Mom brings Wi-Fi worries to Region
THOROLD - The wireless web should get the cold shoulder from Niagara Region, says a St. Catharines mom worried about its effects on kids’ health.
Mother of two Irene Krause called on regional council’s public health and social services committee Tuesday to push Niagara’s school boards to stop using Wi-Fi Internet until the World Health Organization gives it an unreserved OK.
Also calling for an education campaign and a warning to public services like schools and hospitals on the topic, she said she is worried about kids being exposed to the microwave radiation of Wi-Fi for six hours a day.
“By allowing pervasive Wi-Fi in schools, we are conducting an uncontrolled experiment on our children without parental consent or their knowledge about the scientific evidence,” she said.
“Should the priority of convenience trump that of health?”
The issue came to the forefront in February after a call by the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association to put the brakes on Wi-Fi, calling it a workplace hazard and a potential cause of cancer.
The association cited the World Health Organization’s decision to reclassify radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic. The fields are used in systems like mobile phones.
In the end Tuesday, councillors voted to have the Region’s public health team prepare a report on the topic.
The report will be ready for the committee in about six weeks, said medical officer of health Dr. Val Jaeger.
But in an interview, she said she’s confident Wi-Fi is not causing health problems.
“The Region is not aware of any safety issues with Wi-Fi at this point,” she said.
Nevertheless, “I never discount concerns because I think people have the welfare of their children at heart.”
She said dosage has to be taken into account when considering how unsafe something is. Anything can be unhealthy, she said, if the body is exposed to too much of it.
And a year of exposure to Wi-Fi, Jaeger said, is equivalent to using a cellphone for 20 minutes.
In her presentation, Krause said she often hears that Wi-Fi is everywhere, but it’s different with schools. “The public is not forced to stay in cafes, libraries, et cetera, for prolonged periods in the way schoolchildren are in schools,” she said.
Councillors had little to say about the presentation, although Niagara Falls Coun. Bart Maves questioned Krause on how close to a wireless router kids have to be to be exposed. Krause noted that the radiation can’t be seen.
“It’s invisible,” she said. “We don’t see it as green gas or anything.”
St. Catharines Coun. Ronna Katzman declared a conflict of interest on the topic because she works for the District School Board of Niagara, and St. Catharines Coun. Brian Heit also bowed out because he works in wireless communication.
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