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The classroom 'cancer risk' of wi-fi internet
Last updated at 23:51pm on 20.05.07
Schools are being urged to re-think their policy on wi-fi
Britain's top health watchdog has called for an inquiry into the use of wireless Internet networks in schools because of concerns they could be exposing children to the risk of cancer.
The demand came after it was revealed that classroom "wi-fi" networks give off three times as much radiation as a typical mobile phone mast.
Guidelines from the Health Protection Agency already state that masts should not be sited near schools because of a possible cancer link and other health risks.
Now its chairman, Sir William Stewart, is seeking a review of the health effects of wi-fi networks amid fears they could pose even greater dangers.
Wi-fi works by transmitting information via radio waves from a telephone line to a computer and back.
Networks have been installed in nearly 50 per cent of primary schools and 70 per cent of secondary schools giving millions of children access to computers.
Researchers for the BBC's Panorama programme visited a comprehensive in Norwich and measured the strength of a radiation signal from a classroom wi-fi laptop.
They found that the maximum signal strength was three times higher than that of a typical mobile phone mast.
Scientists believe children may be more vulnerable to radio-frequency radiation emissions than adults because their skulls are still growing and are thinner.
This raises questions over the safety of children bent over computers being exposed to radiation at very close quarters.
But Panorama spoke to 50 schools and only one had been alerted to possible health risks. Some had been categorically told that there was no danger.
In response to the findings, Sir William said: "I believe that there is a need for a review of wi-fi and other areas. I think it's timely for it to be done now."
In the past 18 months 1.6million wi-fi connections have been set up in the UK. This means children using computers at home could also be at risk.
The World Health Organisation, backed by the Government, says there are "no adverse health effects from low-level, long-term exposure" to wi-fi radiation.
But Sir William said there was growing evidence of possible harm from radio-frequency radiation.
He explained: "There may be changes, for example in cognitive function.
"There were some indications that there may be cancer inductions. There was some molecular biology changes within the cell."
Philip Parkin, general secretary of the Professional Association of Teachers, said: "I am asking for schools to consider very seriously whether they should be installing wi-fi networks now and this will make them think twice or three times before they do it."
The levels of radiation Panorama found were 600 times lower than those deemed dangerous by the Government, which bases its data on radiation safety limits provided by a group of scientists called ICNIRP.
But it does not take the biological effects of radio-frequency radiation into account, basing exposure limits solely on a "thermal effect".
This means radiation only counts if it is so strong it causes a heat effect.
Last month Professor Lawrie Challis, chairman of the government- sponsored mobile telecommunications and health research programme, warned of the dangers of children using wi-fi-enabled laptops on their knees.
He said the wi-fi transmitter is only 2cm from the child's bodies – putting them at greater risk than if they were using a normal computer when the transmitter would be in the PC's tower.
Yesterday he said: "Wi-fi exposures are usually very small and seem unlikely to pose any risk to health – the transmitters are low power and some distance from the body.
"They can be near to the body however when a laptop is on one's lap and my own view is that just as we encourage young children not to use mobile phones we should also encourage them to use their laptops on a table rather than their lap if they are going online for a long time."
Professor Malcolm Sperrin, director of medical physics at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, cast doubt on Panorama's findings.
He said wi-fi radiation was about 100,000 times less intense than that emitted by domestic microwave ovens.
He added: "Research is still proceeding in this area at leading centres in many countries but evidence points to wi-fi transmissions being well below any likely threshold for human effects."
A Department of Health spokesman said: "Current evidence does not suggest that there is a health problem with wi-fi but we look to the Health Protection Agency to advise Government on these issues."
Reader views (21)
i love wi-fi in my school but hate the health risks of it
- Jack Turner, london england, 24/11/2009 14:09
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It is not amazing to see some of the most worst comparisons of other dangerous things one can do in order to belittle the affects of various frequencies of radiation given off by wifi receivers/transmitters, cell phone and their towers. The long term exposure to these radiations have nothing to do with immediate heating effects of such things as microwave ovens which happen to be at the same frequency as wifi.
Real research already 40 yrs ago has revealed that it is the very small electrical charges placed across living tissue and bones which has the most profound effect on its repair and development. Doctors today use below Milli-Volt devices specifically placed when attempting to stimulate bone growth. If these devices are incorrectly placed or not carefully monitored the effects are catastrophic.
Even a very low dose of Wifi and cell phone radiation induces the movement of charges in tissue, causes molecules to vibrate differently all potentially leading to cancerous tissue rebellion.
