Is wireless safe to your health?

[ynot167]

With all the new technology and studies with cell phones and brain cancer, I was wondering if wireless networking is safe?

 

[Lord Evermore]

Cell phones and microwaves put out more radiation and higher power signals than a wireless networking device. There was a thread about this a few weeks ago.

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=27&threadid=1009839&highlight_key=y&keyword1=mother&FTVAR_MSGDBTABLE=

 

[Soybomb]

Completely, far less radiation than cell phones and other devices that expose you to microwaves everyday. The brain cancer/cell phone link is hardly a proven one itself.

 

[JackMDS]

I am afraid that only our Grandchildren will know the answer to this question.

Unless the Microwave affect certain organs that will prevent us from having Grandchildren. :Q:brokenheart:

 

[Lord Evermore]

I volunteer to be part of the isolated breeding population that's revered and provided for by the non-reproducing humans in the future.

 

[JammingJay]

Its kind of like the NutraSweet test where 'it has been known to cause cancer in lab rats'...........since the rats were fed like 3-5 times their body weight in saccharin within a week. I wouldn't worry too much unless you're constantly within 6 inches of your antennas.

 

[ktwebb]

The cisco literature references 12 inches as the acceptable distance between you and the AP or client device. There are several opinions here. Jack's is pretty much the only one with a whole lot of validity. These are extremely low powered devices however they are emitting microwaves at that low power. Years of use and/or study of the 802.11 environment is the only real way to know for sure if they are causing any damage. If you wore two AP's like earmuffs then I would say it's a pretty good bet you'd have lumps as ears at some point. As far as just having your AP on your desk or your PC card in your laptop and what effect that will have on you long term, it's just conjecture. IMO, it's not a problem, but I can't say that without the disclaimer that it is merely an educated opinion. As with cellphones, tests and time will tell.

 

[Soybomb]

Originally posted by: ktwebb
The cisco literature references 12 inches as the acceptable distance between you and the AP or client device. There are several opinions here. Jack's is pretty much the only one with a whole lot of validity. These are extremely low powered devices however they are emitting microwaves at that low power. Years of use and/or study of the 802.11 environment is the only real way to know for sure if they are causing any damage. If you wore two AP's like earmuffs then I would say it's a pretty good bet you'd have lumps as ears at some point. As far as just having your AP on your desk or your PC card in your laptop and what effect that will have on you long term, it's just conjecture. IMO, it's not a problem, but I can't say that without the disclaimer that it is merely an educated opinion. As with cellphones, tests and time will tell.

Keep in mind microwave devices have in use for quite a long time and we still haven't seen the early users suffer any from it. Among other things ham radio operators have carried around and used microwave radios (with alot more power output) for quite a while even. 802.11 is such a drop in the bucket compared to everything else.......

note: If I'm wrong, I will pay dearly for the numerous hours I spend a day with my 802.11 card about 8 inches from my groin and the cell phone I sometimes carry in my chest pocket

 

[cmetz]

We don't know. How long-term exposure to low levels of RF affects the human body, and why some people seem more sensitive than others.

There are a lot of people who think they know, but they're just using educated guesses based on very limited science. We are quite literally running up against the limitations of our scientific processes and knowledge here. We just don't know how to examine problems of long-term low level effects.

I would suggest that you keep antennas as far away from people as is practical, and would suggest that if you're really worried about this, you turn things off when not in use. Those are the two obvious things you can do.

 

[JackMDS]

The general notion of the problems that might arise from long term exposure to electrical fields comes from a credible established research that found children of families that are living under High Voltage Power Line have significantly more incident of learning disabilities than others. Learning disabilities usually occurs due to malfunctions related to brain difficulties in processing cognitve information.

There is also inconclusive research that claims the under similar condition (High Voltage Power lines) there is higher cancer rate among adult.

 

[Soybomb]

802.11b nics in laptops.....geek contraception!

 

[Lord Evermore]

I didn't think there was a need for such a thing.

 

[jst0ney]

cellphones, wifi, and bluetooth right next to my microwave....I'm mmmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllttttttttttting