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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsParents Sue School Over Son’s ‘WiFi Allergy’
A Massachusetts family is suing their sons school because, they say, he has a condition called electromagnetic hypersensitivity. The thing making him sick, they claim? The schools WiFi.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/09/14/parents-sue-school-over-son-s-wifi-allergy.html
"In the spring of 2013, a young boy at a prestigious Massachusetts grade school began coming home with headaches, itchy skin, and a rash. It was a mild start to a mystery illness that would later bring serious symptomsprompting his parents to sue the school over what, they believe, is making him ill: WiFi.
According to the 45-page complaint filed this summer, Gs* symptoms always emerged during school hours, then slowly disappeared once he got home. On weekends and holidays, they were all but nonexistent; but as soon as hed get back in the classroom, they would return. In 2014, they started to get worse. Headaches and itchy skin gave way to nosebleeds, dizziness, heart palpitations, and nausea.
When his condition stumped doctors, his parents commenced research of their own. According to the complaint, The Fay School, where G had been a student since 2009, had installed a stronger wireless Internet service in the spring of 2013the same time he showed symptoms. After linking the two, his mother concluded that he had electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS), a host of symptoms allegedly caused by exposure to electromagnetic fields. Fays sophisticated WiFi system, she decided, was making him sick.
Gs parents say Fay should switch to Ethernet or find a way to lower emissions in order to accommodate his EHS, which they argue is a disability. The case is unprecedented, not simply because two parents are suing a school over WiFi, but that the condition at the crux of their case (EHS) remains, largely, a mystery. The decision has implications not just for New England schools Internet procedures, but the rest of Americas too.
..."
Umm.
Excuse for a moment.
OK. I think I'm better.
No, wait.
OK, then.
Archae
(46,345 posts)They should try an experiment.
Announce that the school's WiFi will be shut off for a repair job.
But secretly NOT shut it off.
Then watch the kid.
Check the tuitions below
tammywammy
(26,582 posts)Archae
(46,345 posts)Blus4u
(608 posts)....what was afflicting Saul's older brother in "Better Call Saul", hence the tin foil blanket?
Peace
pnwmom
(108,995 posts)to know that it was a disease of inflammation.
It's unfortunate that when doctors don't know a logical reason for physical symptoms, they so often decide it must be imaginary.
"Sham exposure" caused severe symptoms in some participants. What about the others? Maybe there is something in the building that was also changed at the same time they changed the WIFI. Or maybe the building has just gotten moldier over time.
betsuni
(25,618 posts)When I was in my late teens I had all sorts of symptoms: indigestion, bloating, fatigue, skin rash, headaches, feeling sort of depressed -- classic allergy symptoms that today would be instantly recognized (I hope). Back then the doctors I saw said it was all in my head, one told me probably all I needed was a boyfriend. Finally went to naturopath who took a blood test and told me what not to eat. A couple of weeks later and symptoms completely gone, it changed my life. If I hadn't had that blood test I might've spent my life feeling shitty and taking anti-depressants. But doctors knew best, right.
pnwmom
(108,995 posts)Turned out gluten intolerance runs through our family, some people with Celiac, some with Crohn's, some with rashes, lots of people reacting to gluten in different ways.
No more "nervous stomachs" or rashes.
betsuni
(25,618 posts)except she has NO self control. Her symptom is an instant runny rose, so then you have to hear sniffing for the next several hours after she can't resist taking a bite of your pizza. And the food she's intolerant of makes her lose her appetite, she gets really skinny. Food I'm intolerant of makes me bloat. If I've been bad about my diet and see someone I haven't seen for awhile, they tell me I've gained weight. If I've been good, they tell me I've lost weight. I'm a shape shifter! Even my face looks different. It's interesting how each human body reacts differently.
pnwmom
(108,995 posts)If you're one of the outliers, forget it. . . .
Thor_MN
(11,843 posts)His symptoms are likely due to the stress of being at a boarding school. If he does not know the WiFi is off and he still has symptoms, the WiFi is not to blame. Only problem is keeping him from knowing, as they probably all have laptops connected to WiFi. My question is why the parents think that their home WiFi (assuming they have it) is somehow different.
BigDemVoter
(4,157 posts)And good luck to him finding too many places that don't have WiFi nowadays. It's in airports, cafes, etc. . . . . If he's "alllergic", how can they determine that it's the school's WiFi doing the damage?
