University Curbs Wi-Fi Because of Health Risks

[Zanzibar]

This article from Reuters (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060223/tc_nm/life_canada_internet_dc) talks about a Canadian college President who has ruled out a campus-wide wireless network because of perceived health concerns:

"The jury is still out on the impact that electromagnetic forces have on human physiology," Gilbert told a university meeting last month, insisting that university policy would not change while he remained president.

"Some studies have indicated that there are links to carcinogenetic occurrences in animals, including humans, that are related to energy fields associated with wireless hotspots, whether those hotspots are transmissions lines, whether they're outlets, plasma screens, or microwave ovens that leak."
Other sources in the article from Canadian health officials refute these claims. What do you think? Are we all just magna-f**ked if it turns out that wireless networks are bad for our health?

[Atepsflame]

Not me. I never use wireless unless I have to. I don't trust it. I like my wires, thanks.

[Bushido]

I always wear my tinfoil hat!!!! Protection.

[HardScores]

Yeah, even if true, it's a little late for those of us in city areas.

[miah]

Better ban 2.4ghz cordless phones and while we're at it microwaves!

[Varsity]

Better ban 2.4ghz cordless phones and while we're at it microwaves!
They're in the same boat, actually. Unless you were being serious. :p

[Citizen Philip]

They've discussed this on Slashdot today too.

Bottom line:
The president is a moron. This ruling is ridiculous. There are so many EMF fields people are around, he is pretty saying it's okay to light your body on fire, but never your toes, because that might cause a scar.

[JediSanf]

miah's right. You get more EM radiation from reheating dinner than being in range of WiFi. Not to mention that (if this was an issue) every gamer would have a brain tumor by the age of 25.

[Baroo]

What a crackpot. I'm embarassed that he's a fellow Canadian.

[doyama]

Being from Canada this is somewhat embarrasing. However it's fairly obvious that the President has no actual understanding of how EM radiation even works. He must be extrapolating potential health risks of cell phones and power lines to Wi-Fi which is absolutely rediculous.

Risks from radiation depend on 4 factors: the type of radiation, time of exposure, distance from source, and radiation intensity. If we examine cellphones as a 'potential' source of health risk (I wont debate if it is or not at this point) the potential problem occurs with having an EM source basically plastered to your brain for long periods of time. Distance is small and duration is long, which 'can' be hazardous even though the intensity is relatively small. Big power lines can generate lots of power but the effect diminishes over the distance. But since they're on all the time, there are some studies that show living under power lines can increase the incidence of some health issues.

But if we examine Wi-Fi it is essentially a low power source, which operates over a large distance. The EM radiation from a wifi hotspot probably doesn't even register beyond a few meters. There are almost no health risks unless you're sleeping beside your AP every night or something.

I wish before enacting such fear mongering policies that people actually consulted people with some degree of knowledge in the area. The Presidents remarks simply show he's not getting the correct information about the potential heath risks associated with EM radiation and is getting some kind of 'blanket' statement that EM is bad. Which is like saying all cholesterol and fats are bad.

[Deathbane27]

Fucktard.

That is all.

[StoneGut]

That's cracked.

The university here has full wireless and no one is dead yet... yet.

[Nighthold]

Everyone should start a campaign of mailing this guy tin foil hats. Packages upon packages of them. It would be brilliant.

[Taco]

When the great cancer cleansing comes the luddites will inherit the Earth.

[Ludoc]

Lakehead students to Prez: How come we don't have wi-fi all over campus?

Lakehead Prez: We've wasted our IT budget on other less useful stuff. Oh wait, saying that might adversely affect our Maclean's rating. I mean, to keep you healthy?

[outontheporch]

Screw that. Make Earth wireless now. I need to read EA on the crapper in Philedelphia, or in a New York Elevator.

And ESPECIALLY on my campus.

