Wireless
safety tips
There are 2 main strategies to follow in protecting yourself and your family
Distance is your friend
All wireless devices carry a manufacturer’s warning on the minimum distance the device should be held from the human body in order to meet Health Canada’s and ISED’s guidelines. For cell phones, it ranges from 5 mm to 15 mm (about a quarter to a half inch). Baby monitors are in the range of 20 cm (8 inches). Samsung states “to ensure compliance with RF exposure guidelines the Notebook PC must be used with a minimum of 20.8 cm (8 inches) antenna separation from the body”. Keep devices in airplane mode with Wi-Fi off as much as possible. Download content and watch off-line as much as possible. For smart watches, use a device that allows you to turn off all communications when wearing and download the information through a hard-wired connection.
Create a safe haven in your home
We are bombarded by many sources of RF radiation as soon as we leave our home. Our bodies, especially children’s bodies, have an incredible ability to heal and repair. You can reduce RF sources within your home so that when your family is at home, this rest, repair and healing cycle will be maximized. Remove all devices and Wi-Fi as much as possible from areas of sleep or high activity, especially the home office and bedroom. Make it a practice to use devices in a wired fashion. Connectors are available for your cell phone to connect to a wired line.
C4ST’s safety tips
- Don’t sleep with an active cell phone near you. Turn to airplane mode with Wi-Fi off. Better yet, turn it off.
- Keep cell phones and tablets away from small children.
- Replace a wireless baby monitor with a wired monitor.
- Remove all cordless phones, and replace with wired ones.
- Opt out of any smart meters. If possible, keep your analog utility meter or request its return.
- Mothers to be: keep all wireless devices away from your abdomen.
- Keep cell phones away from your head (use the speaker or air tube earbuds; not Bluetooth) and out of your pocket, bra, etc.
- Do not use “wearable” wireless devices. If you must, then keep their use to a bare minimum.
- Replace Wi-Fi with wired options. If impossible, put the router on a timer to turn off at night.
- Remove from high-use and sleeping areas.
Additional resources
