The Town That Banned Wi-Fi

An anonymous reader sends a story from The Guardian about Green Bank, West Virginia, a small town housing the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. There are other telescopes nearby, too. Because the telescopes are so sensitive, stray electromagnetic signals are strictly regulated in the surrounding area, which is called the National Radio Quiet Zone. But the town is running into a problem: its population was around 120 when this began, and by now about 40 people have moved there because they want to get away from radio waves and Wi-Fi signals and other types of electromagnetic radiation. There have been reports of tensions in the town: tales of threats and abuse unfitting to a sleepy mountain village. And it is all the stranger when you consider that no serious scientific study has been able to establish that electrosensitivity exists. ... Where the locals might have been happy to tolerate one or two of the sensitives, the mass migration was beyond the pale. ... People would walk towards [one woman] with concealed electronics, in an effort to provoke a reaction. A meeting she and her husband organised to help educate the others about electrosensitivity descended into a slanging match.

Comments

Re:"Other types of electromagnetic radiation"

[Anonymous Coward]

Many people are sensitive not to EM radiation, but to seeing antennas. A telco here first installs the antenna systems on their towers (this is easier to do when everything is off and there are no feedlines connected), then a month later or so a technical team installs and connects the actual comms equipment.

Health complaints start instantly when the (still disconnected) antennas are installed. Furthermore, receive only systems give the same amount of complaints as systems with active transmitters. Systems with hidden antennas (on a roof for example) give almost no complaints.

Dish antennas give disproportionately many complaints, even though they are very directional and thus should not leak radiation where it is not desired.

Re:"Other types of electromagnetic radiation"

[dargaud]

I have a perfect example here at work. After we installed a Wifi relay in the lobby, the idi^H^Hperson manning the entrance started taking sick days after sick days, claiming the wifi was making her sick. Problem was, it wasn't activated yet (building installation wasn't finished), but since it was already powered, it was blinking. Then we activated it and placed a piece of black tape on the LEDs, told her 'Fine, we won't be using it then', and all was fine.

Re:SubjectsInCommentsAreStupid

[Half-pint HAL]

no serious scientific study has been able to establish that electrosensitivity exists How come nobody had the common courtesy of a "simple" double blind experiment?

It's ridiculous to think for even a second that this hasn't happened. Of course there are such studies.

The two key words here are 'serious'. -A qualifier which isn't applied to any study which doesn't support the party line.

No, it refers to controlled experiments run and managed in accordance with established best practice. On the other hand, you ARE guilty of dismissing studies based on conclusions, rather than methodology.

-And specifying "electrosensitivity". -Which means tests demonstrating, (for one example), that the blood/brain barrier becomes permeable under exposure to certain low-power frequencies, regardless of its repeatability or implications, is not relevant if the study doesn't specifically look at somebody claiming "electrosensitivity".

Some of the studies have focused on self-identified electrosensitives.

Now let me talk about MY electro-sensitivity. There is a high-voltage power line that crosses the motorway on the route between my childhood home and where my grandparents used to live. When we went under it, I used to get a funny feeling in the top of my head -- every time, without fail. So someone if my family (I can't remember who) suggested that I shut my eyes and tell them when I felt it. For a year or two, I kept opening my eyes too early and seeing the powerlines before we went under them. So one year I got determined to do it properly. I closed my eyes as soon as we reached the first bend on the motorway and kept them shut for ten minutes or more. No sensation. Ever since then, I have felt nothing whatsoever when passing under the lines. I couldn't even make myself conjure up or relive the sensation.