Comment The science re. Health Concerns and WiFi (Score 1) 535
What a lot of people responding here who obviously haven't looked at the scientific and other reports re exposure to low levels of modulated microwave signals and reported adverse health effects.
Modulation for FM radio and for TV signals differs considerably, and bundling all RF technologies all into the same category is scientifically poor form. Typical signal strength levels the public is exposed to from radio and TV are less than 0.01 volts per metre (V/m) whereas wLAN signals in a classroom are typically over 1 V/m, 100 times higher and 10,000 times more powerful. They also "pulse" in a very different way.
The published reports (some References listed below) showing ill-health effects apparently associated with living and working close to mobile phone masts have been scored for strength of association with adverse effects. The most common ones are headaches, concentration difficulties, learning and memory problems, chronic fatigue, depression, dizziness, and irritability.
In the studies that assessed microwave exposure levels, it appears that these symptoms start to show when people live in background levels above about 0.05 V/m. The levels in the schools are/will be about 10-fold higher than this. Many of these asthenic / neurovegetative effects are particularly undesirable to be found occurring in school pupils. Since 1997 there has been a four-fold rise in children diagnosed with hyperactivity and ADHD - indeed the National Institute for Clinical Excellence now estimates that as many as 5% of children now have this problem.
It is very possible that background microwave exposure plays a role in this rise and minimising exposure by ethernet wiring the school computers seems sensible to me. It is a pity that the IR couplers that were on laptops for a few years didn't take off. They would have been useful in schools to avoid RF and yet allow mobility.
Abdel-Rassoul G, et al, (2006) Neurobehavioral effects among inhabitants around mobile phone base stations, Neurotoxicology, 1 Aug 2006, [Epub ahead of print]
Balmori A, 2005, Possible Effects of Electromagnetic Fields from Phone Masts on a Population of White Stork, Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine, 24:109-119.
Bamberg Report, Open letter to Edmund Stoiber, president of the federal state of Bavaria, from a group of general medical doctors regarding their patients, with supporting details of symptoms and microwave exposure levels. They studied the records of 357 of their patients.
Freiburger Appell, (October 2002) A signed document by about 200 medical practitioners regarding symptoms they were seeing in people living near to mobile phone base stations, mobile phone users and cordless phone users, was published by IGUMED ü Interdisziplina re Gesellschaft fur Umweltmedizin e.V. www.igumed.de
Hardell L, et al, (2006) Tumour risk associated with use of cellular telephones or cordless desktop telephones., World J Surg Oncol 2006 Oct 11;4:74, PMID 17034627
Hutter H-P et al, (2006) Subjective symptoms, sleeping problems, and cognitive performance in subjects living near mobile phone base stations, Occup Environ Med 2006;63:307-313, PMID 16621850
Nylund R, Leszcynski D, (2006) Mobile phone radiation causes changes in gene and protein expression in human endothelial cell lines and the response seems to be genome- and proteome-dependent, Proteomics Sep;6(17):4769-80, PMID: 16878295
Navarro E A, et al, (2003) The microwave syndrome: a preliminary study in Spain, Electromagnetic Biology & Medicine 22 (2 & 3) 161-169
Oberfeld G, et al, (2004) The microwave syndrome - Further Aspect of a Spanish Study - International Conference Proceedings, Kos, Greece 2004 (Kos)
Panagopoulos DJ, et al, (2006) Cell death induced by GSM 900-MHz and DCS 1800-MHz mobile telephony radiation, Mutat Res 2006 Oct 10, PMID 17045516
Preece AW, et al, 2005, The Akrotiri Military Antennae Survey Report, a study for the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Cyprus by Bristol University. Available from:
www.sba.mod.uk/environment_forms/Antennae%20Health %20survey.pdf
Santini R, et al, (2001) Symptoms expressed by people living near cell phone relay stations, La Presse Med. 30(32):1594-1598
Santini R, et al, (2002) Survey Study of people living in vicinity of cellular phone base stations Biol.Med.2003; 1:41-49
Santini R, et al, (2003) Symptoms experienced by people in vicinity of base stations, Pathol Biol (Paris) Sep;51(7):412-5, PMID 12948762
Yurekli AI, (2006) GSM base station electromagnetic radiation and oxidative stress in rats, Electromagn Biol Med 25(3):177-88, PMID 16954120
UK Parent-Teacher study (2000) www.powerwatch.org.uk/news/20001202_school.asp
Modulation for FM radio and for TV signals differs considerably, and bundling all RF technologies all into the same category is scientifically poor form. Typical signal strength levels the public is exposed to from radio and TV are less than 0.01 volts per metre (V/m) whereas wLAN signals in a classroom are typically over 1 V/m, 100 times higher and 10,000 times more powerful. They also "pulse" in a very different way.
