UK Schools Bans WiFi Due To Health Concerns

Mantrid42 writes "Schools in the UK are getting rid of their WiFi network, citing health concerns from parents and teachers. The wireless emanations, parents fear, may be the root cause of a host of problems from simple fatigue to the possibility of cancer. A few scientists think younger humans may be more vulnerable to the transmissions, because of thinner skulls. From the article: "Vivienne Baron, who is bringing up Sebastian, her ten-year-old grandson, said: 'I did not want Sebastian exposed to a wireless computer network at school. No real evidence has been produced to prove that this new technology is safe in the long term. Until it is, I think we should take a precautionary approach and use cabled systems.'"

Comments

Re:ban wifi? what about other technologies?

[MightyMartian]

When you have a populace so absurdly uneducated as to buy into this nonsense, evidence and facts are meaningless. No doubt they're being whipped up some pseudo-scientific con-artist, and used their cordless phones to spread the news. Too bad gullability wasn't fatal. That would weed some of the most ludicrous ninnies on the planet out of the gene pool.

Re:ban wifi? what about other technologies?

[micheas]

If you do a lot of research you will find that studies that claim that there is a relationship between EMF forces and cancer are almost all fatally flawed, (the infamous 1972 Colorodo Powerline study that started the scare had the flaw of all the group with elevated cancer rates having being exposed to herbicides that are known carcinogens) to the studies funded by the manufacturer of low emf electric blankets after the product was on the market.

There is no evidence to support the parents beliefs that withstands scrutiny, despite 35 years of research. (there does seem to be a statistically insignificant negative corralation between cell phone use and brain cancers, but nothing that is not accounted for by socioeconomic variables.)

Re:ban wifi? what about other technologies?

[Qzukk]

I agree, but don't you think that Michael Bevington is overreacting just a little bit?

Probably, but there's a simple way to find out, secretly turn off the network. If he makes the same complaints then you know it's not the wireless network.