Originally published November 23 2010
Does wi-fi radiation cause tree deformities, or is the fear overblown?
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
(NaturalNews) New research conducted at Wageningen University in the Netherlands concludes that wi-fi signals might damage nearby trees, causing them to develop severe abnormalities in their bark and leaves.
In the Netherlands, about 70 percent of trees in urban areas already show such symptoms, although trees in the wild have no such symptoms. These deformities could not be attributed to viral, bacterial or fungal infections.
The study was paid for by the city of Alphen aan den Rijn which was trying to determine what was causing its trees to suffer deformities. The study exposed 20 ash trees to varying frequencies of electromagnetic radiation over a three-month test period. The trees located nearest the wi-fi radio, researchers found, showed a "metallic luster appearance . . . followed by desiccation and death of a portion of the leaf."
Government agency expresses doubt about study conclusions
However, a statement from the Netherlands' Antenna Agency (the government department there that handles electromagnetic broadcast authority, much like the FCC in the United States) has issued a statement denying any conclusive link between Wi-Fi and tree health.
The statement reads (http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&...):
The researcher from Wageningen University indicates that these are initial results and that has not been confirmed in a repeat survey. He warns strongly that there are no far-reaching conclusions can be drawn from its results. Based on the information now available cannot be concluded that the WiFi radio signals leads to damage to trees or other plants. It takes into account previously published studies showing no effect. The knowledge center awaits with interest the publication of the survey.
It should also be noted that this study involved only 20 trees, which is a small sample size, and so far the study results have not been repeated.
In fact, the tree health problems observed in the study could be due to something much simpler. For example, perhaps the trees closest to the wi-fi radio were also close to an air duct that was exhausting air contaminated with fungal spores. Until the study is repeated and expanded to a larger sample size, it's simply not conclusive.
Many people are "sensitive" to wi-fi signals
Personally, I understand very well that people may be sensitive to wi-fi signals. I'm sensitive to mobile phone signals and get a headache if I talk on a mobile for more than a few minutes (which I try to avoid doing, of course). I've also spoken with people who told me they experience similar headaches around wi-fi signals.
It seems entirely reasonable to be concerned about the health implications of wi-fi radios, especially given that there are now so many of them in urban environments. Hopefully, further study will be conducted on this topic so that we might all learn more.
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