November 25th, Beijing time - Dutch researchers have stated that radiation produced by Wi-Fi may become a new threat to trees. According to a study conducted in the Netherlands, trees planted near wireless routers exhibit large amounts of bark that looks like it's bleeding and leaves that are nearing death.
This discovery could heighten concerns about the possible effects of Wi-Fi radiation on the human body, and also support parents' calls for a halt to installing wireless routers in schools. After local officials discovered inexplicable abnormalities in the trees, the city of Alphen aan den Rijn in the Netherlands ordered this research. During the study, scientists exposed 20 ash trees to six Wi-Fi radiation sources for three months. The results showed that the leaves of the trees closest to the Wi-Fi radiation source had a lead-like sheen, which was caused by the death of both the upper and lower epidermis.
The researchers also found that Wi-Fi radiation could delay the growth of corn cobs. The study pointed out that up to 70% of the trees in Dutch cities exhibited similar symptoms, compared to only 10% five years ago. In contrast, trees in dense forest areas did not show such phenomena. Scientists from Wageningen University were also involved in this research, stating that further research is needed to confirm their findings. The findings have not yet been published externally.
The Dutch health department issued a statement emphasizing that these are merely preliminary findings and have not been confirmed in a repeat survey. The statement pointed out: This study has not drawn any conclusions that would have a significant impact. Based on the current information obtained, no conclusion can be drawn that Wi-Fi signals cause damage to trees or other plants.
Other scientists also expressed doubts about the Dutch findings. Marvin Ziskin, professor of radiology and medical physics at Temple University in Philadelphia, USA, pointed out: Conclusions like these have been around for a long time. In terms of Wi-Fi radiation research, there have been no new discoveries so far. From a scientific perspective, there is no evidence proving that these signals could be a factor of concern.
In a conference held in the Netherlands in February 2011, participants will discuss this research. In 2007, a documentary aired by the British Broadcasting Corporation's "Panorama" pointed out that the level of Wi-Fi radiation in one school was three times that of a mobile phone signal tower, but the radiation level readings were 600 times lower than the government's specified safety limit. Dutch scientists studied the ash trees, which exhibited large amounts of bark that looked like it was bleeding and dying leaves. This study was commissioned by officials in the city of Alphen aan den Rijn in the Netherlands.