This will be interesting to watch!
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)Sounds cruel to me. Why do you think he's lying. I know people used to laugh at all kinds of people with different ailments until the populous grew up and took them seriously.
Thor_MN
(11,843 posts)Last edited Tue Sep 15, 2015, 07:59 PM - Edit history (1)
well, yeah, I would. There is no harm with no "allergen" present.
But that not the point.
Peanut allergies are real.
WiFi allergies?
The simplest answer is the kid is stressed out by boarding school, or a real allergen that is present.
Should be simple enough to test in a medical facility. Put him in with a router case that has nothing but blinking leds. See if there are any symptoms. If there is a reaction, its psychosomatic. If there is no reaction, place him in a room with a real router. He will be experiencing EMF up to thousands of times higher than what he sees at school. If there is a reaction, you have a smoking gun. If not, it points to either psychosomatic, or a real allergen at the school. Of course, the kid, his parents, the medical personnel can't know which is the real router or fake.
HuckleB
(35,773 posts)underpants
(182,879 posts)Tuition at The Fay School
Day Students
Pre-Kindergarten (Half Day) $13,500
Pre-Kindergarten (Full Day) $21,900
Kindergarten $23,400
Grade 1 $25,500
Grade 2 $27,650
Grades 3 and 4 $30,000
Grades 5 and 6 $34,410
Grades 7 and 8 $36,550
Grade 9 $38,290
Domestic Boarding Students (7-Day)
Grades 7 and 8 $61,660
Grade 9 $63,400
Domestic Boarding Students (5-Day)
Grades 7 and 8 $55,450
Grade 9 $57,190
International Boarding Students
Grades 7 and 8 $64,520
Grade 9 $66,260
International Boarding Students - ESL
Grades 7 and 8 $67,780
Grade 9 $69,520
The food better be dang good!
$23k for kindergarten
I've learned about a private school here in Richmond. All girls. 80 students grades 5-8th - that's 20 each. $16k a year. Amazing.
madinmaryland
(64,933 posts)Eleanors38
(18,318 posts)reformist2
(9,841 posts)yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)They definitely don't listen to parents
beam me up scottie
(57,349 posts)Heeeeers Johnny
(423 posts)[img][/img]
beam me up scottie
(57,349 posts)It broke my heart when I had to say goodbye to Breaking Bad.
Heeeeers Johnny
(423 posts)He was my favorite character in BB and BCS.
[img][/img]
beam me up scottie
(57,349 posts)It was good to learn the back story on him.
PasadenaTrudy
(3,998 posts)Chiyo-chichi
(3,586 posts)His performance in the episode that focused on Mike was the best acting I've seen anywhere in a long time.
mainstreetonce
(4,178 posts)First thing I thought of
beam me up scottie
(57,349 posts)AMC hit another one out of the ballpark.
PasadenaTrudy
(3,998 posts)Chuck McGill!
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)beam me up scottie
(57,349 posts)sharp_stick
(14,400 posts)wifi is harmless until activated by chemtrails. Nutjobs to the left of me, nutjobs to the right.
mike_c
(36,281 posts)tammywammy
(26,582 posts)cloudbase
(5,525 posts)both natural and man-made pretty much continuously.
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)Her chiropractor told her she had a gluten allergy and later it developed into full blown celiac disease.
She believes anything that quack tells her. He also strapped this box on her arm and the digital readout told her what toxins she needed to remove from her body.
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)Knowing what I do of physical sciences... uh...
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)LIGHT is electromagnetic radiation, as are all the countless radio waves around us and the entire planet. In fact the overwhelming majority of free energy (that not confined in matter) in the universe is em radiation.
I think a physics prof needs to bring a little common sense science to this.
irisblue
(33,023 posts)sorta snarky
justhanginon
(3,290 posts)and watch what I eat like you said but this damn WiFi I have at home ...........
riderinthestorm
(23,272 posts)Kid is sick at school.
Kid not sick when away from school.
Some toxic element at school is revving up his allergy.
Or it's just psychosomatic.
