Worcester, Mass., to Study Wi-Fi Threat in Schools

A school committee of Worcester, second largest city in Massachusetts (pop. 180,000) is taking up the issue whether Wi-Fi and other sources of radiation pose a threat to its 24,000 students.

Committee members Molly McCullough, Brian O’Connell and John Monfredo, at the urging of Cecelia Doucette, ex-president, Ashland Education Foundation, agreed to allow basic “best practices” about cellphones, computers, etc., to be posted on the school district’s website and to make further decisions after meeting with the state’s Dept. of Health in February.

Monfredo and O’Connell were the most supportive of the study while McCullough expressed doubt and asked for more study.

Monfredo, vice chair of the committee, said, “I think we have a moral obligation to the students to let them know there’s a danger. It’s not to scare anyone. It’s to let them know these are things they need to be careful about.”

(L to R) Molly McCullough, Brian O'Connell and John Monfredo

McCullough said, “Honestly, I don’t think there’s enough information on the table for us to be making a recommendation.” She said she doesn’t want “best practices” to be confused with a new mandate for the schools.

Bob Walton, school technology officer, noted that the World Health Organization classified electromagnetic radiation as a Group 2B carcinogen, meaning it is potentially cancer-causing. But he said coffee and pickles are on the same list and “We don’t have any definitive evidence this causes damage to humans.”

Wi-Fi Health Advocates Rejoice

Wi-Fi health advocates, including Leslie Saffer, were surprised at the receptive attitude of two of the school committee members. Saffer told telegram.com that she “had to pinch herself” after finding that attitude.

Robert Pontius, geography professor at Clark University, told telegram.com, “It’s shocking, the level of ignorance in the U.S. Every time I talk to a doctor, they’ve never heard of it. Other countries including the Scandinavian nations, have programs that warn people about the dangers of electro-magnetic radiation, he said.

Physics professor Germano Iannacchione of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute told the Telegram that people blaming Wi-Fi for symptoms might be overlooking other causes of the conditions.

Robert Knorr, director of the Environmental Epidemiology Program, Bureau of Environmental Health, said there are no “official” guidelines for schools or anyone else to follow. He said the department is creating a general information sheet on the issue.

Wi-Fil Health Hazards Shown in Video Series

Doucette and parent Keith Marciniak have created a five-part YouTube series that describes the health hazards of pulsed electro-magnetic radiation that floods the environment.

The series covers radiation sources such as cellphones, computers, iPads, cordless phones, cell towers, and powerful Wi-Fi routers that are in most classrooms in the U.S.

Episodes are “Discovering the Dangers”; “Educating the Greater Community”; “Why We Don’t Know”; “Impacts of Excessive Screen Time,” and “Solutions.”

Doucette has lectured at the Ashland, Mass., library, which earlier this year hosted a six-part series on the dangers of radiation.

Below are some of the scientific papers cited in the new series.

Electromagnetic Radiation Spectrum chart: http://www.citizensforsafetechnology....

Manufacturers' fine print warnings: http://showthefineprint.org/see-the-f...

U.S. National Toxicology Program study results just released finding electromagnetic radiation causes cancer: http://www.cqlpe.ca/pdf/SPINvsFACTS-F...

Harvard Law School Center for Ethics' Report, Captured Agency: How the Federal Communications Commission is Dominated by the Industries it Presumably Regulates: http://ethics.harvard.edu/files/cente...

International Appeal: Scientists Call for Protection from Non-ionizing Electromagnetic Field Exposure, signed by 221 world scientists specializing in electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and submitted to the World Health Organization and the United Nations: https://www.emfscientist.org/images/d...

Columbia University's Dr. Martin Blank gives a three-minute appeal overview here: https://vimeo.com/123468632

IEEE Power Electronics Magazine article indicating even the IEEE, which helped to set the FCC standards in 1996 based on thermal effects, now recognizes biological effects at the non-thermal level: Some Effects of Weak Magnetic Fields on Biological Systems: RF fields can change radical concentrations and cancer growth rates: http://www.wirelesseducation.org/ieee...

BioInitiative Report Summary for the Public: http://www.bioinitiative.org/report/w...

Dr. Martin Pall's 16-minute lecture on what electromagnetic radiation is doing to our bodies and why it is causing illness:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kQQy...

Nobel Peace Prize Co-Laureate Scientist Dr. Devra Davis and former long-time Microsoft Canada President Frank Clegg presenting the need for an EMF right-to-know initiative to the MA legislature: https://vimeo.com/134411701

Environmental Health Trust article, First US Public School District Limits Wi-Fi Radiation Exposure to Students and Staff: http://ehtrust.org/first-us-public-sc...

Senate Bill 1222: An Act creating a special commission to study the health impacts of electromagnetic fields: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/189/S...

WACA-TV public service video for the Acoustimeter on loan at Ashland Public Library showing how to measure common home exposures and solutions to create a safer environment: https://vimeo.com/159873631

Boston Parents Paper back-to-school cover story: Is Wi-Fi in Schools Safe?: http://bostonparentspaper.com/article...

Ashland Public Schools, MA, Best Practices for Mobile Devices: https://3a4786cd-a-62cb3a1a-s-sites.g...

OctoWired Solution: http://octowired.com/

On-line 40-minute wireless education course for less than the cost of a movie ticket: http://www.wirelesseducation.org/stor...