Letters - WiFiinschools.org.uk

Wifiinschools.org.uk and Families magazine have written example letters to send to schools, Members of Parliament and Members of the European Parliament, calling for actions following the Council of Europe Resolution. Please copy and paste them (below), add your details at the top, change them where you want, but send them to your school and MPs. We need action following the recommendations from the Council of Europe and WHO.

Contact details for MPs and MEPs can be found here.

Thank you for your help.

Address

School Address

Date

Dear Head Teacher,

On the 27th of May 2011 the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe called on European member states to reduce exposures to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, particularly of children and young people, who are the most at risk (1). To protect young people from potentially harmful, long-term biological effects, the Council of Europe is calling for schools to use wired internet connections and to strictly restrict the use of mobile phones by pupils at school.

In the same week the World Health Organization classified radiofrequency radiation from all wireless communication technologies as a possible human carcinogen (2).

These announcements have followed calls from the German Government for wired computer connections to be used in schools and workplaces, the Israeli Parliament for schools to use wired networks, the Austrian Medical Associations for schools not to use Wi-Fi or cordless phones, and the International Commission for Electromagnetic Safety for young people to limit their use of wireless technologies. The French Government have banned the use of mobile phones by pupils in schools.

In the light of the growing concerns expressed by international advisory bodies, and as a parent with a child in your school, I am strongly in favour of all communications equipment on school property being wired. Dedicated wired connections do not emit microwave, radiofrequency radiation.

According to the UK Health Protection Agency (HPA), children absorb microwave radiation into their bodies when using wireless computers. Safety cannot be assumed, as damaging biological effects have been reported at the exposures which the HPA consider to be safe. Studies have found damage to human DNA, decreased fertility, altered human brain activity, cardiac abnormalities in humans, deficits in learning and memory, death of cells in the brain of rats and seizures for susceptible individuals, at the levels of radiation experienced when using a wireless laptop (references below).

The Health Protection Agency has compared emissions from Wi-Fi equipment to the safety limits set by the ICNIRP in 1999. These limits have been declared inadequate by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the International Commission for Electromagnetic Safety, the European Environment Agency and the European Parliament. Obsolete limits can no longer offer reassurances of safety.

I would like you to respond to the Council of Europe recommendations and adopt a non-wireless policy within the school for microwave/radio frequencies, so that I and other parents may have confidence that our children are not being put at unnecessary risk whilst they are in your care. There are wired alternatives available, which I as a parent would prefer the school to use.

The document ‘Wireless technologies and young people’, listed below, may be useful when considering health, safety and ICT policies (3).

Thank you for your help with this important issue.

Sincerely,

Links

1. Council of Europe http://assembly.coe.int/ASP/NewsManager/EMB_NewsManagerView.asp?ID=6685&L=2
2. W.H.O. http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/pr/2011/pdfs/pr208_E.pdf
3. ‘Wireless technologies and young people’
http://wifiinschools.org.uk/resources/wireless+technologies+and+young+people+Oct2011.pdf

Some references for biological effects of microwaves at Wi-Fi exposures:

Avendaño C. et al., 2011. Use of laptop computers connected to the internet through Wi-Fi decreases human sperm motility and increases sperm DNA fragmentation. Fertility and Sterility (Epub ahead of print) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22112647. (Abstract was published in 2010: Laptop expositions affect motility and induce DNA fragmentation in human spermatozoa in vitro by a non-thermal effect: a preliminary report. American Society for Reproductive Medicine 66th Annual Meeting: O-249 http://wifiinschools.org.uk/resources/laptops+and+sperm.pdf

Papageorgiou C. C. et al., 2011. Effects of Wi-Fi signals on the p300 component of event-related potentials during an auditory hayling task. Journal of Integrative Neuroscience 10(2): 189-202. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21714138

Maganioti A. E. et al., 2010. Wi-Fi electromagnetic fields exert gender related alterations on EEG. 6th International Workshop on Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields. http://www.istanbul.edu.tr/6internatwshopbioeffemf/cd/pdf/poster/WI-FI%20ELECTROMAGNETIC%20FIELDS%20EXERT%20GENDER.pdf

Panagopoulos D. J. et al., 2010. Bioeffects of mobile telephony radiation in relation to its intensity or distance from the antenna. Int. J. Radiat. Biol. Vol 86(5):345-357. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20397839

Pyrpasopoulou A. et al., 2004. Bone morphogenic protein expression in newborn kidneys after prenatal exposure to radiofrequency radiation. Bioelectromagnetics 25:216-27. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15042631

Kesari K. K. and Behari J., 2009. Microwave exposure affecting reproductive system in male rats. Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol. 162(2):416-428. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19768389

