Parents of boy with tumour want wi-fi out of school

A Kapiti Coast school is surveying parents about plans for classroom wi-fi after a young pupil died from brain cancer.

The parents of Ethan Wyman, who died 11 months after being diagnosed with two brain tumours, want wi-fi removed from classrooms at Te Horo School.

The board of trustees has now sent out a survey to all parents, after the Wymans expressed fears that the radiation effect of wi-fi could be linked to cancer.

But the Ministry of Education, which has been at community meetings held by the school alongside the Ministry of Health, says research shows wi-fi is safe.

Damon Wyman, who still has two children at the school, says Ethan was diagnosed with the tumours three months after he was given a wi-fi-connected iPod.

His parents later discovered he had been falling asleep with it under his pillow. Even though it was on standby, it was still emitting bursts of radiation as it tried to connect to the router, Mr Wyman said.

Doctors who saw Ethan said the tumours appeared to be about four months old, Mr Wyman said. He died, aged 10, less than a year after diagnosis last August.

"We're not saying that caused it, but it seems like a bit of a coincidence. Most people would be very cautious about giving their 5-year-old a cellphone - well, this is 30 kids in a classroom [being exposed] to the same thing."

Research showed it was worth taking a precautionary approach to wi-fi. A group of parents had offered to fund cable internet as an alternative. "To me it's a no- brainer, but as we'd be the first school in New Zealand to remove wi-fi, it's a big deal for the board."

Board chairman Steve Joss said the school was taking concerns seriously. "The board hasn't made any decisions on what to do, we're just working through the process of getting information."

continue to source article at stuff.co.nz
I think the article is worth a mention and whatever conclusion they come to will be important if this ever comes up again. Personally I don't think there's any danger but I am keeping an open mind. The board is going to investigate further and whatever conclusion they come to will hopefully be backed up by evidence. I do feel sorry for the parents but correlation isn't always causation.

reply to post by Grimpachi


To be brutally frank, this isn't even correlation. It's an anecdote.

How many kids are in the school overall? Wait.. how many in the country with iPods? Are the ones that don't have iPods the control group? How many also got cancer…

Like I said I don't personally believe it however this is worth mention because if the school board rules that it is a health concern and they take it out then their actions will be cited by anyone else who makes the same complaint. It will set a precedent basically.

assuming there is a connection.

how often can this even happen? I mean I closely gamble with my life every time I drive to work. the likeliness of me being hit on the freeway is pretty great over WiFi tumors.

but its more convenient to not use wireless vs never drive again.

its like life keeps giving me rediculous choices and i am foced to make decisions or something.

reply to post by Grimpachi


I tend to think there is danger but it's not easily quantifiable. Radio frequencies are everywhere, even the electrical wiring in your home puts them out. At my house, there are six (6) different wi-fi signals going all the time. I turn mine off - but, it doesn't help. Cell towers everywhere, microwave transmissions, everywhere. I don't think you can escape unless you are in a Farraday Cage.

That said, I'd support no wi-fi in public schools and no cell towers or phones either, but I care about the unknown health dangers of radio frequences and they are largly unknown, few study them, no money and no one wants to give up their 'toys'. Someday soon we will have to, but untill then....

reply to post by Grimpachi


I'm sorry for their loss. I lost my sister (her 11, me 13) many years ago from Leukemia. Of course there was no WiFi then. Here's the thing: if the WiFi only gave 1 in 250 kids brain cancer, maybe it wasn't the WiFi. Personally - I'd start a lot closer to home. Genetics, diet, living environment.

I think a more cautious approach may be prudent. The girl slept with it under her pillow - and that is not 'normal' usage.

Maybe there are some dangers - but those dangers may only be significant when exposed in large doses for extended periods of times. The signal strength multiplies exponentially with proximity, the body will get significant exposure when within contact, but when removed only 2 feet away, that amount of exposure may be negligible.

A lot of factors to consider here.

reply to post by Grimpachi


Knee jerk based on coincidence is very, very dumb. I am glad the school is giving some pause. I understand the distraught parent. I take that back...i don't understand. Just trying to empathize with such tragedy causes me anxiety, so im not going to do it. But it is horrible.

But attacking the wifi, without any cause other than coincidence, isn't going to fix anything. My kids both had ipods when they were young. My ipod touch is a handmedown from my youngest son, after he saved up his money from washing dishes in a restaurant, and bought an iphone 4s (he uses virgin mobile).

I feel bad for the parents of that child. I also feel bad for the rest of the kids in the school, should they have wifi removed. Technology engages students, and makes them participants in their learning.

reply to post by Grimpachi

Grief can make people irrational. Sympathy can make others around them irrational. But I think anyone looking at this rationally would conclude it's utter nonsense. A fraction of a watt of radio energy isn't going to give anyone cancer in three months, or three centuries. There's no mechanism for that to happen, and if there were such a mechanism, we'd all be dead of cancer before our first birthday.

reply to post by Grimpachi


From the article ...

Damon Wyman, who still has two children at the school, says Ethan was diagnosed with the tumours three months after he was given a wi-fi-connected iPod

And ...

