Panorama stirs wi-fi worries
Posted 21 May 2007 at 12:57PM by Simon Dickson in Connecting to the Internet
Tonight's Panorama on BBC1 promises to bring us details of an investigation which found that schools' wireless computer networks can give off three times the radiation of a mobile phone mast. They say 70% of secondary schools and 50% of primary schools have wi-fi networks, despite government advice against siting mobile phone masts near schools. In an interview for the programme, the head of the Health Protection Agency apparently says: 'there is a need for a review of wi-fi... I think it's timely for it to be done now.'
The backlash has started early, though, with The Guardian quoting other scientists who reject it as a 'grossly unscientific scare story'. It also quotes Health Protection Agency data which found that 'a person sitting within a Wi-Fi hotspot for a year receives the same dose of radio waves as a person using a mobile phone for 20 minutes.' UK technology blog Tech Digest also points out that Panorama's radiation readings are well inside government safety limits.
As ever, we're going to have men in white coats lining up on both sides of the argument, leaving everyone else wondering who to believe. And since you can't ever prove a negative, programmes like this will always ask questions which can't be answered in the short (or even medium) term. I'm no scientist, but I have seen the tremendous benefits of wireless networking, at home and in the office. It can truly transform the working experience, unchaining you from your desk, and ensuring you can always access that important document or spreadsheet, wherever you are in the building.
Tags: bbc, guardian, panorama, radiation, tech digest, wi-fi, wireless networks
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