Thursday, 18 August 2022
Meet the JournalistsPremiumAucklandWellingtonCanterbury/South Island
CrimePoliticsHealthEducationEnvironment and ClimateNZ Herald FocusData journalismKāhu, Māori ContentPropertyWeather
Small BusinessOpinionPersonal FinanceEconomyBusiness TravelCapital Markets
Politics
Premium SportRugbyCommonwealth GamesCricketRacingNetballBoxingLeagueFootballSuper RugbyAthleticsBasketballMotorsportTennisCyclingGolfAmerican SportsHockeyUFC
NZH Local FocusThe Northern AdvocateThe Northland AgeThe AucklanderWaikato HeraldBay of Plenty TimesHawke's Bay TodayRotorua Daily PostWhanganui ChronicleStratford PressManawatu GuardianKapiti NewsHorowhenua ChronicleTe Awamutu Courier
Covid-19
Te Rito
Te Rito
OneRoof PropertyCommercial Property
Open JusticeVideoPodcastsTechnologyWorldOpinion
SpyTVMoviesBooksMusicCultureSideswipeCompetitions
Fashion & BeautyFood & DrinkRoyalsRelationshipsWellbeingPets & AnimalsVivaCanvasEat WellCompetitionsRestaurants & Menus
New Zealand TravelAustralia TravelInternational Travel
Our Green FutureRuralOneRoof Property
Career AdviceCorporate News
Driven MotoringPhotos
SudokuCodecrackerCrosswordsWordsearchDaily quizzes
Classifieds
KaitaiaWhangareiDargavilleAucklandThamesTaurangaHamiltonWhakataneRotoruaTokoroaTe KuitiTaumarunuiTaupoGisborneNew PlymouthNapierHastingsDannevirkeWhanganuiPalmerston NorthLevinParaparaumuMastertonWellingtonMotuekaNelsonBlenheimWestportReeftonKaikouraGreymouthHokitikaChristchurchAshburtonTimaruWanakaOamaruQueenstownDunedinGoreInvercargill
NZ HeraldThe Northern AdvocateThe Northland AgeThe AucklanderWaikato HeraldBay Of Plenty TimesRotorua Daily PostHawke's Bay TodayWhanganui ChronicleThe Stratford PressManawatu GuardianKapiti NewsHorowhenua ChronicleTe Awamutu CourierVivaEat WellOneRoofDriven MotoringThe CountryPhoto SalesNZ Herald InsightsWatchMeGrabOneiHeart RadioRestaurant Hub

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.
Business

Peter Griffin: No, Wi-Fi isn't making you ill

14 May, 2015 11:20 PM2 minutes to read
Despite a dramatic increase in the use of mobile phones and Wi-Fi, brain cancer rates have fallen. Photo / Thinkstock

Despite a dramatic increase in the use of mobile phones and Wi-Fi, brain cancer rates have fallen. Photo / Thinkstock

NZ Herald
Peter Griffin, manager of the Science Media Centre, and former New Zealand Herald technology editor responds to recent claims about the safety of Wi-Fi and modern electronics.

It has become one of the perennial topics of debate in the 21st century - are the mobile devices we increasingly use to work, socialise and entertain ourselves online, making us physically ill?

After all, our use of gadgets that rely on wireless technology is unprecedented in history - surely all the radio waves produced by those billions of Wi-Fi routers, smartphones and tablets are having some affects on us?

Read more: Is Wi-Fi making your child ill?

Actually, the scientific answer is no, they are not. The radiation these devices put out cannot physically harm us. To put it in technical terms, there is no biological mechanism whereby it can cause things like brain tumours, fertility problems or headaches.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

That is the conclusion of World Health Organization-backed scientists who have reviewed thousands of research papers on the subject, including a University of Auckland study released in February.

It looked at trends in primary brain cancer incidence in New Zealand between 1995 and 2010 from New Zealand's national cancer registry and found that, despite a dramatic increase in use of Wi-Fi and mobile phones over the period, there was actually a small decrease in the incidence of brain cancer.

Numerous other well-designed studies from elsewhere in the world have come to similar conclusions on everything from cancer to hypersensitivity - where people report feeling physical pain or discomfort when exposed to radio frequencies.

There are outlying papers that show some anomalies, but when all of the evidence is considered in full, scientists come up empty handed. That's what has to be remembered when we read stories such as those outlined by the Daily Telegraph about parents linking illness in their kids to wifi or mobile phone use.

The power of the anecdote can't be denied. People look for answers in the world around them and regularly confuse correlation and causation. It is only natural.

That's why we have to trust that the best science will give us the answers.

Related articles

Lifestyle

8 tips to keep kids safe on social media

19 Feb 05:00 AM
Lifestyle

E-cigs much safer than normal smokes - study

27 Mar 01:40 AM
Business

Google developing surgical tech with Johnson & Johnson

30 Mar 03:05 AM
Lifestyle

Treadmills and phones - a deadly combo

05 May 11:20 PM

Of course, we should keep studying the use of wireless devices and there are some serious and valid concerns about the social and behavioural impacts our growing use of technology is having - particularly on children.

But switching off wifi routers and mobile phones does absolutely nothing to protect your physical health and wellbeing. That's a fact.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

- Peter Griffin, Manager, Science Media Centre, former New Zealand Herald technology editor

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Business

BusinessUpdated

International travel rebound: Auckland Airport trims losses

17 Aug 09:16 PM
Business

Skellerup notches up another record profit, lifts dividend

17 Aug 09:03 PM
Business

Kiwibank profit 'best result in 20 years'

17 Aug 09:02 PM
Premium
BusinessUpdated

Jarden Sydney office behaviour complaints reported

17 Aug 08:46 PM
Premium
Business

Jarden Brief: Krispy Kreme's stale stock market day

17 Aug 08:17 PM

Most Popular

Wet, warm and windy: Auckland and Northland battered by heavy rain overnight
New Zealand

Wet, warm and windy: Auckland and Northland battered by heavy rain overnight

17 Aug 09:25 PM
Nelson to New York: TV's David Lomas and an emotional reunion of long-lost father and son
Entertainment

Nelson to New York: TV's David Lomas and an emotional reunion of long-lost father and son

17 Aug 08:59 PM
Live: 'Frightening, out of control' - Nelson residents flee as river bursts; Auckland also in firing line
New Zealand

Live: 'Frightening, out of control' - Nelson residents flee as river bursts; Auckland also in firing line

17 Aug 08:33 PM

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.
About NZMEHelp & SupportContact UsSubscribe to NZ HeraldHouse Rules
Manage Your Print SubscriptionNZ Herald E-EditionAdvertise with NZMEBook Your AdPrivacy Policy
Terms of UseCompetition Terms & ConditionsSubscriptions Terms & Conditions
© Copyright 2022 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP