A group in Santa Fe, New Mexico, has reportedly complained to authorities that WiFi technology in the town is making people ill. Because of this, they want the tech to be banned.
Lead by well-known activist Arthur Firstenberg, the group are calling for WiFi accessibility to be taken out of all public buildings, starting with libraries.
Speaking about the health effects of the technology, Firstenberg said: “I walk in, get a headache and I get chest pain and it doesn't go away right away.”
According to VDU Net, the group claim to be electro-sensitive and, because of this, they are being discriminated against under the Americans with Disabilities act.
No apparent WiFi health risks
This is not the first time that WiFi has been branded a health risk. Just last year a report by the Times newspaper found that parents were worried about the health risks involved in implementing the technology into schools.
This report was followed by a government study into WiFi that found no apparent health problems associated with wireless connections.
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nicolasmerritt
May 29th 2008
2. Agreed, it's rubbish.
Ben Goldacre's Bad Science website has a good pop at this 'electrosensivity' nonsense. Worth a read.
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lth
May 28th 2008
1. These people need to understand physics better - almost all of the wireless spectrum carries too little power and on the wrong wavelength to excite the water molecules in the body. It's just nonsense.
Not as weird as the South Korean belief that desk fans will kill you, though:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_death
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