Hotspots a Hot Topic

Some report an unusual sensitivity to the waves emitted in these hotspots. Officially, the levels of WiFi electromagnetic radiation emitted into the environment in a hotspot are well below recommended levels and there is no evidence of any risk to humans. Yet some people blame Wi-Fi exposure for everything from sleep disturbances, headaches and blurred vision, to heart and breathing problems.

Because no study has ever shown a conclusive risk to human health from exposure to these low-frequency radio transmissions, many simply shrug off the complaints of these people, choosing to believe their symptoms are coincidental or caused by another source.

So just how high are the levels of radiation in a hotspot? According to Dr. Michael Clark of the HPA, the published research on mobile phones and wireless networks does not indicate a risk to human health. "All the expert reviews done here and abroad indicate that there is unlikely to be a health risk from wireless networks," he says. "The few studies on mobile phone masts that have appeared in peer-reviewed journals claiming to observe health effects are not at all conclusive. The real problem is deciding what level of precaution is appropriate.

"When we have conducted measurements in schools, typical exposures from wi-fi are around 20 millionths of the international guideline levels of exposure to radiation. As a comparison, a child on a mobile phone receives up to 50 per cent of guideline levels. So a year sitting in a classroom near a wireless network is roughly equivalent to 20 minutes on a mobile. If wi-fi should be taken out of schools, then the mobile phone network should be shut down, too - and FM radio and TV, as the strength of their signals is similar to that from wi-fi in classrooms."