My niece would literally have an asthma attack, a panic attack and/or diarrhea every day before school for years. The stress of a large public HS created a host of stress related ailments. (And yes, I know asthma has other factors than stress but she'd cycle through "shortness of breath", wheezing, severe coughing etc too regularly for it to not be included).
petronius
(26,603 posts)I wonder if he gets these symptoms in all the other places that often have strong wireless networks--hotels, airports, cafes, libraries, etc--that he (and his parents) may not be aware of at the time...
riderinthestorm
(23,272 posts)since it seems these folks have tons of cash to burn ...
petronius
(26,603 posts)is generated at home; a diagnosis of demanding-helicopter-parentitis*. Wonder how often he's reminded that his performance now will decide his college, career, and everything of value? Or of how much this school is costing and what a great opportunity it is?
* Of course, this is all a complete WAG born of my own biases and unfounded assumptions.
riderinthestorm
(23,272 posts)they've fixated on a wifi allergy but have they actually tried keeping him away from that environment AND continuing to school him?
I hope they tried that and it failed because school anxiety is a proven psych problem. The chances this is a wifi allergy are so remote...
Blus4u
(608 posts)the cool book bag or shoes and can't stand the stress.
Peace
jmowreader
(50,562 posts)Your standard New England prep school has a dress code that makes one long for the relaxed garbing and grooming standards of Marine Corps boot camp.
groundloop
(11,523 posts)Maybe I can sue my employer for the mental stress of my job (in combination with wi-fi of course) making me ill.
RKP5637
(67,112 posts)KentuckyWoman
(6,692 posts)Snip
In 2014, the parents of a Fay student indicated that they believed their childs health was being negatively affected by our Wi-Fi network. Since we take all student health issues seriously, we addressed the concerns raised by the parents in this instance as we would any other parental concern.
As part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring the health, safety, and wellbeing of all members of the Fay campus community, the School sought a professional, objective assessment to ensure that our campus complies with all federal and state regulations regarding exposure to ambient radio frequency energy (RFE). To conduct this assessment, we engaged the services of Isotrope, LLC, which specializes in measurement and analysis of radio communication signals and evaluation of emissions safety compliance. Isotrope was one of the firms recommended as an expert source by the parents who raised the concern.
Isotropes assessment, completed in January 2015, measured levels of the entire radio frequency at once, as well as levels at locations where individual emissions were strongest, most of which were Wi-Fi access points located in buildings on campus. Isotrope found that the combined levels of access point emissions, broadcast radio and television signals, and other RFE emissions on campus comply with federal and state safety limits by a wide margin. Their report stated that levels of Access Point emissions, inside the School and on the grounds, were substantially less than one ten-thousandth (1/10,000th) of the applicable safety limits (federal and state).
The Isotrope report further concluded that RFE emissions measured on Site were substantially below the applicable safety limits. Moreover, even if the more restrictive safety limits adopted in certain countries, such as Italy, were applied, the RFE emissions at the School would still be compliant by a substantial margin. This conclusion was consistent with Fays prior assessments of the safety of our wireless infrastructure, and it re-affirmed the safety of our campus.
Snip
http://www.fayschool.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&nid=988347&bl=/default.aspx&rc=0
Travis_0004
(5,417 posts)Tell them to move there. The US radio quiet zone is 13000 square miles without wifi, cell phones or anything like that.
reformist2
(9,841 posts)niyad
(113,556 posts)here.
Initech
(100,102 posts)Yavin4
(35,445 posts)You should check it out.
Ichigo Kurosaki
(167 posts)If such hypersensitivity is real, then there are pills at Placebo Mart that can help. Seriously.
X_Digger
(18,585 posts)Recursion
(56,582 posts)Ichigo Kurosaki
(167 posts)Waldorf
(654 posts)using WiFi. Pretty much all the home gateways for the internet have WiFi.
lonestarnot
(77,097 posts)jmowreader
(50,562 posts)Could it be that Mumsy's precious snowflake suddenly got buried under work he's not capable of handling, he started bringing home bad report cards (which caused Mumsy and Daddy to start leaving brochures for military schools around the house to suggest what will happen to Snowflake if he doesn't suddenly start bringing home straight A's) and the headaches, itchy skin and rash started at that time?
gollygee
(22,336 posts)Almost every public place. (It shouldn't make a difference to his allergy whether he has the password - even private ones would bother him.) He wouldn't just have this experience at school.
Orrex
(63,224 posts)LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)I blame irrelevancies.
MineralMan
(146,331 posts)They don't have wi-fi, or any other modern technology, due to selective funding. Problem solved.
Of course, here in Portland, Oregon, we had a guy running for the school board with his main position being the elimination of that dangerous wifi from all schools.
Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)snooper2
(30,151 posts)PLEASE!