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CANCER AND WiFi
WiFi: Handy but Also Harmful?
BY LAURIE L. DOVE
From the coffee shop and public library to the workplace
and your living room, WiFi is everywhere. But can it be harmful to your health?
WiFi works by translating
data into radio signals and then transmitting and receiving those signals via
antennae.
Wireless networks harness
radio waves, a part of the broad range of frequencies that make up the
electromagnetic spectrum.
If Marvel Comics has taught
us anything, it's that some radiation on the spectrum can be harmful.
Gamma rays, X-rays or
high-frequency ultraviolet light are so high in energy that they can break
apart atoms and damage DNA.
These waves, known as
ionizing radiation, are not part of an ordinary WiFi network.
WiFi networks comprise
nonionizing radio wavelengths that are too low in energy to bust up atoms or
molecules, or damage DNA.
In fact, WiFi often is
transmitted at a 2.4-gigahertz frequency, which is about the same as most
microwave ovens.
What's more, WiFi networks
have a greater broadcast distance than microwaves.
Every time the distance of a
radio wave is doubled, only a quarter of its energy is released, a formula that's
known generally as the inverse square law of physics.
In other words, WiFi's
intensity will drop sharply the farther you are from the device emitting it.
Does this mean there is zero
risk? Nope.
The World Health Organization
(WHO) recognizes several studies that demonstrate a preliminary connection
between these types of radiation and human illness.
They categorize a wireless
internet connection as a class 2B carcinogen, which means it is possibly
carcinogenic to humans at certain exposures and under certain conditions.
Diesel, carbon, lead and
chloroform also are listed as class 2B carcinogens.
However, WHO concludes that
WiFi at the levels commonly experienced by most people don't cause cancer,
stating "there is no risk from low level, long-term exposure to WiFi
networks."
NOW THAT'S INTERESTING
Want to keep up with this
topic? WHO's International EMF Project is keeping tabs
on this issue, particularly as more EMF-emitting devices make their way into
the world. As the group notes, "No major public health risks have emerged
from several decades of EMF research, but uncertainties remain."
Laurie L. Dove is an
award-winning journalist who covers timely topics for HowStuffWorks. She is the
author of six books and the former owner of a newspaper and magazine. When not
reporting on the latest tech breakthrough, health advance or economic
development, Dove is tracking down hidden history, science innovations and
biologic discoveries. As the Honorable Laurie Dove, Mayor, she has brought
multi-million-dollar improvements to the small Midwest town where she lives
with her husband, five children and two Akitas.
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