From Agenta Jonsson who has been in contact with Finnish professor Rainer Nyberg. The following is a current update from a Jan 14, 2014 interview with Professor Rainer Nyberg
Finnish education professor’s warning: Wireless technology in schools may lead to a global epidemic of brain damages.
“We must protect children and youth more than we do today.”
Yle Arenan. Yle Nyheter, Finland Jan. 24, 2014
http://arenan.yle.fi/tv/2145669
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzxSm04L9Z0
Translated by Agneta Jonsson
Revised by Rainer Nyberg. Nov. 27, 2015
Professor Rainer Nyberg changed his opinion of wireless technology in March 2013. At that time he had been lecturing in Finland and Sweden for many years and had written books about the uses and benefits of online learning. In this interview, for TV-Finland’s Channel, he explains how he found out about the health risks directly linked to wireless emissions from the technology he had assumed would only have positive effects.
What started your interest in wireless technology and its effects on health?
It actually began with my deep interest and involvement in new technology. As a teacher-trainer at the Faculty of Education I also started projects on IT-pedagogy and e-Learning. This resulted, among other things, in two books. One was How To Teach Online Education, another was a 350 page Research Guide, with 120 pages on how the Internet can be used to search for scientific information.
So your starting point was about the benefits, and not about the harmful effects?
Yes, definitely. I could only see the benefits then. I had been using cellphones for a long time and wifi-gadgets too. While I was working intensively on the fifth edition of the Research Guide I used both a wireless keyboard and mouse, but started getting a prickling sensation in my fingers. I wondered, why is this happening? Around that time, just before Christmas 2012, I read my grandchild’s letter to Santa Claus, “Please, please Santa, most of all I want to have an iPad.”
How did you react to that wish?
I thought it was great, really great that my grandchild wanted to use computers. At that time I had no idea there could be problems too. I just wanted to promote it, so I bought her an iPad.
Now you have explored the research available in this field, and learned about the injurious health effects. Are you surprised about what you found out from different research studies?
Yes, very surprised. Actually it started with my sister sending me a newspaper article from Sweden about how cellphones and iPads may be harmful to health. That’s silly, I thought. How could that be? Everyone’s using them. But I also thought, I may as well look into it. So in March 2013 I spent three weeks researching. I had been teaching information retrieval and had just written 120 pages in the Research Guide, so I knew how to do online research. We have easy access to fantastic tools at the university, the NELLI portal, where we can search many large scientific databases for free, as well as retrieve and print articles very fast.
What was your first impression? What did you find?
The first thing that really made an impression on me was the warning by the Council of Europe. In 2011 they called on all of the member states of the European Union by basically saying: you must warn all your citizens that there is a danger to cellphone technology and wireless internet. Children especially need to be warned, because they are particularly sensitive. Their cranium is thinner and more susceptible because they’re still growing. I got the message. Yes, protect the children. The warning from the Council of Europe also made it clear that if we don’t do something now, it could lead to devastating human and economic costs.
So you became absorbed in this new knowledge. What happened then?
I became quite concerned and continued looking deeper into scientific reports. The recommendation from the Council of Europe is from a socio-political standpoint but based on science. So I thought I’d better read up on the science. Among many findings I read the new BioInitiative Report of 2012 that included 1800 reviewed studies. The scientists concluded: If we don’t do something now, we may soon see a global epidemic of brain damage. Children are most vulnerable to the effects of pulsed electromagnetic radiation. And of course I thought of my grandchild, to whom I had just g
Finnish education professor’s warning: Wireless technology in schools may lead to a global epidemic of brain damages.
“We must protect children and youth more than we do today.”
Yle Arenan. Yle Nyheter, Finland Jan. 24, 2014
http://arenan.yle.fi/tv/2145669
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzxSm04L9Z0
Translated by Agneta Jonsson
Revised by Rainer Nyberg. Nov. 27, 2015
Professor Rainer Nyberg changed his opinion of wireless technology in March 2013. At that time he had been lecturing in Finland and Sweden for many years and had written books about the uses and benefits of online learning. In this interview, for TV-Finland’s Channel, he explains how he found out about the health risks directly linked to wireless emissions from the technology he had assumed would only have positive effects.
What started your interest in wireless technology and its effects on health?
It actually began with my deep interest and involvement in new technology. As a teacher-trainer at the Faculty of Education I also started projects on IT-pedagogy and e-Learning. This resulted, among other things, in two books. One was How To Teach Online Education, another was a 350 page Research Guide, with 120 pages on how the Internet can be used to search for scientific information.
So your starting point was about the benefits, and not about the harmful effects?
Yes, definitely. I could only see the benefits then. I had been using cellphones for a long time and wifi-gadgets too. While I was working intensively on the fifth edition of the Research Guide I used both a wireless keyboard and mouse, but started getting a prickling sensation in my fingers. I wondered, why is this happening? Around that time, just before Christmas 2012, I read my grandchild’s letter to Santa Claus, “Please, please Santa, most of all I want to have an iPad.”
How did you react to that wish?
I thought it was great, really great that my grandchild wanted to use computers. At that time I had no idea there could be problems too. I just wanted to promote it, so I bought her an iPad.
Now you have explored the research available in this field, and learned about the injurious health effects. Are you surprised about what you found out from different research studies?
Yes, very surprised. Actually it started with my sister sending me a newspaper article from Sweden about how cellphones and iPads may be harmful to health. That’s silly, I thought. How could that be? Everyone’s using them. But I also thought, I may as well look into it. So in March 2013 I spent three weeks researching. I had been teaching information retrieval and had just written 120 pages in the Research Guide, so I knew how to do online research. We have easy access to fantastic tools at the university, the NELLI portal, where we can search many large scientific databases for free, as well as retrieve and print articles very fast.
What was your first impression? What did you find?
The first thing that really made an impression on me was the warning by the Council of Europe. In 2011 they called on all of the member states of the European Union by basically saying: you must warn all your citizens that there is a danger to cellphone technology and wireless internet. Children especially need to be warned, because they are particularly sensitive. Their cranium is thinner and more susceptible because they’re still growing. I got the message. Yes, protect the children. The warning from the Council of Europe also made it clear that if we don’t do something now, it could lead to devastating human and economic costs.
So you became absorbed in this new knowledge. What happened then?
I became quite concerned and continued looking deeper into scientific reports. The recommendation from the Council of Europe is from a socio-political standpoint but based on science. So I thought I’d better read up on the science. Among many findings I read the new BioInitiative Report of 2012 that included 1800 reviewed studies. The scientists concluded: If we don’t do something now, we may soon see a global epidemic of brain damage. Children are most vulnerable to the effects of pulsed electromagnetic radiation. And of course I thought of my grandchild, to whom I had just g