For most people talking on a mobile phone, cooking dinner in the microwave or driving in a car is simply part of modern living in 21st century. But completing any such tasks is impossible for people like Debbie Bird – who is allergic to modern technology. The 39-year-old is so sensitive to the electromagnetic field (emf) or 'smog' created by computers, mobile phones, microwave ovens and even some cars, that she develops a painful skin rash and her eyelids swell to three times their size if she goes near them.

Officially in the UK, electro-sensitivity (ES) does not exist as a medical condition. Doctors say there is little scientific evidence to back up a link between EMF and poor health. They claim the symptoms, often attributed to flu or viruses, are psychosomatic. But campaigners disagree. They reckon around 500 people are already being treated for ES and as many as five per cent of the population could be affected. (Link)