Wi-Fi radiation: Practical steps to implement safer tech in classrooms  

Key points:

• Many school district policies prohibit the installation of new cell towers at schools
• The surprising/unsurprising things education IT leaders have to say 
• Tech investments determine school success
• For more news on safe tech, visit eSN’s IT Leadership hub

Around a decade ago, districts began installing Wi-Fi technology in schools to facilitate access to enhanced “21st century” educational resources. Before Wi-Fi, students used computers plugged in through ethernet cords in dedicated computer rooms. Today, even kindergarteners sit in circles on the floor with Wi-Fi tablets on their laps. 

Although Wi-Fi is certainly convenient, wireless devices emit radio frequency radiation (RFR), considered an environmental issue in today’s classrooms. A growing body of research indicates RFR exposure can pose serious health risks. To protect children’s health, countries such as France, Israel, and Belgium prohibit Wi-Fi in kindergartens. Since 2019, France has ensured wireless devices are labeled with warnings which read: “Keep radio equipment away from the belly of pregnant women, and away from the lower abdomen of adolescents.”

Thankfully, there are many simple ways to reduce RFR exposure in the classroom. Here is what you need to know: 

Sources of RFR exposure

The multiple RFR sources in a typical classroom include tablets, laptops, cell phones, clickers, cell boosters, and Wi-Fi networks. Cell towers on or near schools will also elevate ambient RFR levels, particularly in nearby sports fields and playgrounds. 

Children are uniquely vulnerable

The American Academy of Pediatrics has long recommended reducing children’s RFR exposure because of their unique vulnerability. RFR penetrates deeper in children’s brains and bodies due to their thinner skulls, higher water content in brain tissue, and physiology. In addition, children’s rapidly developing brains are more sensitive to exposure than are adults. 

Scientific research

In 2011, the World Health Organization International Agency for Research on Cancer reviewed the science and determined RFR was a “possible” Class 2B carcinogen, which is in the same category as lead and several pesticides. That year, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe passed Resolution 1815 calling on European governments to “take all reasonable measures” to reduce exposure “for children…particularly in schools and classrooms, give preference to wired Internet connections…”

Since 2011, the scientific evidence on health effects from RFR exposure has continued to mount, with the vast majority of studies indicating adverse biological effects. Controlled experimental studies carried out in a number of countries have found that even very low levels of RFR exposure can disturb biological cell communication, weaken membranes, and impact brain development. Several experts have concluded that current science indicates that RFR is a human carcinogen. 

Outdated government regulations 

When parents raise concerns about health effects from Wi-Fi or school cell towers, administrators often take RFR measurements to ensure compliance with U.S. human exposure limits. However, these outdated limits, set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1996, were designed only to address the overheating effects of short term exposure (an hour or less). Regulations do not protect for effects of long-term exposure.  In 2021, a federal appeals court ordered the FCC to explain how its 1996 limits adequately protect children’s unique vulnerability and the effects of long term exposure. Some three years later, the FCC has not responded. 

The International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields states:

“From a public health perspective, the FCC and ICNIRP should make the public aware of their exposures to RF and promote precautionary measures to minimize potential adverse effects, especially for children and pregnant women.” 

Expert recommendations 

Many public health agencies as well as medical and scientific organizations are recommending that schools take prudent measures to limit student exposure to RFR in the classroom to mitigate potential health risks, cautioning that U.S. regulations are not protective. 

In 2023, the Santa Clara County Medical Association released “Best Practices For Safe Technology in Schools,” referencing the scientific evidence indicating neurologic, genotoxic, immunologic, reproductive and hormonal effects from RFR, stating: 

We have become especially concerned with the dramatic increase in the use of this technology in schools resulting in exponentially higher levels of non-ionizing radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation (EMR) emitted by these wireless devices.

Many school districts and municipalities have passed policies prohibiting the installation of new cell towers at schools. Joshua Pearce, a professor in Electrical Engineering from Michigan Technological University, published a 2019 research review concluding that there is adequate medical-scientific evidence to warrant long-term liability concerns and he recommends cell towers be at least 500 meters away from schools. In 2020, the New Hampshire State Commission on 5G released a Final Report recommending that cell towers be distanced from schools and that Wi-Fi be replaced with safer technology in schools and libraries. 

