WHO is the voice of reason?

A World Health Organisation (WHO) report is aiming to put Wifi radiation fears into perspective following a number of stories on the topic in the media recently.

In its report into the potential health risks posed by Wifi base-stations, the organisation said that RF exposures from Wifi were, “lower or comparable to RF (Radio frequency) exposures from radio or television broadcast transmitters.”

“In fact, due to their lower frequency, at similar RF exposure levels, the body absorbs up to five times more of the signal from FM radio and television than from base stations,” it said.

“The levels of RF exposure from base stations and wireless networks are so low that the temperature increases are insignificant and do not affect human health.”

This was backed up by a representative for the Department of Health who sai: " Wifi devices are of very low power, much lower than mobile phones."

The WHO assessment conflicted with warnings given earlier this month in a report about the exposrue of children to Wifi. This report from the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme - a research committee co-funded by the Government and mobile phone industry - which said that notebooks which used Wifi to access the internet could pose a radiation risk similar to that transmitted from a mobile phone, when used on a child’s lap.

But after reports appeared in the media about these concerns, WHO blamed media reporting for causing undue concern about the technology.

“Several reasons for public fear include media announcements of new and unconfirmed scientific studies, leading to a feeling of uncertainty and a perception that there may be unknown or undiscovered hazards,” it said.

It also moved to dispel fears by backing research into the topic.

“While no health effects are expected from exposure to RF fields from base stations and wireless networks, research is still being promoted by WHO to determine whether there are any health consequences from the higher RF exposures from mobile phones,” it concluded.

However, Graham Philips, technical manager at Powerwatch, a pressure group engaged in the debate, disagreed with WHO's findings.

“If you had asked me six years ago if I was worried about the effects of Wifi signals then I would have said 'no',” he said.

“However, in the last 24 months research has found that the signals emitted from many laptops in a classroom can have the same effects on a person as if they were standing close to a mobile phone mast.

“Wifi and mobile signals are highly pulsed digital signals which are on different spectrums and emit different signals to those of television and FM radio."

Where experts do agree, however, is that more investigation into any potential adverse affects of Wifi on children is needed, especially with plans by the Department for Education and Skills to equip more schools with Wifi systems.