[GunnyMo]

Yep, another idiot in charge of "higher education". Go Canada! :D

[Serapth]

As a Canadian, I was a bit disappointed by this, until I found out the school in question was Lakehead. I know a few people that went to lakehead, and frankly.... they werent exactly the types that would be setting up wireless networks.

Lets put it this way... Thunderbay is about as close Canada gets to all the stereotypes about Canada... you know, with the Snow and the Igloos, and Maple Syrup and foot long penis's.

[zorper]

If this was a US College, I'd be calling a Total BS right now. I don't know how things work in Canada.

Back in the good old days, Universities used to generate a lot of revenue by forcing you to buy their phone on campus, with thier long distance, and later, I assume, thier IP connections. (I graduated just before that whole 'internet' thing.)

So now, you kids are bringing your own mobile phones, and now you want your own wireless IP connections!?! No way. The morons on campus, also known as faculity, bought a lot of over-priced junk from vendors during the telecom boom, and they have to pay it off somehow. Hot-spots on campus don't help them at all.

I actually expect most campuses to try to prevent wi-fi because of 'health' and 'security' reasons in the future.

Fight the Man kiddos.

[The Letter 3]

I've actually wondered myself about EM radiation. I don't believe were being harmed by what's around us today... but from the 1920's to 1950's it was common to find x-ray devices in shoe stores there were used to see if shoes fit right. They exposed people to large amounts of radiation and were responsible for a lot of sickness and death. Not that I think we're in the same boat with EM, but then again it wouldn't be the first time we thought we were safe.

EDIT: Hehe. Maybe the President of that college isn't so dumb. Canadians face all sorts of stereotypes, do they really need their college kids to start growing extra arms because of wi-fi? NO, Damnit! The president is an action man, a visionary. And he is envisioning a future when Canadians can make fun of us here in the states cause we thought Wi-Fi was safe.

[Mason]

I only heard of one study which had positive findings regarding cancer and high-voltage lines, and that one was invalidated (but not before planting the meme). The more recent Long Island studies didn't find any effect. And their hypothesis was that low-frequency EMF reduced melatonin production, in the 50-60 Hz range, which has nothing to do with the gigahertz fields used by wifi.

[Roc Ingersol]

Yeah... cellphones and saccharin cause cancer too...
:rolleyes:

[Ph00p]

Lets put it this way... Thunderbay is about as close Canada gets to all the stereotypes about Canada... you know, with the Snow and the Igloos, and Maple Syrup and foot long penis's.

I bet you did your research on the penis part ;) OH and its penises OR penes.

Also, I find this incredibly sad as a Newfoundlander; hell its supposed to be US being the stupid ones not the 'mainlanders", just goes to show, stupid people are everywhere.

[Captain Awesome]

hahahaha comedy.

[The Continental]

It ain't just Canada folks, ever heard of Mendocino, California? The town prides itself on blocking the installation on any possible source of EMF radiation.

http://www.skepticism.net/articles/2002/000011.html

[ruprect]

Good for the University president. Finally someone speaks up about this. You know what else irks me?

The Sun

Do you realize how much radiation you are exposed to becuase our government has crammed the Sun down our throats? Well let me tell you. . . its some amount that I don't know but if I did I'd be pretty darn outraged.

Its about time we took care of it. I have a plan. . . and that plan begins with me watching The Simpsons episode "Who Shot Mr. Burns" and "Star Trek: The Final Frontier" 50 times each while drinking Jim Bean.

I'll send my research to this God among men at the University, President Gilbert. He will understand me.

[Taco]

And people think my pale monitor tan is due to my vastly sociopathic attitude. As the sun slowly kills off the masses the truth will come out.

[MojoJojo]

And the verses to "We Didn't Start the Fire" keep building and building...

[Grifter]

It ain't just Canada folks, ever heard of Mendocino, California? The town prides itself on blocking the installation on any possible source of EMF radiation.

http://www.skepticism.net/articles/2002/000011.html

Thats Funny, my father and I used to go abaloni (sp?) diving there. It's a nice little town but it has this kind of weird village of the damned vibe goin on.

