Lunes, 21 de mayo de 2007 - 12:42 GMT
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/spanish/science/newsid_6676000/6676299.stm Posibles riesgos del mundo WiFi
BBC Mundo Ciencia
No se conoce lo suficiente sobre los posibles efectos en la salud
de
la tecnología WiFi.
Ésa es la advertencia del presidente de la Agencia de Protección
Sanitaria de Gran Bretaña.
Según William Stewart, quien dirigió la investigación del
gobierno
británico sobre los efectos a la salud de los teléfonos móviles,
debemos
tener la misma actitud precautoria que adoptamos ante estos últimos.
La tecnología WiFi, del inglés Wireless Fidelity o fidelidad
inalámbrica, ofrece la posibilidad de conexiones rápidas a través de
señales
de radio, y no requiere cables o enchufes.
Gran Bretaña, igual que muchos otros países del mundo, ha
adoptado
esta tecnología y cada vez más escuelas, universidades, y hogares se
han
unido a la revolución inalámbrica.
Sin embargo, los expertos afirman que los efectos a largo plazo
de la
tecnología no han sido suficientemente investigados.
En particular se mencionan los posibles riesgos a la salud de los
niños que asisten a escuelas con redes inalámbricas.
Radiación
La radiofrecuencia de los teléfonos móviles, las torres de
telefonía
móvil y las redes WiFi emiten radiación.
Una investigación del programa de la BBC "Panorama" encontró que
los
niveles de radiación en un salón de clases de una escuela en Inglaterra
eran
tres veces más altos que los niveles de radiación emitidos por una
torre de
telefonía celular.
Los expertos afirman, sin embargo, que incluso estos niveles en
ese
salón están por debajo de los límites que se consideran seguros en este
país.
El debate sobre los efectos de la tecnología inalámbrica no es
nuevo.
Siempre se ha dicho que no se debe permitir que la radiación de
una
torre de telefonía móvil llegue al los patios de las escuelas.
Y ahora, mientras no se demuestre lo contrario, los expertos
afirman
que debemos tomar con precaución las posibles consecuencias de la
radiación
de la tecnología inalámbrica.
El problema es que quizás ya es un poco tarde, porque muchas
escuelas
alrededor del mundo se han unido a la revolución inalámbrica.
En Gran Bretaña, casi 50% de las escuelas primarias y 70% de las
secundarias tienen tecnología WiFi.
Además, muchos niños que ya están rodeados de estas emisiones en
la
escuela, regresarán a casa donde quizás también habrá radiación WiFi.
Sobre la mesa
Lo que se sabe hasta ahora es que la exposición de las emisiones
WiFi
a menudo es muy pequeña, ya que los transmisores son de baja potencia y
se
colocan a cierta distancia del cuerpo.
También pueden estar más cerca, por ejemplo, cuando nos colocamos
nuestra laptop en las piernas.
Por eso, dicen los expertos, es mejor alentar a los niños que
usen su
computadora en una mesa si van a estar conectados a internet durante
mucho
tiempo.
Algunos países, sin embargo, ya han adoptado medidas precautorias
más
estrictas.
Los estudiantes de la Universidad Lakehead, en Ontario, Canadá,
tienen
prohibido conectarse a internet en varias zonas del campus
universitario
donde se ha eliminado el uso de tecnología WiFi.
Según el rector de la misma, "la radiación de microondas en el
rango
de frecuencia de WiFi causa cambios de conducta, altera las funciones
cognitivas, activa la respuesta de estrés e interfiere con las ondas
cerebrales".
Las autoridades universitarias afirman que no se usarán redes
inalámbricas hasta que se demuestre que estas ondas no son dañinas para
la
salud.
Precaución
Hasta ahora, sin embargo, no se ha logrado demostrar que la WiFi
sea
perjudicial.
Según el profesor Henry Lai,
http://www.emrpolicy.org/science/forum/index.htm, de la Universidad
Estatal
de Washington, quien ha estudiado los posibles efectos a la salud de
las
redes WiFi, afirma que las investigaciones hasta ahora no han sido
concluyentes.
"Debe haber por lo menos unos tres mil estudios llevados a cabo
durante los pasados 20 años sobre estos efectos", afirma el experto.
