Mobile phones and Wi-Fi

The public safety of mobile phone use is still under debate. There is currently no definitive scientific evidence to suggest that mobile phones pose a risk to health. Both base stations and handsets work by transmitting and receiving radio waves (mobile phone frequencies are at the border between radio waves and microwaves). Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) levels are suggested at 2 Wkg^-1 to protect the user from localised heating effects under ICNIRP guidelines. The non-thermal effects are unclear and not advised upon at present as the long term effects cannot be known. 

It is therefore the responsibility of the individual to monitor one's own usage. The University does not as yet have a policy regarding mobile phones issued to staff for work purposes. The advice of the NRPB's recent report is to minimise usage, especially in youngsters. 

There are many types of Wi-Fi but all of them allow two or more computers to form a network using radio frequency (RF) signals. The Health Protection Agency consider there is no consistent evidence of harm from the low power transmissions of Wi-Fi equipment nevertheless its states that it is a sensible precaution to keep the situation under review. The frequencies that Wi-Fi uses are broadly the same as those from other RF applications such as FM radio, TV and mobile phones. The signals from WiFi are very low power, typically 0.1 W (100 mW) in both the computer and the mast (or router) and resulting exposures will be well within internationally accepted guidelines.

For further information please see here.