Evidence presented to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health
from the Public Health Department, Salzburg, Austria

 ZAHL                                                                                 DATUM                                                                                             PFEIFERGASSE 3
9/11-62603-743/2005              December, 5th 2005                                            POSTFACH 527, 5010 SALZBURG 

BETREFF                                                                                                                                                                                    TEL (0662) 8042 ·2969

WLAN and DECT in Schools and Kindergardens                                FAX (0662) 8042· 3056
                                                                                                                                                                                                      geshyg@salzburg.gv.at

Dear Governor/Head Teacher/Concerned Parent,

I was kindly asked by some parents to inform you about health effects from WLAN Networks in schools. I will do this in a very short summary.

WLAN antennas are emitting microwave radiation in the frequency range 2400-2485 MHz - it is the same as used by microwave ovens. The pulses change their amplitude 10 times per second in stand by (10 Hz) with a very sharp rise. The exposure depends on the distance to the antenna which could be very small in the case of antennas build in the notebook. Despite the widespread use of WLAN there are no studies available on short or long-term effects from WLAN exposures. Based on first empirical evidence from sensitive people the signal seems to be very "biologically active". The symptoms seen so far are the same seen in base station studies: headaches, concentration difficulty, restlessness, memory problems etc.

The official advice of the Public Health Department of the Salzburg Region is not to use WLAN and DECT in Schools or Kindergardens.

Best regards

Dr. Gerd Oberfeld MD
Salzburg Region
Public Health Department

                                                                                         

                                                                                              DAS LAND IM INTERNET: www.salzburg.gv.at
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                                              AMT DER SALZBURGER LANDESREGIERUNG • ABTEILUNG 9: GESUNDHEITSWESEN UND LANDESANSTALTEN
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                                       POSTFACH 527, 5010 SALZBURG • TEL (0662) 8042-0* • FAX (0662) 8042-2160 • MAIL post@salzburg.gv.at • DVR 0078182
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