Wi-Fi Health Risk...

February 2009

BACKGROUND ON RF SAFETY ISSUES

Concerns about the safety of cellular telephones-whether they create
health risks or are safe to use in all operating environments-have
spread to other wireless devices, such as the wireless networking
equipment (WLANs)*
There is no correlated proof that these low-power devices pose any
health risks to the user or the general public.

This document discusses the results of research into the possible
health effects of RF devices.

Low-Power Wireless Devices Pose No Known Health Risk.

Do low-power wireless devices such as WLAN client cards, access
points, or RFID tags pose a health threat?

Available evidence today suggests that there is no clear correlation
between low-power wireless use and health issues.
Recent studies strongly suggest that the use of cellular telephone
equipment does not create health risks. Two important recent studies
that reached this conclusion are:

• A report written by Dr. John D. Boice, Jr. and Dr. Joseph K.
McLaughlin of the International Epidemiology Institute in the United
States in September 2002 for the Swedish Radiation Protection Authority.

• A report to the European Commission from the Scientific Committee on
Toxicity, Ecotoxicity, and the Environment, titled "Opinion on
Possible Effects of Electromagnetic Fields, Radio Frequency Fields,
and Microwave Radiation on Human Health."
Few studies deal directly with the affects of WLAN devices. The
emission levels of WLAN and RFID tags are below RF emission levels
from typical cellular telephones. Therefore, any conclusions relating
to the safety of cellular telephone equipment can almost certainly be
applied to WLAN or RFID devices**.
The RF emission levels from a typical WLAN are well within the safety
emission level thresholds set by the World Health Organization (WHO)***
* These devices are also referred to as RLANs by the ITU-R;, however,
this paper refers to these devices as WLANs.
*** The RF emission limits adopted by various national agencies are
based on guidelines from the WHO International Commission on Non-
Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).