"Y hasta ahora, el 50% de estos encontró algún efecto
perjudicial, y
el 50% no encontró ningún efecto en absoluto", agrega.
El gobierno británico afirma que mientras las emisiones de
radiación
estén por debajo de los límites que se consideran seguros, no existen
riesgos a la salud.
Pero, tal como preguntamos al profesor Lai, ¿permitirá que sus
hijos
se sienten frente a una computadora inalámbrica durante todos sus años
escolares?
"No lo creo -afirma- yo limitaría su exposición a este tipo de
radiación, porque más vale ser precavidos".
http://www.clarin.com/diario/2007/05/21/um/m-01423224.htm16:57 | Un estudio advierte sobre los riesgos por el uso de la
tecnología
WiFi
Según una investigación de la BBC, las ondas de radio emitidas por este
sistema de transmisión son tres veces más potentes que las emanadas por
los
teléfonos celulares y aún no está claro si pueden causar daños. Algunos
países ya adoptaron medidas precautorias.
Tendencias
La Agencia de Protección Sanitaria de Gran Bretaña advirtió que no se
conoce
lo suficiente sobre los posibles efectos que la tecnología WiFi podría
tener
en la salud. Según una investigación realizada por la BBC, las ondas de
radio emitidas por este sistema de transmisión son tres veces más
potentes
que las emanadas por los teléfonos celulares.
Cada vez más locales comerciales, universidades y hogares adoptan el
sistema
inalámbrico WiFi ("Wireless Fidelity", "Fidelidad inalámbrica" en
español).
En Gran Bretaña, lo utilizan casi el 50% de las escuelas primarias y el
70%
de las secundarias. Los expertos afirman que los efectos de la
exposición a
esta tecnología a largo plazo no fueron suficientemente investigados y
que
existen posibles riesgos para quienes se exponen a sus radiaciones.
Algunos países ya adoptaron medidas precautorias. Los estudiantes de la
Universidad Lakehead, en Canadá, tienen prohibido conectarse a Internet
en
varias zonas del campus universitario. Las autoridades de ese centro
educativo afirman que no se usarán redes inalámbricas hasta que se
demuestre
que estas ondas no son dañinas para la salud.
Sin embargo, hasta el momento no se logró demostrar que la tecnología
sea
perjudicial. "Debe haber por lo menos unos tres mil estudios llevados a
cabo
sobre estos efectos. Hasta ahora, el 50% encontró algún efecto
perjudicial y
el 50% no encontró ningún efecto en absoluto", explicó a la prensa el
profesor Henry Lai, de la Universidad Estatal de Washington.
Artículo
Las redes WiFi matan a los niños
por El equipo de The Inquirer:
javier.pastor@vnubp.es javier.pastor@vnubp.es Lunes 23 Abril 2007, 11:36
http://es.theinquirer.net/2007/04/23/las_redes_wifi_matan_a_los_nin.htmlSir William Stewart, director de la Health Protection Agency, quiere
que se
vigile a los más jóvenes y a los efectos nocivos que pueden causar
sobre
ellos las redes WiFi instaladas en centros escolares.
Sir William fue anteriormente consejero científico del gobierno, y ha
presentado dos peticiones oficiales para advertir del peligro de los
teléfonos móviles.
Teme que las redes WiFi puedan causar cancer y una senilidad prematura.
Varios gobiernos en distintas provincias de Europa están eliminando o
limitando el uso de WiFi en las clases.
Ningún estudio ha conseguido relacionar los efectos de las redes
inalámbricas en los pupilos, pero estas redes emiten una radiación
similar a
las emisiones de los teléfonos móviles y las antenas de telefonía
móvil.
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article2472133.ecefrom The Independent & The Independent on Sunday
21 May 2007 19:47 Health Medical
Wi-Fi: Children at risk from 'electronic smog'
Revealed - radiation threat from new wireless computer networks
Teachers demand inquiry to protect a generation of pupils
By Geoffrey Lean, environment editor
Published: 22 April 2007
Britain's top health protection watchdog is pressing for a formal
investigation into the hazards of using wireless communication networks
in
schools amid mounting concern that they may be damaging children's
health,
'The Independent on Sunday' can reveal.
Sir William Stewart, the chairman of the Health Protection Agency,
wants
pupils to be monitored for ill effects from the networks - known as
Wi-Fi -
which emit radiation and are being installed in classrooms across the
nation.
