come many adults' best friend and
children's babysitter. It is used as a
computer, eBook reader, camera,
nication device, drawing tool, game pad, and
more.
using iPad to avoid injury."
with text so tiny it is practically illegible with-
out magnifying glasses. As a result, most
people have never read the following:
radio frequency (RF) energy through its an-
tenna. The Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® antennas
are located behind the screen to the left of the
Home button, and behind the Apple logo...
A cellular antenna is located at the top
edge of iPad Wi-Fi+3G, when oriented with
the Home button at the bottom."
nas, including the frame of the LCD screen
being a giant antenna.
European Union guidelines, always follow
these instructions and precautions: Orient the
device in portrait mode with the Home button
at the bottom of the display, or in landscape
mode with the cellular antenna (located under
the black edge at the top of the device) away
from your body or other objects..."
can exceed governments' limits for human
exposure. Unfortunately, most parents and
teachers have no idea about this, and have
never communicated the manufacturer's in-
structions to children who are using iPads.
amount of time using iPad Wi-Fi+3G in wire-
less mode, since time is a factor in how much
exp osu re
and iPad Wi-Fi + 3G, since exposure level
drops off dramatically with distance."
RF/EMF: 2B Possible Carcinogen
Health Organization (WHO) classified radiof-
requency electromagnetic fields emitted by
wireless communication devices as Type 2B
Possible Carcinogen to Humans. The mono-
graph states: "The general population re-
ceives the highest exposure from transmitters
close to the body... In children... deposition of
RF energy may be two times higher in the
brain and up to ten times higher in the bone
marrow of the skull than in adult users." The
WHO report concluded that additional re-
search is important and advised the public,
particularly young adults and children, to take
pragmatic measures to reduce exposure.
Comparison between iPad and cellphone
radiation
Rate (SAR). An iPad on WiFi/3G has an SAR
of 0.76-1.19 W/kg, compared to the SAR of
an iPhone on GSM/CDMA at 0.547-1.18 W/
kg. Many other cellphones have even lower
children's use of cellphones. With iPad's
radiation level being similar to cellphones,
the same caution should be taken. Health
Canada, "encourages parents to reduce chil-
dren's RF exposure... since children are typi-
cally more sensitive" and "there is currently a
lack of scientific information regarding the
potential health impacts of cellphones on
children."
cellphone calls with text messages or use
hands-free devices; and encourage children
under the age of 18 to limit their cellphone
usage.
for hours a day, we should not put an actively
transmitting iPad against the reproductive
organ or other parts of a child's body for
hours a day.
900 blasts of radiofrequency per hour
approximately every four seconds. That
makes 900 blasts per hour in the child's
hands, on his lap, or at his face. This does not
include any additional data signals resulting
from uploading and downloading activities.
Moreover, the blasts at four-second intervals
occur even when the user is not accessing the
Internet. In other words, even if a child is
only using the iPad to draw or to play a
game, he still receives 900 blasts an hour as
long as the WiFi antenna is left on.
Europe passed multiple resolutions against
the "early, ill-considered, and prolonged use
of mobiles and other devices emitting micro-
waves." Many medical associations in North
America and Europe have also issued public
statements to warn about the serious health
risks associated with using wireless devices.
Among them, the American Academy of
Environmental Medicine wrote:
Medicine - Fertility and Sterility reported
that only four hours of exposure to a stan-
dard laptop using WiFi caused D A damage
to human sperm."
cer, neurological disease, reproductive disor-
ders, immune dysfunction, and electromag-
netic hypersensitivity... Other neurological
and cognitive disorders such as headaches,
dizziness, tremors, decreased memory and
attention, autonomic nervous system dysfunc-
tion, decreased reaction times, sleep distur-
bances, and visual disruptions have been
reported to be statistically significant in mul-
tiple epidemiological studies with radiofre-
quency exposure occurring non-locally."
all sources of RF radiation. However, a good
start is to follow the European parliaments'
advice for an exposure
able). The following resolution was adopted
by the BC Confederation of Parent Advisory
Council this year. While these steps were
proposed for schools, they are also useful for
reduction of unnecessary exposure at home:
1. to provide on/off switches to WiFi routers;
2. to establish a protocol of use that
computers/laptops/tablets are to be turned on
only when they are needed for access to the
Internet via the wireless network; and,
(ii) Bluetooth function is to be turned on
only if it is needed for accessing other Blue-
t o o t h - e n a b l e d
safety instructions in the user manual of iPad
by reducing the duration of use under wire-
less mode and keeping the iPads away from
the students' bodies.
Note that putting an iPad on airplane mode
will initially turn off all antennas on the iPad.
However, WiFi and bluetooth antennas can
be re-enabled without switching off the air-
plane mode. Therefore, an iPad showing
airplane mode "on" is not a guarantee that all
the antennas are off. It is important to check
the antennas separately. In addition, when the
WiFi function on an iPad shows "Not Con-
nected," it does not mean the antenna is off.
It only means the iPad is not logged onto any
available wireless network. To ensure the
WiFi antenna is turned off, the WiFi function
must read "off."
Differences between the iPad and an AM/
FM radio
waves. The two actually differ in the follow-
signals with a continuous waveform (see
diagram above). iPad (via 3G or WiFi) emits
digital signals in the form of pulsed micro-
wave, similar to cellphone and DECT cord-
less phones. Pulsed microwave digital signal
has sharp spikes in its waveform. (2) AM/FM
radio is one-way transmission, with the lis-
teners at the receiving end only. iPad anten-
nas, on the other hand, work in constant two-
way communication. iPad is not only a re-
ceiver but also a transmitter of pulsed micro-
wave. The user of an iPad on wireless mode
is in direct or close contact with the pulsed
microwave signal at its source, which is the
strongest.
basis, and video of RF measurements, please
v is it
Michelle Wong was a member of the former
WiFi Safety Subcommittee of the BC Confed-
eration of Parent Advisory Councils.
BCCPAC studied the WiFi issue for three
years before adopting two resolutions in
2012 calling for choice and precaution in
wireless network installation, and a third
resolution in 2013 on reduction of radiofre-
quency exposure for children. Reference for
this article: