If you go to a restaurant, bar, mall or any other type of store, you will most likely find a sign somewhere that says “Wifi Free.” This happens because nowadays it is essential for everyone to have an Internet connection at all times, 24 hours a day, preferably one that is unlimited and free like the one offered by Wifi. Owning and being able to offer (in the case of businesses or hotels) a Wifi connection has now become a very important quality standard that can influence, and by a great deal, users’ choices. Even in the home, moreover, the use of Wifi has increased by leaps and bounds over the years, hand in hand with the increasing development of technology and the spread of devices that are always connected to the network (smartphones, tablets, PCs).
How Wifi works
Everyone uses it but few really know how this type of connection works. Wifi is a technology that, through related devices, allows user terminals (cell phones, teblets, etc…) to connect with each other through a local area network wirelessly according to the specifications of the IEEE 802.11 standard. In turn, this local area network connects to the Internet through a router and can take advantage of all the connectivity services that are offered by an ISP (Internet Service Provider, i.e., one of the many telephone operators). Clearly, only those electronic devices that are integrated with the wifi protocol specification are able to connect. This whole interconnection structure can operate, as a matter of course, through electromagnetic waves that connect the various devices with each other and with the Internet network.
Electromagnetic waves health
The topic of Wifi, however, has often sparked quite a bit of controversy related to the potential danger, to our health, of electromagnetic waves emitted by the ruoter to allow various devices to connect to the Internet. In fact, many individuals place the wifi ruoter in the least-used room of their home (kitchen and bedroom are avoided) with the intent of subjecting themselves as little as possible to the effects of electromagnetic waves. But what are the health risks ? Many people suffer from a particular condition called I”Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity,” also called EHS. It is a kind of intolerance to electromagnetic waves emitted by various wifi (and other) devices that would cause disturbances such as headache, nausea, difficulty concentrating, nervousness, fatigue, sleep disturbances, to more important manifestations such as. burns, redness and patches on the skin, palpitations and digestive problems.
The conditional in this case is a must because it is a disease that is not officially recognized in any European country except Austria, but still causes significant agitation and concern among the population. “Hypersensitivity to Wi-Fi simply means that an individual is sensitive to lower amounts of electromagnetic radiation than in the normal population. And the fact that this syndrome is not recognized as a disease, however, explains Maria Grazia Petronio, vice president naz. of theIsde-Medici per l’ambienteAssociation–must not make us forget the people who suffer from real symptoms, who ask to be taken care of and instead find no answers.”
No evidence
Despite various concerns, however, at present there is insufficient evidence to prove an actual correlation between electromagnetic waves emitted by wifi technology and the health status of individuals, the latest study by the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (Scenhir) shows. In fact, according to Maria Rosaria Scarfi, of theInstitute for Electromagnetic Sensing of the Environment. of the CNR, it would make no sense to create alarmism; “It is true that Wi-Fi is a relatively recent technology, but we are still talking about electromagnetic fields. And these have been known for a long time. Wireless connection to the Internet is a valuable tool. In the absence of hard evidence, accusing it of posing a danger makes no sense.”