Otitoloju A. A. et al., 2010. Preliminary study on the induction of sperm head abnormalities in mice, Mus musculus, exposed to radiofrequency radiations from Global System for Mobile Communication Base Stations. Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 84(1):51-4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19816647

Salama N., Kishimoto T., Kanayama H. and Kagawa S. (2009) Mobile phone decreases fructose but not citrate in rabbit semen: a longitudinal study, Systems Biology in Reproductive Medicine 55: 181-187. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19938952

Havas M. et al., 2010. Provocation study using heart rate variability shows microwave radiation from 2.4GHz cordless phone affects autonomic nervous system. European Journal of Oncology Library Vol. 5: 273-300. http://www.icems.eu/papers.htm?f=/c/a/2009/12/15/MNHJ1B49KH.DTL part 2.

Kesari K. K. and Behari J., 2009. Fifty-gigahertz microwave exposure effect of radiations on rat brain. Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol. 158:126-139. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19089649

Salford L. G. et al., 2010. Effects of microwave radiation upon the mammalian blood-brain barrier. European Journal of Oncology Library Vol. 5:333-355. http://www.icems.eu/papers.htm?f=/c/a/2009/12/15/MNHJ1B49KH.DTL part 2.

Salford L. G., et al., 2003. Nerve cell damage in mammalian brain after exposure to microwaves from GSM mobile phones. Environ. Health Perspect. 111:881-883. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12782486

Persson B. R. R. et al., 1997. Blood-brain barrier permeability in rats exposed to electromagnetic fields used in wireless communication. Wireless Networks 3, 455-461.

Maier R. et al., 2004. Effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields on cognitive processes – a pilot study on pulsed field interference with cognitive regeneration. Acta Neurologica Scandinavica 110: 46-52. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15180806

Nittby H. et al., 2008. Cognitive impairment in rats after long-term exposure to GSM-900 mobile phone radiation. Bioelectromagnetics 29: 219-232. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18044737

Erdinc O. O. et al., 2003. Electromagnetic waves of 900MHz in acute pentylenetetrazole model in ontogenesis in mice. Neurol. Sci. 24:111-116. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14600821

Balmori A. 2010. Mobile phone mast effects on common frog (Rana temporaria) tadpoles: the city turned into a laboratory. Electromagn. Biol. Med. 29(1-2):31-35. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20560769

Khurana V. G. et al., 2010. Epidemiological Evidence for a Health Risk from Mobile Phone Base Stations. Int. J. Occup. Environ. Health 16:263–267. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20662418

Fesenko E. E. et al., 1999. Stimulation of murine natural killer cells by weak electromagnetic waves in the centimeter range. Biofizika 44:737–741. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10544828

Fesenko E. E. et al., 1999. Microwaves and cellular immunity. I. Effect of whole body microwave irradiation on tumor necrosis factor production in mouse cells, Bioelectrochem. Bioenerg. 49:29–35. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10619445

Novoselova E. T. et al., 1998. Stimulation of production of tumor necrosis factor by murine macrophages when exposed in vivo and in vitro to weak electromagnetic waves in the centimeter range Bofizika 43:1132–1333.

Novoselova E. G. et al., 1999. Microwaves and cellular immunity. II. Immunostimulating effects of microwaves and naturally occurring antioxidant nutrients. Bioelectrochem. Bioenerg. 49:37–41. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10619446

Address

MPs Address

Date

Dear MP/MEP,

In the same week the World Health Organization classified radiofrequency radiation from all wireless communication technologies as a possible human carcinogen (2).

These announcements have followed calls from the German Government for wired computer connections to be used in schools and workplaces, the Israeli Parliament for schools to use wired networks, the Austrian Medical Associations for schools not to use Wi-Fi or cordless phones, and the International Commission for Electromagnetic Safety for young people to limit their use of wireless technologies. The French Government has banned the use of mobile phones by pupils in schools.

In the light of the growing concerns expressed by international advisory bodies, and as a parent with a child in school, I am strongly in favour of all communications equipment in schools being wired. Dedicated wired connections do not emit microwave, radiofrequency radiation.

I would like you to respond to the Council of Europe recommendations and to propose and/or support non-wireless policies within schools for microwave/radio frequencies. There are wired alternatives available. Staff could use their mobile phones in designated areas. Parents need to have confidence that their children are not being put at unnecessary risk whilst they are in the care of the school. Too many organisations have called for wired connections in schools for us to ignore the warnings.

I also ask that you push for awareness campaigns for children, young people and families about the potential harmful biological effects of wireless communication technologies. An informed public can make choices.

The document ‘Wireless technologies and young people’, listed below, may be a useful resource when considering health, safety and ICT in schools (3).

Thank you for your help with this very important issue.