School’s wi- fi turn- off criticised
A primary school’s decision to switch off wi- fi in junior classrooms because of concerns about radiation has experts worried pupils will miss out on the educational benefits of technology if others follow.
Te Horo School, on the Kapiti Coast, consulted parents after 10- year- old Ethan Wyman died of a brain tumour. He had been sleeping with a wi- fi- connected iPod under his pillow.
His father Damon found children absorbed 60 per cent more radiation than adults because their skulls were thinner and their bones were still developing.
But New Zealand Institute of IT Professionals chief executive Paul Matthews said in a blog that while high- strength electromagnetic fields could be harmful to people, the amount emitted through wi- fi was minuscule.
Mr Matthews described Te Horo’s decision as ‘‘ a little odd’’, given it agreed wi- fi wasn’t harmful to kids.
‘‘ Despite extensive research, to date there is no evidence to conclude that exposure to low- level electromagnetic fields is harmful to human health,’’ he said.
The United States National Cancer Institute and Public Health England had found no evidence radio frequency energy can cause cancer.
‘‘ It would appear to make no more sense banning wi- fi in schools than banning electricity, and neither is supported by the evidence.’’
Royal Society Science Media Centre manager Peter Griffin said many computing devices used at school couldn’t be plugged into a wired internet connection.
‘‘ If you turn off the wireless network you make it harder for kids to go online to find the learning resources they need,’’ he said.
‘‘ Damon Wyman may think he is doing the students of Te Horo School a favour. In fact, he is helping to generate the sort of hysteria that could lead to wi- fi networks going dark in schools. That would be a disaster.’’
Meanwhile, Safer Wireless Technology New Zealand technical spokesman Toa Greening wants the Government to revise the national guidelines for managing the effects of radio- frequency transmitters.
‘‘ Compared to other countries they are thousands of times more permissive,’’ he said.
Dr Stuart Reuben, a retired cardiologist, claimed New Zealand lagged behind the rest of the world on electromagnetic radiation research.