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April 22, 2007

Journalists at risk from electronic smog:

The Independent on Sunday has the dubious honour of publishing one of the worst pieces of science journalism I have ever read on today's front cover - claiming to 'reveal' that children are at risk from Wi-Fi computer networks because of their developing nervous systems.

The headlines include "Children at risk from electronic smog", "Revealed: radiation threat from new wireless computer networks", "Fears rise over health threat to children from wifi networks" and "Danger on the airwaves".

This is despite the fact that not one single study has found a health risk for wifi networks.

In fact, a recent study that measured wifi emissions found "In all cases, the measured Wi-Fi signal levels were very far below international exposure limits (IEEE C95.1-2005 and ICNIRP) and in nearly all cases far below other RF signals in the same environments".

Personally, I'm more concerned about the smog that comes from whatever they've been smoking at the Independent on Sunday.


Link to abstract of recent study on wifi exposure.

Vaughan.

Posted at April 22, 2007 01:30 PM

Comments

brian1625 says:

"Personally, I'm more concerned about the smog that comes from whatever they've been smoking"

I almost spit my morning coffee out.. didn't see that coming.

Comment posted at April 22, 2007 02:14 PM

Blake Stacey says:

I appropriated this example for my taxonomy of bad science reporting, described here:

http://www.sunclipse.org/?p=49

Comment posted at April 23, 2007 06:57 PM

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