Doctors who saw Ethan said the tumours appeared to be about four months old

So the Tumor was 1 month older than the iPod. Unless iPod's can time travel sounds like the parents are just looking to blame something. Understandable .. but wrong.

,

beckybecky

of course you are trying to divert attention from the wi-fi causing cancer because your are worried about big industry profits.

are you hallucinating? You don't know me well enough to know what I am worried about.

people like you serve as the foot soldiers of all that is rotten and corrupt about the world.

People like me? Do I know you? Oh...you will say, "No, but i know people like you". So, preemptively, I say "prove it". Otherwise...take your meds.

do you have kids? do you love your kids or are you more interested in big pharma profits?
big pharma must have made at least a million when that boy was diagnosed with a tumour.

I have 2 sons. A senior in college, and a sophomore in high school. Both are 100% tumor free.

when cancer is diagnosed big pharma wins the lottery.every time.

you crocodile tears about feeling bad is indigenous at best.

Indigenous, huh?

if your son gets cancer from wi-fi you will probably say it wasn't caused by wi-fi because big industry profits must be protected at all costs and no finger must be pointed at them and every one who does must be discredited because money is more important and rubbing shoulders with the ceo of big pharma gives you a ego boost.


how did people get by without wi-fi?

##SNIPPED##

bigfatfurrytexan

beckybecky

of course you are trying to divert attention from the wi-fi causing cancer because your are worried about big industry profits.

are you hallucinating? You don't know me well enough to know what I am worried about.

people like you serve as the foot soldiers of all that is rotten and corrupt about the world.

People like me? Do I know you? Oh...you will say, "No, but i know people like you". So, preemptively, I say "prove it". Otherwise...take your meds.

do you have kids? do you love your kids or are you more interested in big pharma profits?
big pharma must have made at least a million when that boy was diagnosed with a tumour.

I have 2 sons. A senior in college, and a sophomore in high school. Both are 100% tumor free.

when cancer is diagnosed big pharma wins the lottery.every time.

you crocodile tears about feeling bad is indigenous at best.

Indigenous, huh?

if your son gets cancer from wi-fi you will probably say it wasn't caused by wi-fi because big industry profits must be protected at all costs and no finger must be pointed at them and every one who does must be discredited because money is more important and rubbing shoulders with the ceo of big pharma gives you a ego boost.


how did people get by without wi-fi?

of course you are trying to divert attention from the wi-fi causing cancer because your are worried about big pharma profits because people might get more careful thus reducing big pharma profits.

##SNIPPED##

do you have kids? do you love your kids or are you more interested in big pharma profits?

big pharma makes at least a million when somebody is diagnosed with cancer.

10 people get diagnosed with cancer that is 10 million.

a 1000 people gets diagnosed that a cool billion

10000 people diagnosed that is 10 billion

did you know 560000 are DEAD from cancer every year in america.generating trillions of dollars of revenue.

560000.that is 1/2 million.

how many 9/11 is that?

when cancer is diagnosed big pharma wins the lottery.every time.

you crocodile tears about feeling bad is disingenuous at best.

if your son gets cancer from wi-fi you will probably say it wasn't caused by wi-fi because big pharma profits must be protected at all costs and no finger must be pointed at them and every one who does must be discredited because money is more important and rubbing shoulders with the ceo of big pharma gives you a ego boost.


how did people get by without wi-fi?

reply to post by beckybecky


Cheese n Rice, get a grip.

ATTENTION~~~~~~~

Let's stick with the topic!!!!

Go After the Ball, Not the Player!
You are responsible for your own posts.

Failure to keep it civil can and will have consequences.

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At least now the parents are awake... the next step is to realize they can't bulldoze into their kid's school and get anywhere,...

Now they need to move to the next step and realize they need a collective movement to make a change for their kid...

Parents trying to find someone or something to blame for their childs tumor and death.

Wi-Fi is not to blame. The kid just got cancer... there were brain tumors around before wi-fi

Nomad451
Parents trying to find someone or something to blame for their childs tumor and death.

Wi-Fi is not to blame. The kid just got cancer... there were brain tumors around before wi-fi

wi-fi is to blame.it caused the death of that kid.

i am not afraid to stand up and say wi-fi causes cancer.

i am not afraid of big corporate interests.

i am not on anyones payrolls.

you don't JUST get cancer.

wi-fi caused the cancer.

i suggest you STRAP-ON TO YOUR HEAD a wi-fi enabled ipad and tell us when you get cancer ok?

that's fairs isn'nt it?

coastlinekid
At least now the parents are awake... the next step is to realize they can't bulldoze into their kid's school and get anywhere,...

Now they need to move to the next step and realize they need a collective movement to make a change for their kid...

this is a classic example of dozy stupid ignorant parents who watched too much corporate foxnews
and failed to due care and attention to their childs safety.they werre more interested in instant gratification.

hey folks look at us.we gave our kid an ipad...anint we cool?

i mean they never noticed he was sleeping with the dangerous thing under his pillow?

they never heard cell phones cause cancer?

they were so brain washed by steve jobs turtle neck jumper they failed to see the danger?

they actually believed in apples logo like as in an apple a day keeps the doctor away?

i mean why were they not aware of wi-fi causing cancer?