Is Wi-Fi bad for you?

Get a grip people.

No one knows. And that, say some groups, is the problem. The near-ubiquity of wireless networks has led to concerns over an "electronic smog" of radio waves that stretches from the home to Starbucks and the classroom; anywhere, in fact, that a computer can connect to the internet without wires. The rapid spread of the networks has been accompanied by negligible research into the potential risks.

Last night, the Professional Association of Teachers wrote to Alan Johnson, the education secretary, requesting a scientific inquiry into the potential health risks of Wi-Fi networks, and recommended that schools stop installing them until research declares them safe. Eight out of 10 secondary schools and half of primary schools have the equipment.

Fears over Wi-Fi networks run parallel to those over mobile phones and the masts they speak to. Sir William Stewart's report in 2000 concluded there was no firm evidence to show mobile phone radiation was a health risk, but as a precaution recommended children use them sparingly, because their brains are still developing.

There are reasons to believe Wi-Fi networks are safer than mobile phones. Because they only have to transmit a few tens of metres, Wi-Fi networks run at much lower power. The Health Protection Agency says a person sitting within a Wi-Fi hot spot for a whole year receives the same dose of radiowaves as a person using a mobile phone for 20 minutes.

Graham Philips of the pressure group Powerwatch remains concerned "We're seeing levels of behavioural problems increase in the classroom. We need research into whether these networks are causing these or other problems."

Philip Parkin at the Professional Association of Teachers said other countries are acting to reduce Wi-Fi exposure to children. "Here, these networks are being installed unchecked and unassessed."

http://technology.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2064189,00.html