The published reports (some References listed below) showing ill-health effects apparently associated with living and working close to mobile phone masts have been scored for strength of association with adverse effects. The most common ones are headaches, concentration difficulties, learning and memory problems, chronic fatigue, depression, dizziness, and irritability.
In the studies that assessed microwave exposure levels, it appears that these symptoms start to show when people live in background levels above about 0.05 V/m. The levels in the schools are/will be about 10-fold higher than this. Many of these asthenic / neurovegetative effects are particularly undesirable to be found occurring in school pupils. Since 1997 there has been a four-fold rise in children diagnosed with hyperactivity and ADHD - indeed the National Institute for Clinical Excellence now estimates that as many as 5% of children now have this problem.
It is very possible that background microwave exposure plays a role in this rise and minimising exposure by ethernet wiring the school computers seems sensible to me. It is a pity that the IR couplers that were on laptops for a few years didn't take off. They would have been useful in schools to avoid RF and yet allow mobility.
Abdel-Rassoul G, et al, (2006) Neurobehavioral effects among inhabitants around mobile phone base stations, Neurotoxicology, 1 Aug 2006, [Epub ahead of print]
Balmori A, 2005, Possible Effects of Electromagnetic Fields from Phone Masts on a Population of White Stork, Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine, 24:109-119.
Bamberg Report, Open letter to Edmund Stoiber, president of the federal state of Bavaria, from a group of general medical doctors regarding their patients, with supporting details of symptoms and microwave exposure levels. They studied the records of 357 of their patients.
Freiburger Appell, (October 2002) A signed document by about 200 medical practitioners regarding symptoms they were seeing in people living near to mobile phone base stations, mobile phone users and cordless phone users, was published by IGUMED ü Interdisziplina re Gesellschaft fur Umweltmedizin e.V. www.igumed.de
Hardell L, et al, (2006) Tumour risk associated with use of cellular telephones or cordless desktop telephones., World J Surg Oncol 2006 Oct 11;4:74, PMID 17034627
Hutter H-P et al, (2006) Subjective symptoms, sleeping problems, and cognitive performance in subjects living near mobile phone base stations, Occup Environ Med 2006;63:307-313, PMID 16621850
Nylund R, Leszcynski D, (2006) Mobile phone radiation causes changes in gene and protein expression in human endothelial cell lines and the response seems to be genome- and proteome-dependent, Proteomics Sep;6(17):4769-80, PMID: 16878295
Navarro E A, et al, (2003) The microwave syndrome: a preliminary study in Spain, Electromagnetic Biology & Medicine 22 (2 & 3) 161-169
Oberfeld G, et al, (2004) The microwave syndrome - Further Aspect of a Spanish Study - International Conference Proceedings, Kos, Greece 2004 (Kos)
Panagopoulos DJ, et al, (2006) Cell death induced by GSM 900-MHz and DCS 1800-MHz mobile telephony radiation, Mutat Res 2006 Oct 10, PMID 17045516
Preece AW, et al, 2005, The Akrotiri Military Antennae Survey Report, a study for the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Cyprus by Bristol University. Available from:
www.sba.mod.uk/environment_forms/Antennae%20Healt
Santini R, et al, (2001) Symptoms expressed by people living near cell phone relay stations, La Presse Med. 30(32):1594-1598
Santini R, et al, (2002) Survey Study of people living in vicinity of cellular phone base stations Biol.Med.2003; 1:41-49
Santini R, et al, (2003) Symptoms experienced by people in vicinity of base stations, Pathol Biol (Paris) Sep;51(7):412-5, PMID 12948762
Yurekli AI, (2006) GSM base station electromagnetic radiation and oxidative stress in rats, Electromagn Biol Med 25(3):177-88, PMID 16954120
UK Parent-Teacher study (2000) www.powerwatch.org.uk/news/20001202_school.asp