Sir William - who is a former chief scientific adviser to the
Government,
and has chaired two official inquiries into the hazards of mobile
phones -
is adding his weight to growing pressure for a similar examination of
Wi-Fi,
which some scientists fear could cause cancer and premature senility.
Wi-Fi - described by the Department of Education and Skills as a
"magical"
system that means computers do not have to be connected to telephone
lines -
is rapidly being taken up inschools, with estimates that more than half
of
primary schools - and four-fifths of secondary schools - have installed
it .
But several European provincial governments have already taken action
to
ban, or limit, its use in the classroom, and Stowe School has partially
removed it after a teacher became ill.
This week the Professional Association of Teachers, which represents
35,000
staff across the country, will write to Alan Johnson, Secretary of
State for
Education, to demand an official inquiry. Virtually no studies have
been
carried out into Wi-Fi's effects on pupils, but it gives off radiation
similar to emissions from mobile phones and phone masts.
Recent research has linked radiation from mobiles to cancer and to
brain
damage. And many studies have found disturbing symptoms in people near
masts.
Professor Olle Johansson,
http://www.feb.se/ARTICLES/OlleJ.htmlof Sweden's prestigious Karolinska Institute, who is deeply concerned
about
the spread of Wi-Fi, says there are "thousands" of articles in
scientific
literature demonstrating "adverse health effects". He adds: "Do we not
know
enough already to say, 'Stop!'?"
For the past 16 months, the provincial government of Salzburg in
Austria has
been advising schools not to install Wi-Fi, and is considering a ban.
Dr
Gerd Oberfeld, its head of environmental health and medicine, calls the
technology "dangerous".
Sir William - who takes a stronger position on the issue than his
agency -
was not available for comment yesterday, but two members of an expert
group
that he chairs on the hazards of radiation spoke of his concern.
Mike Bell, chairman of the Electromagnetic Radiation Research Trust,
says
that he has been "very supportive of having Wi-Fi examined and doing
something about it". And Alasdair Philips,
http://www.powerwatch.org.uk/docs/aboutus.asp director of Powerwatch, an information service, said that he was
pressing
for monitoring of the health of pupils exposed to Wi-Fi.
Labour MP Ian Gibson, who was interviewed with Sir William for a
forthcoming
television programme, last week said that he backed proposals for an
inquiry.
21 May 2007 19:48 Leading Articles
http://comment.independent.co.uk/leading_articles/article2472074.eceLeading article: Hi-tech horrors
Published: 22 April 2007
The technologies we grow to love most have a way of exacting a toll
once we
become dependent on them. They change our lives and then come back to
demand
their price. Take the internal combustion engine, which has allowed us
to be
comfortably mobile, but killed many millions in accidents and from
pollution. Or indeed the burning of fossil fuels, which has driven
prosperity for more than two centuries, but now threatens to destroy
through
uncontrolled global warming the very civilisation it has created.
Mobile
phones are our latest love affair - over 50 million are in use in
Britain -
and for these too there may well be a reckoning. Evidence is beginning
to
accumulate that the radiation they emit may cause cancer and so damage
the
brains of today's young people that they become senile while still in
the
prime of life. Two official reports by Sir William Stewart - chairman
of the
official Health Protection Agency and a former government chief
scientist -
have warned against the dangers, only to be effectively ignored by the
Government.
The measures he proposed were moderate and sensible, but were treated
with
unforgivable contempt. He wanted ministers to circulate a leaflet
detailing
the potential dangers to every home; they restricted distribution so
much
that it was hard to get. He asked for information on the widely varying
radiation levels of different phones to be put on the handsets and the
packaging, so that customers could choose to buy low-radiation models
for
themselves or their children; ministers pledged to do so, and broke
their
promise. He recommended that erecting mobile phone masts near schools
should
be banned unless parents agreed; the Government simply refused. Above
all,
he insisted that children should be discouraged from using mobiles and
that
industry should be stopped from promoting them to the young; nothing
happened and their use became almost universal.
Now, as we report today, he is privately airing new concerns - about
the
rapid spread of Wi-Fi technology, particularly in schools. The
radiation
emitted by the networks is far less than from mobiles, and it is not
delivered so close to the head. But it is constant, and involuntary.
