Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity
Are cellphones, laptops and Wi-Fi making you sick? Getty Images

An unexpected side effect of growing up in a digital world could be a "gadget allergy." Many people claim to have the condition, aka electromagnetic hypersensitivity, but science has yet to declare it a proper disorder. That didn't stop a court in France from awarding a disability grant to Marine Richards for the condition -- though the ruling leaves room for debate about the status of electromagnetic hypersensitivity as an illness.

Richards, a former radio documentary producer, and others affected by electromagnetic hypersensitivity say the waves from cellphones, televisions, Wi-Fi and other electronic devices can cause nausea, headaches, fatigue, tingling sensations and heart palpitations. Richards quit her job and moved to a remote location in southwest France because of her symptoms, according to Agence France-Presse.

"For some time, a number of individuals have reported a variety of health problems that they relate to exposure to EMF [electromagnetic fields]. While some individuals report mild symptoms and try to avoid the fields as best they can, others are so severely affected that they cease work and change their entire lifestyle. This reputed sensitivity to EMF has been generally termed “electromagnetic hypersensitivity” or "EHS," the World Health Organization says of the possible illness.

Per the court ruling, Richards had symptoms that prevented her from working, but it did not say electromagnetic hypersensitivity was an illness or caused her symptoms, AFP reported.

The condition got some exposure on AMC's hit "Breaking Bad" spinoff, "Better Call Saul," which had a character who suffered from the alleged allergy. Chuck McGill, played by Michael McKean, lives without electricity and uses a foil space blanket, according to the Guardian. His character led to an examination of the gadget allergy by the news outlet and experts were firmly on the side of "not real." A study looked at 46 double-blind studies -- where neither the scientists nor the participants know what is being administered -- involving 1,175 people who have electromagnetic hypersensitivity. "No robust evidence could be found to support this theory. However, the studies included in the review did support the role of the nocebo effect in triggering acute symptoms in IEI-EMF sufferers," the study's abstract said. Nocebo is the opposite of a placebo, where a person experiences negative symptoms instead of positive symptoms.

Despite what the studies conclude, many people claim to be affected by electromagnetic fields. The parents of a 12-year-old boy filed a lawsuit against a school in Massachusetts because the child was experiencing headaches, nosebleeds and other symptoms after the school boosted its Wi-Fi signal.

Green Bank, West Virginia, has become a safe haven for people with electromagnetic hypersensitivity because it's inside the U.S. National Radio Quiet Zone. All technology is banned due to the extremely sensitive Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope. Astronomers are using the radio telescope to listen to the faint traces of the Milky Way's evolution. Any interference can disrupt their work, which means cellphones and even non-diesel cars -- spark plugs can be noisy -- are banned.

Prior to electromagnetic hypersensitivity, the mysterious Multiple Chemical Sensitivity were causing symptoms in people while science said there was zero evidence of this condition. Despite the science, MCS sufferers banded together to live in a chemical-free town. Snowflake, Arizona, features homes made of ceramic or concrete and some MCS sufferers also experience electromagnetic hypersensitivity. The "99% Invisible" podcast profiled the town and you can listen to the episode below.