Today doctors can measure brain electrical activity nearly a foot away from the head. Imagine what doing the reverse, namely sending electrical radiation directly into the head would do; that is what the wifi and cell phone radiation does.
- Big Bubba, Sammamish USA, 22/09/2009 08:04
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It is not amazing to see some of the most worst comparisons of other dangerous things one can do in order to belittle the affects of various frequencies of radiation given off by wifi receivers/transmitters, cell phone and their towers.
Real research already 40 yrs ago has revealed that it is the very small electrical charges placed across living tissue and bones which has the most profound effect on its repair and development.
Even very low dose of Wifi and cell phone radiation induces the movement of charges in tissue, causes molecules to vibrate differently all potentially leading to cancerous tissue rebellion.
- Big Bubba, Sammamish USA, 22/09/2009 07:55
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wifii is really really bad I fell i'll for 5 months and was told by doctors to take a break as it could pose a greater heakth risk.
- Jz, london, 24/06/2009 11:28
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Yikes! Shut down the puters!
- S.P, laurl, md, 05/08/2008 08:51
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Michael,
You're terribly mislead on this critical issue. Schools which are
already wired for the Net, don't lose any advantage by not being
wireless. So in addition to being costly, it's entirely unnecessary. Kids
get on the computer faster with a cable modem. So what's the point?
Oh, and if you add to this the possibility that this is a potential health hazard? No brainer. Dump the Wi-Fi. And by the way:
You don't have to put your head on the engine to get EMF's. A car
kicks out EMF's from under the dash, and the driver is typically in a pool
of low level radiation. So this is your arguing point? Because I'm driving
in radiation, why not add more time all day long to my kids' radiation exposure? Rethink your position.
- Harrison, NY, USA, 02/06/2008 14:12
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We don't allow people to take medications without stringent testing first for safety purposes. Why would we allow new technologies to be exempt from such precautions?
How about the industry prove its safety on wide scale animal trials first and then make it available.
Van Halen has a song called "I don't want to hear about it later"
That's how I feel about Wifi...
- J G, San Francisco, US, 12/03/2008 21:02
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I always use my laptop on my lap whilst sitting down. Sometimes I can be using wireless internet for hours a day. And this article has scared me somewhat-especially the cancerous aspects written about. I recently went to the doctor, troubled with a mole on my leg, on my lap, that had got itchy and slightly larger. Obviously I was scared it could be dangerous (skin cancer) and he assured me there was probably nothing to worry about. I thought I was just being a hypochondriac, now after reading this article I'm considering a second opinion!
- David, Gasgow, UK, 16/01/2008 15:09
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At present, science can neither unequivocally confirm nor disprove claims made as to the health risks of non-ionizing radiation. What we do know, however, is that technology such as Wifi and mobile phones does present undeniable benefits such as safety, increased efficiency and greater access, not to mention convenience. Interestingly enough, we do not vilify similar technologies we profit from everyday, although potential risks are involved with them as well (e.g., car and air travel). How many of us avoid driving our cars to work in the morning simply out of a fear of accidents? Certainly we must think about the health of our children, but we should remember that with technological opportunity also comes some degree of risk, regardless how great or low. In my opinion, we would do ourselves and our children a disfavour by restricting access to such useful tools. One can always aire on the side of caution without cutting off his or her proverbial nose. So, remind your children to wear their seat belts and use the internet productively. (Oh, and don't put your head on your car engine whilst driving to work in the morning...it, too, produces electromagnetic radiation!)
- Michael Agner, Odense, Denmark, 04/10/2007 16:21
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Since becoming disabled some months ago, the only way I can use my laptop is by placing it on my chest for short periods as I cannot sit in an upright position. I place a cover of some kind over me, but as I am still able to feel the heat of the laptop I am concerned about whether it may be a danger to my health. I tend to turn it off and discontinue using it for a while when this happens. We have wireless since I am now confined to my bedroom. Being able to connect with the outside world in such a way is a lifeline to me, but I am very concerned as to it's safety.
- Renee, Wexford, Ireland, 18/09/2007 15:41
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The WHO is under fire in a recent review published in The Lancet for relying on "expert" advice when developing guidelines, and in the case of radiation their "expert" turned out to be an industry-paid consultant. This means that the dangerous ICNIRP radiation "guidelines" are made by the industry for protection of profit, not health.
In 2006 an independent review revealed that 80% of studies related to mobile phones masts showed adverse health effects but still the WHO advisory is "no risk". Go figure!
