Computerworld - Editor's note: This article headlines our TechGear section and newsletter. To see more of Mike's articles and reviews of cool gadgets, go to TechGear. Also, please be sure to subscribe to the TechGear newsletter for hands-on reviews and analysis of the stuff that makes IT fun.
Who cares if Wi-Fi kills? I say that not to be flip or suggest that people shouldn't care about the health effects of Wi-Fi -- only to point out that people, in fact, generally don't care.
The BBC program Panorama broadcast a report this week that suggested Wi-Fi may pose a health risk.
The program kicked up such as storm that the network printed a damage-control piece saying there's no evidence that Wi-Fi is dangerous.
The implication of all this controversy is that, should it be proved that Wi-Fi hurts health, Wi-Fi would be in trouble as a technology and everyone would adjust their buying and usage patterns to avoid the risk. But I just don't believe that's the case.
Dozens of very solid studies have shown very significant health risks associated with using cell phones. Putting a cell phone to your ear apparently "cooks" your brain a bit and may increase the likelihood of cancer.
Has all that research changed user behavior? Hardly.
Everyone kind of shrugs and keeps using cell phones as always.
In fact, today's teens and twentysomethings are collectively participating in the largest study of the link between cell phone use and brain cancer.
An alarmingly high number of kids actually sleep with cell phones on pillows (in case someone calls at 3 a.m.) and talk on cell phones for hours on end. Most kids' cell phones are never more than five feet away. Very few young cell phone users own or use wireless headsets, which is the easiest way to cut the risk.
We'll know in a decade or two if cell phones create health problems, because an entire generation will get sick.
In the meantime, actual studies, on the whole, suggest a very high probability that cell phone radiation can kill you in the long run, and almost nobody has done anything about it. You think anyone's going to take action over a little Wi-Fi router here and there? Ha!
The real risk, of course, is the potential damage done from all wireless devices. What's the cumulative effect of a lifetime of exposure to cell phones, Wi-Fi signals, communication signals of all kinds? Time will tell.
In the meantime, I've got to file this story (via Wi-Fi) and call a source about my next story (via cell phone).
The hottest keyboard you can buy
Free Insider GuideCopyright © 1994 - 2012 Computerworld Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Computerworld Inc. is prohibited. Computerworld and Computerworld.com and the respective logos are trademarks of International Data Group Inc.
