Saturday, January 19, 2008

Keep Wi-Fi Notebooks from Children's Lap

Children have been warned not to place Wi-Fi notebooks on their laps by a leading government expert in the UK.

Professor Lawrie Challis, the chairman of the UK Government’s Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme, said that children should be discouraged from placing their notebooks on their laps when using Wi-Fi, for the same reason that they are discouraged from using mobile phones.



“Children are much more sensitive than adults to a number of other dangers, such as pollutants like lead and UV radiation, so if there should be a problem with mobiles, then it may be a bigger problem for children,” Challis told the Telegraph.

Challis also called on the British Government to monitor pupils in schools where Wi-Fi networks were being used. He’s concerned that little research has been carried out on the health effects of Wi-Fi networks on children.




The chairman of the UK Health Protection Agency, Sir William Stewart, also called for an investigation into the health affects of Wi-Fi networks in schools, amid fears that Wi-Fi may cause cancer and early senility.

Challis’ advice to concerned parents and teachers is to make sure that children are kept a safe distance from the embedded antennas in their notebooks.

If the notebook is sitting on a child’s lap, that child is exposed to radio emissions comparable to that of a mobile phone. If the notebook is 20 cm away, the child is subjected to exposure of just 1% to that of a mobile phone.

Wi-Fi equipment emits very low-strength radio waves, about 0.1 watts, which is well below the international safety guidelines.

With school Wi-Fi networks, the fear is that a classroom containing a couple of routers and 20 or more notebooks, could generate radio signals equivalent to a mobile phone.

By John Pospisil


NOTE: I came across this while I was surfing through information regarding Wi-Fi. It's something that we might probably be aware with or some people said it's a false claim.

They are people who claimed that "Mobile Phones are benign. They emit Radio Waves (not microwaves as some would claim) which are non-ionizing radiation. ie. they do not cause mutations such as cancer. The same is true for Wi-Fi, and if someone claims otherwise we'll ask them to prove it."

It's still an argumentative subject to talk about as there's not proof to show how it effect so far. Anyway, as usual.. "PREVENTION IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN CURE"

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