Let me know what you think!
TORONTO — With parents in Barrie arguing that Wi-Fi in elementary schools is making their children sick, it appears the jury is still out among scientists on whether electromagnetic radiation from wireless routers can harm your health.
The Simcoe County District School Board is defending its decision to keep wireless internet access in classrooms, despite the radiation fears from some parents.
There is no scientific or medical evidence to show children complaining about headaches, dizziness and nausea are being made ill by the Wi-Fi in their classrooms, said the board’s director of education, John Dance, said Monday.
The board will not turn off Wi-Fi access in schools this fall, despite the concerns of critics who say there’s no evidence to prove radiation from wireless transmitters is safe for children as young as four.
“There’s been a lot of information, but there’s nothing definitive that says wireless is causing the issues, so the board affirmed its decision for wireless communications in our schools,” he said.
But that decision won’t likely satisfy the newly formed parents group, the Simcoe County Safe School Committee. Members they say they realized their children were displaying symptoms that cleared up on weekends and holidays when kids weren’t in school, said organizer Rodney Palmer. They believe Wi-Fi is to blame.
Ontario’s Education Minister Leona Dombrowsky weighed in on the messy debate on Monday, saying she’s writing federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq demanding answers for the Barrie parents.
The matter of Wi-Fi impacts on children has come up before: Professor Magda Havas of Trent University in Peterborough, who does research on the health effects of electromagnetic radiation, issued an open letter last year saying she was “increasingly concerned” about Wi-Fi and cellphone use at schools.
“It is irresponsible to introduce Wi-Fi microwave radiation into a school environment where young children and school employees spend hours each day,” Havas wrote.
And ripples from the Barrie debate are growing, with Canada’s largest teachers’ union, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, set to vote Tuesday on a proposal by Niagara Region members to lobby school boards to limit the use of wireless technologies in schools, citing possible health concerns for children.
But what exactly does the science say and are the concerns warranted?
Tony Muc, assistant professor at the University of Toronto and chief physicist at the Toronto-based Radiation Health and Safety Consulting group, insists the concerns are unwarranted.
“(Wi-Fi technology) does not come anywhere near the guidelines set for (radiation) exposure limits by various international agencies, including Health Canada. That guideline is uniformly supported by scientific consensus,” Muc said.
Both the World Health Organization and Health Canada say that electromagnetic radiation under the specified exposure limits is safe.
But Lakehead University isn’t taking any chances, and has for several years now been running a Wi-Fi free campus, until the science proves otherwise.
“It’s not a closed book. And if and when it comes to the point where there is some established effect (of Wi-Fi on health), you can be sure the guideline will be changed,” said Muc.
Hello my name is Denis Knight. This site is about computer and software safety and use. Learning how to keep yourself safe and skilled with digital technology.
