Guidelines for Safer Use of Wireless Technology in Classrooms Published
Teachers are Urged to Avoid Prolonged Contact and Turn Off Wireless Functions When Possible
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y., March 24, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An environmental health non-profit organization has issued a set of science-based guidelines for school teachers and administrators who are using wireless technologies in school classrooms. Based on peer-reviewed studies that link wireless radiation with neurological symptoms, the Guidelines urge teachers to limit exposures in classrooms to wireless radiation from routers, tablets and laptops. The Guidelines were delivered to a meeting of the Health and Safety Conference of the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. on March 14th.
"There's a rush to make every classroom in America a wireless classroom, on the presumption that wireless radiation is completely safe," says Patricia Wood, Executive Director of Grassroots Environmental Education, which created the Guidelines based on input from researchers, medical professionals and radiation experts. "But the weight of scientific evidence pointing to potential health impacts, not only for students, but for teachers, especially pregnant teachers, should compel us to take a precautionary approach. It's just common sense."
Recent studies at Yale University and other institutions around the world have demonstrated significant biological effects from exposure to wireless radiation. In one recent study, pregnant mice exposed to radiation from a cell phone had offspring that exhibited symptoms similar to ADHD in children. Many other studies have also reported behavioral abnormalities resulting from exposure to wireless radiation.
"A growing body of science is indicating links between exposure to wireless radiation and health impacts including neurological deficits and neurobehavioral disorders," says Joel Moskowitz, Director and Principal Investigator of the Center for Family and Community Health at the University of California, Berkeley. "These guidelines will help reduce microwave radiation exposure among students and teachers. I recommend every teacher in the nation pay attention to them."
"We have enough evidence to justify taking action and we are not willing to wait until our members, their children and the students suffer health consequences from not doing anything," says Paul Pecorale, Vice President of NYSUT. "The history of occupational disease shows the devastating consequences of doing just that. We think that following these simple, common-sense Guidelines makes sense for schools districts, their staff and students."
The Guidelines can be accessed at http://grassrootsinfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Safer-Guidelines.pdf
A list of independent, peer-reviewed science studies supporting this concern is located at http://grassrootsinfo.org/emerging-science-on-wireless-radiation/
About Grassroots:
Grassroots Environmental Education is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization based in New York with a mission to inform the public about the links between common environmental exposures and human health, and the seeks to empower individuals to act as catalysts for change within their own communities. More information is available on the organization's web site, www.GrassrootsInfo.org.
SOURCE Grassroots Environmental Education
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