Several Nations are taking policy actions to protect children and to inform their citizens of this issue. The United States should not be lagging behind in protections for our children as these other countries are doing.
The Environmental Health Trust has compiled this list of international policy actions downloadable on their website page on children and wireless.
Austria
"The official advice of the Public Health Department of the Salzburg Region is not to use WLAN and DECT in Schools or Kindergartens.” -Gerd Oberfeld, MD.
France
2013 The French National Assembly passed an amendment banning Wi-Fi from nursery Schools. Wi-Fi will be banned from maternity wards and child-care facilities and communities would have to be consulted before any installations in schools. Wi-Fi in schools is discouraged until its proven “safe for human consumption.”
2011 French Cell Phone Statute: These precautionary regulations mandate that merchants must display SAR Radiation levels for different phone models, all phones must be sold with a headset, cell phone ads aimed at children younger than 14 are banned and phones made for children under 6 are banned.
2013 The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety Report recommends “limiting the population's exposure to radiofrequencies… especially for children and intensive users, and controlling the overall exposure that results from relay antennas.” The report also recommends hands free phones and SAR (radiation absorption) labeling.
The French National Library along with other libraries in Paris, and a number of universities have removed all Wi-Fi networks.
Herouville-Saint-Clair has removed all Wi-Fi equipment installed in municipal facilities. Priority was given to schools. WiFi is replaced in almost all schools by fiber optic cable.
Belgium
2013 New Federal Public Health Regulations were enacted to protect children from health risks.
Ghent banns WIFI from nursery schools and daycare centers.
Phones designed for children under 7 years old are prohibited from sale.
Total Advertising Ban on cell phones aimed at children younger than 14.
Mandatory Radiation SAR levels must be available for Consumers.
Russia
The Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection has repeatedly warned about electromagnetic radiation impacts on children and recommended WiFi not be used in schools.
“Thus, for the first time in the human history, children using mobile telecommunications along with the adult population are included into the health risk group due to the RF EMF exposure.”
“In children, the amount of cells is larger than in adults and the stem cells were shown to be the most sensitive to RF EMF exposure.”
“It is reasonable to set limits on mobile telecommunications use by children and adolescents, including ban on all types of advertisement of mobile telecommunications for children. “
Decision of Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection 2008, "CHILDREN AND MOBILE PHONES: THE HEALTH OF THE FOLLOWING GENERATIONS IS IN DANGER.”
Australia
2013 The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency issued Fact Sheet 14: How to Reduce exposure from mobile phones and other wireless devices. This Fact Sheet comprehensively details measures that citizens can take to minimize exposures. For example, it states:
Reduce the risk from WiFi devices by “keeping them at a distance, for example placing the wireless router away from where people spend time”, and “reducing the amount of time you use them."
“ARPANSA recommends that parents encourage their children to limit their exposure.”
Switzerland
The Governing Council of Thurgau Canton 2008 “The Governing Council recommends for schools to forgo the use of wireless networks when the structural makeup of a given school building allows for a wired network.“
Israel
The Israeli Ministry Of Education has issued guidelines limiting WiFi and Cell phone use in schools.
Pre-schools and kindergartens have banned the use of wireless networks.
A hard wired direct cable connection is recommended and according to recent reports, schools are in the process of converting their wireless infrastructure to cable connections.
The Israeli Supreme Court ordered the Israeli Government to investigate the number of children currently suffering from physical sensitivities to wireless radiation.
In elementary school, internet use is restricted to specific hours a week.
The Education Ministry has instructed all schools to perform radiation measurement tests to define true exposures to students and staff.
Israel's Minister of Health Rabi Litzman stated that he supports a ban on Wi-Fi in schools.
Finland
The Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority issued recommendationsfor children which include: favoring text messages, parents limiting duration and amount of calls,the use of hands free devices, avoiding calls in a low reception area and keeping the phone away from the body.
"With children, we have reason to be especially careful, because there is not enough research on children's mobile phone use. Unfortunately, it will not be easy to obtain this information in the future, either, because of ethical considerations, the use of children as research subjects must always be heavily justified", according to STUK research director Sisko Salomaa.
Germany
The German Federal Ministry for Radiation Protection: “in view of the regulated limits supplementary precautionary measures such as wired cable alternatives are to be preferred to the WLAN system.”
Bavaria: The State Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs: “For precautionary reasons the Federal Office for Radiation Protection recommends for schools that if a wireless network is used to place its components in suitable locations and to prefer the use of wired network solutions whenever possible.” In 2007 Parliament issued a recommendation to all schools in the land to not install wireless LAN networks.
Frankfurt: “In Frankfurt’s schools there will be no wireless networks in the short or mid term. The Local Education Authority did not wish to conduct a “large scale human experiment,” said Michael Damian, spokesperson of the Head of the School Department Jutta Ebeling.
India
2012 The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology issued EMF guidelines with Exposure Limit lowered to 1/10 of the ICNIRP level, SAR labels on phones, and recommendations for Headsets, Speakerphones, limiting cell phone use, increasing distance from devices, and preferring landlines.
2013: Supreme Court of India upholds a decision of the High Court of the State of Rajasthan to remove all cell towers from the vicinity of schools, colleges, hospitals and playgrounds because of radiation “hazardous to life.”
United Kingdom
The UK National Health Service has specific Recommendations
“Children should only use mobile phones for essential purposes and keep all calls short. “
For the public they detail “recommendations to help lower any potential long-term risks” which include keeping calls short, keep phone away from the body on standby mode, only use it when the reception is strong and use a phone with an external antenna.
Canada
Health Canada offers “Practical Advice” on reducing exposure to wireless radiation.
Recommendations: 1. Limit the length of cell phone calls, 2. Replace cell phone calls with text, use "hands-free" devices and 3. Encourage children under the age of 18 to limit their cell phone usage
“Health Canada reminds cell phone users that they can take practical measures to reduce RF exposure. The department encourages parents to reduce their children's RF exposure from cell phones since children are typically more sensitive to a variety of environmental agents...There is a lack of scientific information regarding the potential health impacts of cell phones on children.”
Resolution 1815:2011 The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
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The European Citizens' Initiative on
Electromagnetic Radiation
This Initiative calls for full application of the Precautionary Principle.
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