencies.
The term extremely-low-frequency radiation and the media attention it has received have led some people to unreasonably fear this form of EM energy. An ELF field is not like a barrage of x-rays or gamma rays, which can cause sickness and death if received in large doses. Neither does ELF energy resemble UV radiation, which has been linked to skin cancer, or intense IR radiation, which can cause burns. An ELF field will not make anything radioactive. Some scientists suspect, nevertheless, that long-term exposure to high levels of ELF energy is linked to an abnormally high incidence of certain health problems. This is a hotly debated topic and, like any such issue, has become politicized.