Wireless Radiation in Schools

Wireless Radiation in Schools

Because of the lifetime of exposure that children will have ahead of them, it is critical that they have safer environments in which to live and learn. NC’s public schools are among the most “advanced” in the U.S. in their deployment of wireless technology.

Dr David Carpenter, retired Dean of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the State University of NY at Albany, provides an outstanding explanation of the wireless radiation issues in schools, found in this outstanding 20-minute video.

The Specific Challenges in Schools

  • The routers used in schools, also called Wireless Access Points (WAP), are designed to connect 30 or more devices at the same time. They often emit radiation levels in the hundreds of thousands of microwatts per meter squared (µW/m2) while 10 µW/m2 is considered safe for daytime exposure by the European Academy of Environmental Medicine.  (page 381) and the Building Biology Institute.  (page 7)
  • The wireless devices used for learning– including laptops and iPads – emit high levels of wireless radiation and are usually held very close to children’s young bodies, including their developing reproductive system and brains.
  • With smart phones being carried by nearly every middle and high school student, the wireless radiation in the classroom is extreme. Policies like this one from Milwaukee, WI that restrict the use of cell phones in schools are urgently needed.

Cell Towers on School Property

Cell towers on school property, usually erected as a source of revenue, then creates an even more dangerous environment, with no opportunity for a break in exposure during outdoor recess. Wake County became the first public school district in NC to conduct this experiment with children’s health in order to increase revenue.

  • This Study of School Cell Towers, published in 2018 in the Journal of Men’s Health, pointed to significant cognitive decline in Students aged 13-16. Every board of education should receive a copy of this study.
  • TechSafe Schools.org has identified the legal issues related to exposing children without parental consent to extreme levels of wireless radiation. The link for their legal issues is here. This is a crucial website for dealing with the many EMF issues at schools. At our Solutions page, you can also find many of Tech Safe Schools’ recommendations for lowering radiation exposures.
  • The Massachusetts’ Institute for Technology (MIT) Department of Economics researched the effects of digital technology in schools and published their findings in a report The Impact of Computer Usage on Academic Performance: Evidence from a Randomized Trial at the United States Military Academy.  MIT found, “Average final exam scores among students assigned to classrooms that allowed computers were 18 percent of a standard deviation lower than exam scores of students in classrooms that prohibited computers. Through the use of two separate treatment arms, we uncover evidence that this negative effect occurs in classrooms where laptops and tablets are permitted without restriction and in classrooms where students are only permitted to use tablets that must remain flat on the desk surface.”
  • SafeTech NC’s staff and volunteers have presented repeatedly to school officials at the local and state levels. More parents are needed to “raise the red flag” with their school administrators to protect our children.
  • See our Solutions Section for how some schools are dealing with this challenge.