Teacher unions have passed resolutions and numerous resources are available to educate students on safer ways to use modern technology. The United Educators of San Francisco passed a resolution recommending that the California Department of Public Health cell phone radiation guidance be posted in all classrooms. The Collaborative for High Performance Schools, the United States’ first green building rating program designed for K-12 schools, developed Best Practices for Low RFR classrooms in 2014 and the interdisciplinary Maryland State Children’s Environmental Health And Protection Advisory Council also recommended safer classroom technology in 2017. 

For example, the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition produced educational modules for K-12 students on various environmental exposures, including cell phones, which are free to download and use in your classroom. 

Ways to minimize RFR in the classroom 

School policies 

• Cell phones turned completely off and away from the body, not muted 
• Prohibit leases for cell towers on school property 
• Monitor RFR levels in classrooms and remediate elevated levels

Classroom practice

• Ensure iPad and tablets are used on tables, not laps
• Teach students how to use airplane mode and work offline 
• Screen movies for students to watch collectively, not by virtual reality 

Educate students on how to reduce cell phone radiation 

• Use a speakerphone, instead of a phone to the head
• Carry the phone away from the body, not in a pocket or bra 
• Use wired, not wireless, headsets
• Turn the phone off and move it away from the bed at night
• Educate students on situations where devices emit higher RFR so students can reduce usage in these conditions
• Text rather than video chat; minimize wireless streaming
• Show students how to connect devices to the internet with ethernet cords 

School tech systems

• Prioritize hardwired internet connections
  • Install and utilize ethernet ports in each classroom to enable hardwired connections for laptops and tablets, instead of Wi-Fi
  • Purchase tech that offers ethernet ports and an easy way to turn devices on airplane mode
  • Connect accessories (keyboards and mouse) with cords, not wireless 
  • Connect stationary equipment, including printers, projectors, and IoT devices with ethernet and corded connections 
• Use pre-downloaded software, rather than cloud based, so students can work offline as often as possible
• When using Wi-Fi
  • Reduce the power output level of Wi-Fi routers so that they provide only the desired coverage; also, consider using low-emissions routers when replacing them
  • Install On/Off Switches to disable Wi-Fi access points. Default settings should be set to off
• Install hard wired ethernet internet systems in new construction  
• Install hard wired telephones in every room, not cordless–this is important for security reasons as well as for lowering radiation

Resources  

California Department of Public Health, Cell phone advisory 

Maryland State Children’s Environmental Health and Protection Advisory Council, Guidelines to Reduce Electromagnetic Field Radiation 

Santa Clara California Medical Association, Recommendations for Best Practices for Safe Technology in Schools

New Jersey Education Association, Minimize health risks from electronic devices 

New Hampshire State Commission on 5G Final Report to Study the Health and Environmental Effects of Evolving 5G Technology 

Collaborative for High Performance Schools, Low EMF Best Practices Summary 

Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition, “Lets Talk Prevention” educational modules

Environmental Health Trust: Educational Resources for Students  

References 

Davis, D., Birnbaum, L., Ben-Ishai, P., Taylor, H., Sears, M., Butler, T., & Scarato, T. (2023). Wireless technologies, non-ionizing electromagnetic fields and children: Identifying and reducing health risks. Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care, 53(2), 101374.  

Clegg, F. M., Sears, M., Friesen, M., Scarato, T., Metzinger, R., Russell, C., Stadtner, A., & Miller, A. B. (2020). Building science and radiofrequency radiation: What makes smart and healthy buildings. Building and Environment, 176, 106324.  

International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (ICBE-EMF), (2022). Scientific evidence invalidates health assumptions underlying the FCC and ICNIRP exposure limit determinations for radiofrequency radiation: implications for 5G. Environ Health. Oct 18;21(1):92.

Fernández, C., de Salles, A. A., Sears, M. E., Morris, R. D., & Davis, D. L. (2018). Absorption of wireless radiation in the child versus adult brain and eye from cell phone conversation or virtual reality. Environmental Research, 167, 694–699.

Miller, A. B., Sears, M. E., Morgan, L. L., Davis, D. L., Hardell, L., Oremus, M., & Soskolne, C. L. (2019). Risks to Health and Well-Being From Radio-Frequency Radiation Emitted by Cell Phones and Other Wireless Devices. Frontiers in Public Health, 7.  

Pearce, J. M. (2020). Limiting liability with positioning to minimize negative health effects of cellular phone towers. Environmental Research, 181, 108845.