Wi-Fi: 'The Asbestos of the 21st Century'

Filed in archive Wi-Fi on April 23, 2007

The Daily Telegraph's Gary Cleland reports today that England's Professional Association of Teachers (PAT), which has 35,000 members, is calling for more research into Wi-Fi, saying it could become the "asbestos of the 21st century."

"There is a growing backlash against the roll-out of Wi-Fi, with teachers claiming not enough research has been done into whether the networks could damage health," Cleland writes. "The union's General Secretary, Philip Parkin, said: 'We are not saying that there is anything wrong with them, but we are saying that there is enough concern to suggest that it merits looking into.'"

Of course, as one reader posts at This is London, "It's hardly a mobile phone mast, is it? The differential between a mobile mast and a Wi-Fi adapter is around 100-to-1 -- so which is scarier, a mobile mast or a Wi-Fi adapter?"

More here from BBC News ... more here from Silicon.com ... and the press release is here.