The UK government has announced it will carry out systematic research into wireless computer networks amid increasing concerns of the effects they might have on people’s health, particularly children’s health.

Professor Pat Troop, chief executive of the Health Protection Agency (HPA) admits that “there has not been extensive research into what people’s exposures actually are to this new technology and that is why we are initiating this new program of research and analyzes,” Mac World writes.

However, he insisted that there was no need to suspend its use.

“There is no scientific evidence to date that WiFi and WLANs adversely affect the health of the general population. The signals are very low power, typically 0.1 watt (100 milliwatts) in both the computer and the router (access point) and the results so far show exposures are well within International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation (ICNIRP) guidelines. Given this, there is no particular reason why schools and others should not continue to use WiFi or other wireless networks.”

The research project will attempt to measure the exposures to radio signals from wireless computer networks. The information collected from this research will be compared with the established international exposure guidelines, and also with the other sources of radio signals such as mobile phones.

Earlier, the HPA together with the England’s chief medical officer had issued an advisory discouraging the non-essential use of mobile phones by children.

HPA expects that the results of the coming research to be “re-assuring”. The findings will be published on its website. Likewise, it will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals.

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Entry was posted on Friday, October 12th, 2007 at 11:50 pm under Wi-Fi.

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