There is quite a bit of flak flying about at the moment regarding WiFi and the potential health risks it may present. The Daily Telegraph and BBC’s Panorama suggest WiFi may have adverse health effects; with The Guardian labelling Panorama’s research as “grossly unscientific”.
Given the wide range of opinions on the subject, I thought I’d take a look at what the Health Protection Agency says.
The HPA responds to claims of electromagnetic hypersensitivity relating to WiFi thus.
…there is little scientific background to claims that mobile phone or WiFi (wireless fidelity) equipment is responsible. There is also little biological plausibility that high frequency electromagnetic radiation would have similar effects to low frequency sources, based on the known (and varying) physiological effects of various frequencies on the body.
The article then goes on to say.
Possible management strategies for GPs include symptomatic treatment and cognitive behavioural therapy.
Or in other words, psychotherapy.
Scientific studies into the Health Effects from Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields conducted by the HPA tell a similar story.
“The biological evidence suggests that RF fields do not cause mutation or initiate or promote tumour formation, and the epidemiological data overall do not suggest causal associations between exposures to RF fields, in particular from mobile phone use, and the risk of cancer. Exposure levels from living near to mobile phone base stations are extremely low, and the overall evidence indicates that they are unlikely to pose a risk to health”
OK, what about the article in the Independent which cites information from the eminent scientist Professor Olle Johansson?
Digging a little shows that Olle Johansson has the dubious honour of being awarded ‘The Misleader of the Year Award 2004′ by The Swedish Sceptics (Vetenskap och Folkbildning, VoF). VoF suggested that Johansson is.
“… one of the most prominent representatives of the far too many scientists who, to draw attention to themselves and funding for their own activities, disseminate worry among the public in mass media by presenting unsubstantiated hypotheses as established facts.”
VoF is somewhat damming of Johanssons findings.
“Olle Johansson uses vague, deceptive and suggestive language. This includes unclear use of concepts – one of his more confusing types of phrasings is the one which demands “proof of lack of danger”. Such proof never is possible.”
And outlines some of Johanssons prior research.
“A few years ago Johansson received particular attention after he claimed that brain damage, and specifically mad cow disease could be caused by the use of mobile phone”
Indeed….
I personally won’t be ripping out my wireless AP yet. I still use a mobile phone, and I have not yet started fashioning my tin foil hat.
*** Update 15 Jun 07 ***
When I first sat down to write this article I never realised that so many people would read it. It’s attracted quite a bit of argument (see the article comments) and has got me more interested in the subject than I was in the first place!
One thing I hadn’t noticed first off was that the World Health Organisation had already written about the health risks of the radiation emitted by WiFi devices. You can read that article here. At the end of the day you will have to make your own mind up about which argument you believe; but a comment from the WHO article puts it all into perspective for me.
“In fact, due to their lower frequency, at similar RF exposure levels, the body absorbs up to five times more of the signal from FM radio and television than from base stations. This is because the frequencies used in FM radio (around 100 MHz) and in TV broadcasting (around 300 to 400 MHz) are lower than those employed in mobile telephony (900 MHz and 1800 MHz) and because a person’s height makes the body an efficient receiving antenna. Further, radio and television broadcast stations have been in operation for the past 50 or more years without any adverse health consequence being established.”