NO wi-fi specific health research has been done to date.
As usual some physicist talks about how the signal intensity is less than a microwave but this is a lame comparison because when it comes to biological effects of radiation you get a much larger effect from a lower-intensity pulsed wave (w-fi, mobiles, masts etc.)
than a continous wave like that of a simple microwave oven. The difference is the information being carried by the wi-fi wave that shapes it into coherent "bursts" of transmissions.
The cells in our bodies think they are under attack from these coherent transmission bursts, even though no heating occurs, and close down to protect themselves. After prolonged exposure cells become exhausted and potentically cancerous.
The Government needs to untangle itself from the wireless industry to be able to protect citizens and the HPA & WHO need to get their act together, and fast.
- Henrik Eiriksson, Copenhagen, Denmark, 18/09/2007 14:41
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I am very interested to hear of the concern for children and relieved that it would appear that once one becomes 18 the risk disappears.
- Ian, Vancouver, Canada, 18/09/2007 14:41
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Good grief! I can't be the only person in the UK sick to death of health fascists raming all their crackpot methods of dying down my neck. Can I?
- Tony, Hull, East Yorkshire, 18/09/2007 14:41
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I have had tests that show my immune system lowers due to electromagnetic sensitivity. The latest culprit is low energy lightbulbs in my home which emit a yellow light frequency! I am nervous about using wi-fi so our home network is LAN cable based. There are things that seem to help reduce the effects for me, such as degaussing for a few seconds morning and night by turning a domestic hairdryer back to front and blow away from my body for a few seconds. Google electrosensitivity for more info.
- Jayne, London, 18/09/2007 14:41
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Maybe scientists should look into how the giving of life definately does provide a prime risk of developing cancer.
- Frank, Wolverhampton, England, 18/09/2007 14:41
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If these appliances are leaking a high level of EMF then the engineers need to take more time to develop systems that do not pollute the enviroment with stray signals. This is possible to do and cheapskating designs are possibly putting their own customers at risk. I do not understand corporate thinking in this reguard. The customer is now second after their profits.
- Donald, Texas, 18/09/2007 14:41
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Oh, joy. Something new to get all panicked and outraged over. God forbid schools should actually try to give a decent set of resources to students to learn from.
I'm sure if studies were actually made, more harm happens from tripping over wires attached to a computer than an actual wireless signal?
- Christian, London, 18/09/2007 14:41
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I will continue to use my wireless internet connection regardless. I feel that unless you are spending hours and hours at the computer you arne't at risk at all. Children shouldn't be spending excessive amounts of time at a computer anyway, might be better for parents to address that issue first.
- Mike, High Barnet, 18/09/2007 14:41
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This now worries me greatly. My daughter spends a lot of time at school using computers now and also at home too so is around wireless networks a lot. Wifi should not be allowed unless there have been suitable testing to ensure that it doesn't have side effects. What can we do though? Soon wifi will be the only internet option.
- Rita, Notting Hill, 18/09/2007 14:41
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This really is bringing out the hypchondriacs and 'hypochondriacs-by-proxy' out of the woodwork isn't it?
Clearly there is something about our education system in years past that allowed people to slip through with no appreciation of science whatsoever who are so easily spooked by the slightest suggestion that something may not be good for them.
Instantly they demand that someone else should 'prove a negative' (which is impossible), but if they have no appreciation of science, how will anyone convince them to their satisfaction that something is safe?
In the early 1900s, there were dire warnings that if people were to travel on a train exceeding 15mph, they would surely suffocate. The descendents of those people are alive and well, and terrified of wi-fi and other things that they don't understand.
If they're so scared of technology, why are they using computers to post messages on the internet?
- Brian, Telford, 18/09/2007 14:41
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The State of Maine supplies every 7th grade student with a wifi notebook computer. I said notebook not laptop. We told our students, when not at a table, to put a book, notebook, or their computer case under their notebook computer so the air vents on the unit won't be blocked. This not only keeps the notebook cooler it also keeps the unit further away from their body. If you are really worried, try-taking aluminum cans flatten them out, connect them together with a flexible hinge (wire ties) to make a lap shield. Be sure to paint over the beer labels (we wouldn’t want to promote underage consumption). This will save the children and give people a reason not to throw their empty cans on the side of the road. The metal smiths will have a new product to make and sell at boot sales. People could upgrade and use steel cans.
- Richard Usa, United States, 18/09/2007 14:41
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