I remember sitting in a cafe one morning when this chick walked in. She had long dark hair, nice legs, great ass, and nice round perky breasts but, and this literaly almost knocked me out of my chair, She had a frickin gotee, not just a little peach fuzz but a gaddamned gotee. Scared the piss out of me. Have not been back since. So I guess what I am trying to say is Mendocino has more to worry about than the killer wi-fi of death.

As far as the college president go's
Silly Canadian, stupid health related conspiracy theories are for Californians

[GrinR]

I dream of a day when my children can simply sue the government for not recieving perfect safety and happiness - and win.

[Grimmjow]

i must be ready to POP then cuz i have a pretty hefty wireless setup @ my house and i used my 2.4ghz wireless phone all time and i heat up my food in the microwave ALL the time so im a goner!

[markster3000]

Argh, it always hurts me to see Canadian universities called "college".
That man is the president of a University, not a College.
College is very different in Canada.

As for the topic at hand...

I go to Waterloo, and at any particular moment, I'm usually in range of 2 or 3 wireless connection points. If the students here aren't growing extra limbs yet, then I don't think that they ever will.

I bet that he's using it partly as an excuse to avoid spending money.

[Zanzibar]

i must be ready to POP then cuz i have a pretty hefty wireless setup @ my house and i used my 2.4ghz wireless phone all time and i heat up my food in the microwave ALL the time so im a goner!

One of the last symptoms before your brain explodes is a lack of punctuation in sentences. ;)

(Just kidding, TT. I couldn't resist.)

[The_Reckoning]

Isn't that retarded considering how many broadcasts we pick up via radio waves on normal radios? So what if it's short range, same difference.

[Grimmjow]

One of the last symptoms before your brain explodes is a lack of punctuation in sentences. ;)

(Just kidding, TT. I couldn't resist.)

DAMN! i been doing that for a while,NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[kid cabelgo]

I know the guy is probably full of crap, but I can't help but get nervous sometimes when I hear stuff like this. My job for the past year has involved setting up a LOT of wireless networks. Some of them have involved pretty high powerered equipment. If for some reason he's right, I probably have a tumor the size of a softball in the back of my head.

[Neosho]

MarathoN, if that were the case, you would have already fused yourself into the wireless interweb. Just like neo did.


Canada...i love you dearly, but please stop letting crazy people move in...you're ruining your image.

[alecm]

The university president is acting out of genuine concern, I think, but he has been misled by the negative hype that always seems to get headlines.

ELF, RF, microwave, and visible light are all types of electromagnetic radiation known as non-ionizing. While the scientific studies are inconclusive, there are no known biological effects that non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation can cause. Genetic mutation typically occurs when radiations alters the atoms that make up DNA molecules. Since non-ionizing waves are of such low energy, they don't have the ability to knock electrons out of atomic orbit.

The general consensus among experts seems to be that statistical evidence only warrants the most unobtrusive and minimal precautions. I think this reaction is too extreme.

[Sensei-X]

I know the guy is probably full of crap, but I can't help but get nervous sometimes when I hear stuff like this. My job for the past year has involved setting up a LOT of wireless networks. Some of them have involved pretty high powerered equipment. If for some reason he's right, I probably have a tumor the size of a softball in the back of my head.

Well if you do, I'm sure all of us are gonna be following you to the grave soon. After all the spending countless hours in front of these radiation boxes as well as the bigger radiation boxes our consoles are hooked up to can't be healthy. Not to mention people like me whose jobs involves sitting for 8 hours in front of a 21" monitor the size of a small country.

[AlmostSente]

EVERYTHING gives you cancer. Live with it... ;)

[Speed_D]

Yeh... better stop flying on airplanes too - being at 35,000 feet gets you a lot of cosmic rays.