- Wireless internet technology (Wi-Fi) was conceived in the mid-1980s and came into widespread use in the mid-2000s, most notably as part of municipal free-internet projects. Today, wireless internet is in homes, hotels, airports, and public institutions such as schools, libraries and long-term care homes.
- Wi-Fi is the second most prevalent form of wireless technology in Canada after cellular phones.
- Wi-Fi uses radiofrequency (RF) band energy. The RF band is part of the electromagnetic spectrum, with frequencies below those associated with visible light and X-rays and higher than those frequencies associated with power lines.
- Numerous other technologies also employ the RF band, including cellular phones and their base tower infrastructure, conventional television and radio signals, cordless telephones and microwave ovens.
- Because of its widespread use, the public has been exposed to RF for decades.
- Wi-Fi may represent only a small proportion of an individual’s overall RF exposure, given RF’s use in other technologies.
- Most research on the health effects of RF has focused on cellular phones. Cellular phones have been in use longer than Wi-Fi and are associated with higher exposure to RF.
Regulation of RF and potential health effects
- Industry Canada regulates RF in Canada.
- Industry Canada has adopted Health Canada’s Safety Code 6, which was revised in 2009. It protects human health from the adverse effects of RF exposure, by setting exposure limits for controlled and uncontrolled environments.
- Health Canada has set the limits of RF exposure after reviewing the results of hundreds of studies on the biological effects of RF energy. These limits are similar to those in other science-based international guidelines.
- Health Canada scientists continually review new scientific studies in this area to ensure safety guidelines are sufficient for the protection of the health and safety of Canadians.
- Research on potential health effects from exposure to RF energy is an active field of investigation. Inconsistency, and in some cases conflict, exists between the results of individual studies.
- Up-to-date reviews of published literature rather than reliance on individual studies are the most useful for informing debate and sound policymaking.
- The Royal Society of Canada performed a highly credible Review of Potential Health Risks of Radiofrequency Fields from Wireless Telecommunication Devices in 1999. Updates to this review have been published; the most recent in 2009. After a decade of additional research, there is still no conclusive evidence of adverse effects on health at exposure levels below current Canadian guidelines.
- Extensive, long-term studies with biological organisms, including long-term animal studies, have been carried out using the same frequencies as Wi-Fi systems. These studies showed no effects at exposure levels within international exposure limits.
- Recently published research demonstrates that RF exposures from Wi-Fi are well within recommended limits as set by Industry Canada.
- RF exposures to the public from Wi-Fi are far lower than occur with cellphone use and to date there is no plausible evidence that would indicate current public exposures to Wi-Fi are causing adverse effects on health.
For more information:
Public Health Ontario’s publication Wireless Technology and Health Outcomes: Evidence and Review (September 2010)
Health Canada on Wi-Fi Equipment
Heath Canada on the Safety of Wi-Fi Equipment
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Electric and Magnetic Fields
World Health Organization Fact Sheet on Electromagnetic fields and public health (June 2011)
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