Local councils and other public authorities deploying
wireless networks have called for further government research into
the health effects of Wi-Fi after concerns were raised by the
BBC's Panorama
programme last week.
Council leaders are concerned that
publicity over
the possible long-term, low-level radiation risks of Wi-Fi
could dent public confidence and affect take-up of their wireless
services. They added that any delay in rolling out wireless would
mean the UK missing out on the economic benefits it could
bring.
"Without this research, we as a council cannot give users an
education about health effects," said Stephen Hilton, programme
lead at Bristol Council's digital development agency,
Connecting Bristol.
"The government needs to spearhead research to provide councils
with the means to educate the public if it wants to see wireless
networks provide economic returns."
Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, said
independent research was needed, but it should be funded by
industry and commercial wireless operators. "They also have a lot
to gain by addressing these concerns," he said.
Currently there is no requirement for councils or businesses to
carry out health assessments when deploying Wi-Fi networks, and
industry regulator Ofcom is
not required to take any health guidance when allocating signal
spectrum for wireless systems.
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Research into the health effects of Wi-Fi
A
study by the European Commission Scientific Committee on Emerging
and Newly Identified Health Risks said, "No health effect has
been consistently demonstrated [from radio frequency energy] at
exposure levels below the limits set by the International Committee
on Non Ionising Radiation Protection in 1998." However, it
acknowledged that the data for evaluation "remains limited".
An
assessment by
the Swedish Radiation Protection Authority said, "None of the
latest studies strengthen the evidence of any genotoxic [DNA break
up] effects of radio frequency fields."