Last Updated on October 17, 2023

Enter a building with WiFi, and you are immediately exposed to an invisible Radio Frequency (RF) radiation, a type of Electromagnetic Field (EMF).

If you go into a school, office building or a coffee shop and you are probably exposed to even more radiation because of multiple WiFi routers and repeater antenna sources.

Ambient EMF exposure in these rooms can be as high as 800 millivolts/meter (mV/m), 6000 mV/m at the router antenna and close to 3000 mV/m at your computer.

To put this in perspective, if you were to go somewhere with no sources of EMF, the ambient reading would be approximately 11 mV/m. It is that low because there is no natural source of Radio Frequency (RF) radiation.

The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) released an article entitled Electromagnetic and Radio Frequency Field Effect on Human Health which says, “In the last five years with the advent of wireless devices, there has been a massive increase in Radio Frequency (RF) exposure from wireless devices as well as reports of hypersensitivity and diseases related to electromagnetic field and RF exposure.”

In short, exposure to EMF radiation from modern wireless devices is increasing at an exponential rate, and let’s face it, not going away anytime soon.

What is WiFi?

WiFi is an electronic communication which enables wireless connection between a computer to the Internet. Most WiFi routers use 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz bandwidths which can travel up to several 100 feet or more.

Microwave ovens use the identical 2.4 GHz frequency to cook food by penetrating the food and oscillating (heating up) the cells until the food is fully prepared. The WiFi emissions may be less intense, but are considered both a thermal and non-thermal exposure which can heat up cells and generate reasonably high current flow in the body.

Ironically, the FCC only considers thermal effects of exposure, not the non-thermal effects which have proven to have far more health impacts.

WiFi Radiation Effect on Human Health

The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) reports there needs to be more scientific studies that better document evidence of thermal bioeffects and non-thermal negative health effects of RF exposure.

It states, “However, many in vitro, in vivo and epidemiological studies demonstrate that significant harmful biological effects occur from non-thermal RF exposure and satisfy Hill’s criteria of causality. Genetic damage, reproductive defects, cancer, neurological degeneration and nervous system dysfunction, immune system dysfunction, cognitive effects, protein and peptide damage, kidney damage, and developmental effects have all been reported in the peer-reviewed scientific literature.”

It continues “Genotoxic effects from RF exposure, including studies of non-thermal levels of exposure, consistently and specifically show chromosomal instability, altered gene expression, gene mutations, DNA fragmentation and DNA structural breaks.”

Genotoxic is defined as the damaging of DNA causing mutation or cancer. These damages have been reported to neurons, red blood cells, cells and tissue.

This report goes on to say that WiFi may degenerate the kidney, cause neurological damage and is proven to be the source of Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity.

It concludes, “Because of the well documented studies showing adverse effects on health and the not fully understood quantum field effect, AAEM calls for exercising precaution with regard to EMF, RF and general frequency exposure. It is clear that the human body uses electricity from the chemical bond to the nerve impulse and obviously this orderly sequence can be disturbed by an individual-specific electromagnetic frequency environment.”

WiFi Effects On Children, Particularly in Schools

When we put WiFi in schools, students use laptops and tablets which simultaneously send radio frequency signals connecting to routers or access points. Within the confines of the room, these high-density transmissions compound to expose students to RF radiation for eight hours a day, which can greatly affect their bodies over time.

The health effects of radiation can be greatest on children because their bodies are still growing and their bones, organs and tissues are still developing. With rapidly dividing cells, EMF radiation effects on cells can become much more pronounced. Children also absorb more radiation than adults, as their bodies are smaller and more conductive. This is why it is important to take extreme precautions when allowing children to use such devices.

Exposure does not stop in the classroom though. A recent report found an unexpected number of middle school students say they are using mobile devices including laptops, smartphones and tablets. According to the study, nearly two in three (65%) middle school students use a laptop, half (49%) use a smartphone, and more than one in three (36%) use a tablet at home.

So what we are seeing is children using mobile devices for many hours at a time on a daily basis. This level of exposure is unprecedented for children.

What Can We Do to Protect Ourselves from WiFi?

Martin Blank, PhD, former Associate Professor, Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics at Columbia University, sums it up well, “The scientific evidence tells us that our safety standards are inadequate, and that we must protect ourselves from exposure to EMF due to power lines, cell phones and the like, or risk the known consequences. The science is very strong and we should sit up and pay attention.”

Because of its convenience, it’s a good bet that WiFi technology will all around us for the foreseeable future.

We need to minimize health dangers from constant exposure until technology inherently becomes safer. We should actively consider actions for dealing with WiFi in our environment.

Steps to shield from WiFi Radiation:

• In general, try to avoid EMF-transmitting sources like a WiFi routers. The farther away you get, the less intense the signal and potential health dangers. A few feet distance away can reduce transmitting intensity levels by as much as 80%.
• Use Ethernet wiring to connect to the internet to avoid WiFi signals in your surroundings.
• Place your laptop, tablet or other electronic device on a desk instead of your lap.
• When using your WiFi-enabled electronic device in your lap, at zero distance from the body, try to keep the use time to a minimum.
• If possible, after using the WiFi network, turn off the router. This will eliminate a constant radiation field from permeating your environment.
• If you chose to use your WiFi device near your body, consider using an EMF shield between your body and your device to prevent EMF from penetrating your body. This action removes one of the most intense sources of exposure to your body that is found in your environment.

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