'Wi-fi refugees' shelter in West Virginia mountains

[kennyc]

'Wi-fi refugees' shelter in West Virginia mountains

By Jane O'Brien & Matt Danzico BBC News, Green Bank


Dozens of Americans who claim to have been made ill by wi-fi and mobile phones have flocked to the town of Green Bank, West Virginia

There are five billion mobile phone subscriptions worldwide and advances in wireless technology make it increasingly difficult to escape the influence of mobile devices. But while most Americans seem to embrace continuous connectivity, some believe it's making them physically ill.

Diane Schou is unable to hold back the tears as she describes how she once lived in a shielded cage to protect her from the electromagnetic radiation caused by waves from wireless communication.

"It's a horrible thing to have to be a prisoner," she says. "You become a technological leper because you can't be around people.
....

rest here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14887428

Best quote in the piece:

Bob Park, "The bigger problem that we face is that in our society, driven by technological change, people have very little education," he says.

"There are lots of things people need to learn and they're not learning it. The thing that's going to kill them is ignorance."

[Graham]

I read the piece earlier today and did some Googling on research into the condition. I was amused by a comment in the abstract to this paper:

http://journals.lww.com/joem/Abstrac...atients.9.aspx

This indicates that psychological treatment may be of value in this disease.

That study came to the following conclusion (for the test that they conducted):

The conclusion from the provocation test is that this group of alleged hypersensitive patients did not react to the electromagnetic fields.

I guess this is one of those areas where general poor health is being linked to a fashionable cause, and a lot more research is required to separate out the noise and see whether there is any basis. From the studies that seem to have been done so far, I didn't see a claim for any obvious link.

Graham

[WT Sharpe]

I wonder if they're aware that their hound-dog "Blue" generates electromagnetic fields?

[pholy]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

I wonder if they're aware that their hound-dog "Blue" generates electromagnetic fields?

PEOPLE generate electromagnetic fields, otherwise eeg machines would have nothing to detect!

Ah well, stupidity is a capital crime (L. Long), so maybe we have some Darwin Award candidates there.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

I wonder if they're aware that their hound-dog "Blue" generates electromagnetic fields?

You know that's why they bob the tails. Don't want that aerial radiating!

[Graham]

While it does seem sad that they believe their lives have been so destroyed by what is most probably a delusion, if they're feeling better because they've turned their backs on the stress of city life and gone to live in beautiful countryside I guess there's a silver lining in every cloud.

Graham

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Graham

While it does seem sad that they believe their lives have been so destroyed by what is most probably a delusion, if they're feeling better because they've turned their backs on the stress of city life and gone to live in beautiful countryside I guess there's a silver lining in every cloud.

Graham

I'd be willing to join them for that aspect.

[xg4bx]

there was a study a few weeks ago out of italy that suggested men who carry a cell in their front pocket face a decreased sperm count.

will this stuff kill you? no, probably not. but it can't be good for us by any stretch.

[Dylrob]

I was sure this was an onion article until I read the link.

Just what do they think those radio telescopes are capturing?

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by xg4bx

there was a study a few weeks ago out of italy that suggested men who carry a cell in their front pocket face a decreased sperm count.

will this stuff kill you? no, probably not. but it can't be good for us by any stretch.

That may well be different from simply being exposed to radiation in the air. I don't know about the Italian study and reduced sperm count, but cell phones do transmit microwave radiation, and some studies have suggested a link between heavy cell-phone use and certain types of cancers. The jury is still out, but the evidence certainly warrants further investigation. In the meantime, those who are concerned may want to consider using a headset so that the phone isn't in direct proximity to the skull.

[DixieGal]

I'm gonna use that bit about the cell phone in the pocket affecting his "antenna" to freak out Tim.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by DixieGal

I'm gonna use that bit about the cell phone in the pocket affecting his "antenna" to freak out Tim.

You guys lookin' to spawn?

[The Terminator]

People have electro magnetic fields too, watch the Matrix . The part about living in the sheltered cage is pretty funny.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by The Terminator

People have electro magnetic fields too, watch the Matrix . The part about living in the sheltered cage is pretty funny.

I thought the part about living in West Virginia was pretty funny!

[crich70]

I seem to remember some news story when I was a kid where people claimed that living near an electrical transformer (power lines) was having an adverse effect on their health. Sounds like these people just took it to the next level.