People
who are particularly, and dangerously, sensitive to the radiation will
not
be able to escape it. Nor will those who might choose not to take the
gamble
with their health. And as the technology is rolled out to cover whole
cities, any refuge will become next to impossible.
The inconvenient truth is that we are conducting a massive experiment
on
ourselves and particularly on our children. We are surrounding
ourselves
with an ever-thickening electronic soup the like of which living cells
have
not encountered during their billions of years of evolution. Of course,
all
may be well; we may be immune to any ill-effects. But there is enough
evidence accumulating to make it seem unlikely that we will be so
lucky. As
we exclusively reported last week, other members of the animal kingdom
-
bees - may be even more affected.
We need to stop and think. Weshould be officially monitoring the
effects on
the children we expose to the radiation in classrooms. We also need
another
official inquiry - as authoritative as the Stewart reports on mobile
phones - before the technology is deployed further. And this time,
ministers
must implement what it recommends.
http://www.powerwatch.org.uk/docs/aboutus.asp Alasdair Philips
Powerwatch - About Us
[Back to Home Page] [About Us] [Mission and Aims] [Vision and Purpose]
[Staff]
Powerwatch has been researching the links between electromagnetic
fields
(EMFs) and health risks for about 17 years, and is completely
independent of
government and industry. We gather information from around the world
about
EMFs, in order to help the lay person understand this complex issue. We
have
designed a number of instruments so that the general public can find
out
what they are exposed to, and have written numerous publications on the
latest research, what is understood and what is not known, and what you
can
do to minimise any high fields you may be regularly exposed to. These,
and
high quality EMF shielding material (including paint), are sold by
EMFields.
Powerwatch was formed in 1988 to fight a proposal for a large new
electricity substation in Norfolk, England, UK. This was on a
greenfield
site and was to be built to free up an existing one on a valuable
industrial
site. The original driving force behind it was Neil Mayhew,
http://www.greenhealthwatch.com/GOODS/BOOKSCDS/BookLivingWithElecBOEMFLIVELECPHIL.htma road safety engineer working for Norfolk County Council. The issues
included electromagnetic effects on health, appropriate power use and
energy
efficiency. Powerwatch was commended by the Inspector for its
professional
and appropriate input to the Inquiry.
Around the same time, Alasdair Philips was Newsletter Editor for a
group
called Electronics and Computing for Peace. He and colleagues had been
investigating the claimed (mis-)use of non-lethal electromagnetic
weapons by
the military, one particular example being the 'zapping' of the women
peace
protestors at Greenham Common ~ a RAF base being used by the American
military as a Cruise Missile base. When they visited the Greenham
Airbase
they measured microwave beams, amplitude modulated at extremely low
frequencies, aimed directly at the women. Interestingly, this was
confirmed
to Alasdair by senior Home Office officials at a Mobile Phones and
Health
Effects conference held in Whitehall, London, in 1996.
As well as building up a database of both Russian and American military
electromagnetic weaponry literature, it soon became clear that low
frequency
electric and magnetic fields from power lines and electrical appliances
were
also suspect of being able to cause, or at least promote, adverse
health
effects, especially childhood leukaemia.
In 1990 ECP amalgamated with other groups to form Scientists for Global
Responsibility (SGR), and Alasdair Philips moved most of his
non-ionising
electromagnetic field work to Powerwatch, although staying a member of
SGR.
Until the summer of 1998 Powerwatch was a membership organisation open
to
members of the general public. Although we had about 600 members, most
of
them just wanted news and advice and it was not proving possible to
find the
time and resources to run it properly. It was decided to transfer
existing
membership subscriptions into subscriptions to the ElectroMagnetic
Hazard
and Therapy Quarterly Newsletter.
Since then Powerwatch has been an association of skilled people,
Directed by
Alasdair Philips, maintaining this web site and providing a consultancy
service on a commercial basis to businesses and to the general public,
and
providing technical input to local Councils and Government.
Alasdair Philips in qualified in both Electrical and Electronic
Engineering
and in Agricultural Engineering. Since 1986 he has built up a
considerable
knowledge of EMF bioeffects, and is one of the leading 'alternative'
voices
on the subject in the UK. Powerwatch is used as a forum for a small
group of
knowledgeable engineers and scientists who are concerned about the
consequences of irradiated 'blue world' we are creating
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