TORONTO – If peanut allergies and bullying were not enough for parents to worry about, now you can add Wi-Fi to the growing list of potential dangers at school.
The Ontario English Catholic Teacher's Association, a union representing 45,000 Ontario teachers, has “studied” the effects of microwave radiation from Wi-Fi, and has released a statement that classroom computers should only be hardwired and Wi-Fi not installed in any more classrooms. It’s now comparing exposure to Wi-Fi to the impact of cigarette smoke and asbestos.
The union's provincial Health and Safety Committee recognized research in its report that shows up to one million Canadians, or three percent of the population may have "severe and immediate reactions” to Wi-Fi. The symptoms can range from headaches to heart palpitations, including speeding heart rates.
That “research” was based on a five-year old Statistics Canada report that stated “Approximately 3% of the population (over 1 million Canadians) has been diagnosed with environmental sensitivities (ES) which include multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS) and electromagnetic sensitivity.” But nowhere in the research provided by the OECTA does this study connect the electromagnetic sensitivities specifically to WiFi exposure.
Even odder is that in the OECTA’s official report recommendations it does not state that Wi-Fi should not be installed in classrooms. Instead it merely outlines that Wi-Fi microwave transmitters “… may present a potential Health and Safety risk or hazard in the workplace” and nothing more. So the press release, officially issued by something called the “Safe Schools Committee” which calls for a ban on Wi-Fi appears to be in conflict with the union’s own study.
The assertions that Wi-Fi could create adverse health effects are also completely at odds with Health Canada’s official findings, which compare the RF energy created by Wi-Fi to that produced by AM/FM radio signals. The news release from the OECTA today did not mention if AM/FM radios would be banned next from schools.
In fact, Health Canada explains that “unlike cellular phones where the transmitter is in close proximity to the head and much of the RF energy that is absorbed is deposited in a highly localized area, RF energy from Wi-Fi devices is typically transmitted at a much greater distance from the human body.”
So those who intend to call their child’s school to learn more about the OECTA’s ruling to ban Wi-Fi, should first make certain that the teacher at the other end is only using a landline telephone or is adequately covered in tinfoil.
