Thursday, December 04, 2014

Infant wireless technology? The NY Times vs. the Melbourne Herald Sun's coverage

Infant wireless technology? The NY Times vs. the Melbourne Herald Sun's coverage


While the New York Times appears to encourage parents to adopt wireless technology to monitor their babies, a Melbourne newspaper discusses whether wireless technology should be banned for infants as well as in schools and child care settings.


The Connected Baby


Molly Wood and Rebekah Fergusson, New York Times video (3 minutes),  Dec. 3, 2014
Welcome to the age of the digitally connected baby. New devices and wearables like the MonBaby and the Mimo allow you to track baby’s breathing, temperature and heart rate all from your phone.
http://nyti.ms/1tNMDhM

--

Baby monitor health warning: Devices may emit harmful radiation


Chad Van Estrop, Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia), Dec 4, 2014

Brisbane-based author and researcher Donna Fisher called for a ban on the baby monitors. 
THEY’VE been a saviour for many parents, but there are concerns wireless baby monitors could be dangerous.

Brisbane-based author and researcher Donna Fisher called for a ban on the baby monitors, worried the radiation they emit could be harmful to children. Ms Fisher drew on a World Health Organisation ruling that radiation emitted from the monitors was “possibly carcinogenic”.

Ms Fisher also said the radiation from the devices had the potential to cause reproductive problems, chronic fatigue, sleep disorders and other health problems.

But the director of the Australian Centre for Electromagnetic Bioeffects Research, Rodney Croft, said the WHO classification was ambiguous due to conflicting research.

Professor Croft said the dangers of wireless monitors were “extremely small” with the devices emitting radiation at similar levels to mobile phones and 100 times less than a level considered dangerous.

“Given it is quite a low level of exposure people are getting, it tends to give us a fair bit of confidence that it is unlikely that there will be a problem.”

Professor Croft said the call to ban the devices was a knee-jerk reaction.

Ms Fisher, a lecturer on the effects of electricity and light on the human body, has this week released a book calling for wireless baby monitors and wi-fi in schools and childcare centres to be banned.

“Australians are unwittingly exposing their children to EMFs, without the realisation or understanding of the long term impact this can have on future development,” Ms Fisher said.
chad.vanestrop@news.com.au
http://bit.ly/15Ra5Xt
--

WiFi in Schools: What do Experts Have to Say?

http://bit.ly/17jBAlF

--

Joel M. Moskowitz, Ph.D., Director
Center for Family and Community Health
School of Public Health
University of California, Berkeley

Electromagnetic Radiation Safety

Website:              http://www.saferemr.com
Facebook:            http://www.facebook.com/SaferEMR
News Releases:    http://pressroom.prlog.org/jmm716/
Twitter:                 @berkeleyprc

No comments:

Post a Comment