Is it true that cacti protect against computer radiation?

There is a common belief that cacti help protect against computer radiation. We decided to check if this is true.

The myth that cacti protect against electromagnetic radiation or even radiation has existed for decades. Users advise placing these plants near the computer for protection "VKontakte», Facebook, blogs on Yandex.Zen. This question often comes up in services questions and answers. They even spread this information Media.

In many articles about the connection between cacti and radiation from computers (especially on foreign resources) there is a reference to a certain study conducted by NASA - supposedly scientists there proved that cacti absorb radiation, and therefore can protect others from it. However, references to the study itself are not provided anywhere, and a study of the website of this organization did not yield any results - there is not a single more or less reliable evidence that such a study was ever conducted. The closest thing we have found is study about the influence of radiation in space on plants, but it was about the possibility of survival of plants, and not at all about using them to protect themselves from radiation.

The question of whether any plants in general and cacti in particular can attract radiation, absorb it and thus protect others has never been seriously raised in the scientific community. Despite this, a group of Turkish scientists still conducted experiment. They placed a cactus next to a computer monitor in a variety of places - front, back, side, and then measured the radiation level. So, this level remained unchanged - with or without the cactus. Moreover, for the purity of the experiment, the scientists took both monitors with cathode ray tubes and modern LCD screens of different brands and models. The cactus did not show itself at all.

Can a cactus protect against radiation? Yes, like any other object that is between a person and the source of this very radiation. We know this from our school physics course. However, for this protection to be sufficiently effective, the person must be completely closed from the source of radiation. But how then to look at the monitor?

It’s worth figuring out whether computers really emit something dangerous to humans, and whether we have something to protect ourselves from with cacti. Of course, there was never any talk about radiation - perhaps this misconception arose due to the inscriptions “Low radiation” on the boxes with monitors. However, radiation in this case is translated not as “radiation”, but simply as “radiation”.

Nevertheless, in the last century, monitors with cathode ray tubes could really harm human health, so special protective screens were often hung on them. What is the situation with modern monitors?

The main thing people are afraid of is the electromagnetic radiation that comes from the computer. It can indeed be dangerous, but not at all in the concentrations that a computer or laptop can produce. Research The World Health Organization says that the level of radiation that comes from modern office equipment differs slightly from the general background and is unlikely to harm anyone. With WHO experts agree and specialists from the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency. The same opinion is shared by Rospotrebnadzor, although he emphasizes that there is not yet enough information to give a definite answer as to whether electromagnetic radiation is dangerous for human health. The National Cancer Institute in America also conducted research and experiments and came to the conclusion that no direct connection has been identified between the development of cancer and electromagnetic radiation.

Therefore, no, cacti do not protect us from computer radiation in any way, but the good news is that there is no need to protect us.

Not true

What do our verdicts mean?

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