Study Finds Link Between Wi-Fi and Autism
Autism, like nearly every other modern disease, has been on the rise of late, with far more children being called autistic today than 10 or 20 years ago. Some believe that it's simply being diagnosed more by doctors than before, but others are looking for environmental causes. The case of that latter group has some new backing with a study finding a link between autism and Wi-Fi.
The study, published in 'Australasian Journal of Clinical Environmental Medicine,' claims that the radiofrequency waves emitted by Wi-Fi routers isolate and trap metals in brain cells. These metals, according to the study, are the cause of the drastic increase in autism. This isn't the first time we've heard these claims, and in fact this isn't the first tech device that has been linked to autism (earlier this year it was electromagnetic radiation from cell phones), while vaccines have also been fingered.
It's natural for parents of autistic children to be looking for answers, but with all these findings indicating various causes, many getting summarily debunked, it's hard to feel too confident in the findings of this latest one without some further backing. The only fact we know is that the exact cause of autism is still unknown.
What do you think? Does being in the proximity of Wi-Fi make you nervous for your health or the health of your children?
From CrunchGear
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Reader Comments (Page 7 of 14)
raynepoe @ Nov 21st 2007 4:12PM
I am a 26 year old EDU major, I have worked with autistic children in different field experience classes. God bless all the hero parents who have autistic children, what you do and what your children accomplish, and the beauty inside of both parents and children are amazing!
I believe that this wifi theory, does have a place, along with the teflon theories (really scary), vaccine, and all of the enviromental and allergy theories. I think all of these theories may be valid. I truly hope we can find a cure!
Helen @ Nov 21st 2007 4:12PM
Lee should be in politics
Mark @ Nov 21st 2007 4:16PM
Lee you are right in asking these questions. And Cheryl when you say:"THERE IS NO DRUG USAGE IN OUR FAMILY. For you to suggest such a thing is outrageous and unthinking. Back in the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's ... there were hardly any cases of autism" you need to wake up and smell the coffee.
robb @ Nov 21st 2007 4:24PM
Drugs don't hurt people, people hurt people....or is it not kosher to use that line 'cause its only reserved for guns??
Jim @ Nov 21st 2007 4:31PM
They studied Bush for 6yrs to come to this conclusion !
Lauren @ Nov 21st 2007 4:32PM
Lee...Leee....Lee..you stupid ignorant person. Don't post just to post, learn about a subject so you don't come across so stupidly. I have 16 year old son with autism and neither of us (parents) did drugs. If you look around a lot of parents who use drugs have a mentally disabled child but not necessarily with aautism. Please post another comment and post your email address WE family members of children & adults of autistic individuals can send you info.
Melinda @ Nov 21st 2007 4:35PM
My son stopped talking the day after he was vaccinated. Each morning he we would lay there and I would say words and he would repeat them back to me. I took him for his vacinnation and the doctor told me that he may run a fever, not feel well, etc for a few days afterwards so the next day when he seemed out of it and didn't want to repeat more words to build his vocabulary with me I just thought it was because he didn't feel well as the doctor said. But he didn't talk again after that or seem interested in paying attention. He was diagnosed with Autism a couple months later. After almost daily therapy, he said his first words again since his vacinations almost a year later. He called me mommy before the vacinnations at a year old but after them it took until he was three years, two months and five days old to say it again. No one will ever convince me that the vacinnations didn't affect my son's speech and attention abilities.
Yonny @ Nov 21st 2007 4:38PM
What a bunch of lies!! I suppose farting too much gives one rectal cancer then? These so-called experts must be smoking some good gonja...
murrdog @ Nov 21st 2007 4:41PM
stuff happens
coyote @ Nov 21st 2007 4:44PM
It's the plastic. Plastics have only been in out environment on a large scale sine the 1960's. It takes a very long time for it to break down to the levels that allow it to enter the food chain. We are now consuming plastic on a molecular level. We have no idea what this is doing to us. But there is a possibility it may be connected to the rise of autism. Remember when you toss out that plastic bag or bottle; you are going to have to eat that later.
FlyOnTheWall @ Nov 21st 2007 4:50PM
The ONLY obvious link is between the dramatic drop in IQ among AOL's writers whenever they report about something involving science or logic.
And, if the subject has headline potential, we can safely bet that we won't get all of the key facts, either.
Sure, it's REMOTELY possible that "Wi-Fi" may cause a few cases of Autism that would not have been caused by any of the other factors that have caused Autism since man started recording history. LIKELY? NO.
Most likely, people with a genetic propensity toward autism AND living in dense urban areas (more likely to have Wi-Fi) are more likely to have children diagnosed with Autism than other people living elsewhere. PERIOD. Pending some CAUSAL research, instead of just "link" statistics, that's the end of a dopey story, too.
SuperDad @ Nov 21st 2007 4:51PM
Simply NONSENSE!!
Tracy @ Nov 21st 2007 4:54PM
I, too, have not one, but TWO children with Autism. My husband, nor myself, were drug users, and we were also in our late 20's and early 30's when these children were conceived. It astounds me that ignorant people come on to boards like this and make such asinine (that means dumb ass sputterings, Lee!) comments about things they know nothing about. Do yourself a favor people and learn about Autism prior to posting about it. It's idiots like these that make families like ours continue to feel so isolated and alone. Hearing your child(ren) has/have autism is devastating enough. Trust me, we have all blamed ourselves enough over this. Why don't you offer your two cents in monetary value to the ASA for research rather than your verbal diarhhea two cents to the world? Just an idea. Think of the money we'd raise if all the idiots sent in their "offerings"!
rganuelas @ Nov 21st 2007 4:57PM
I have two autistic beautiful little boys.
They are gods gifts to see how we handle them.
Its the way their brain functions work. Their connected different from the rest. This does not make unable to learn,they just process information different. They are very bright, with letters and numbers, mine just don't have the ablility to share their thoughts the way we expect.
Don't be hard on the parents they have enough to go through. I was approached with this stone mama and stoned mama and thats not it because church people I know have autistic children.
thewalrus574 @ Nov 21st 2007 5:01PM
More junk science, put out there by the media to trick us into reading a story.
"radiofrequency waves emitted by Wi-Fi routers isolate and trap metals in brain cells"
And you got your degree from what University?
We've got so many people afraid of everything because of this kind of junk science.
Trish @ Nov 21st 2007 5:07PM
There is a lot of controversy surrounding Autism and it's cause. Our research doctor has discovered a virus (R1h2) that seems to be present in Autistic children. Children's Mental Health Focus Foundation has made progress with the research and is now helping many children with this horrible illness. Check for yourself, Google R1H2 Virus.
Dana @ Nov 21st 2007 5:09PM
I have a daughter with Autism. She is 7 now. And to me and alot of other parents out there will agree with me THE VACCINES is WHAT CAUSES AUTISM!
I do NOT want to hear that it doesn't because it does!
My daughter was totally fine until that last shot! Now take note to this...she got her shots late...so her last set of shots did not come until she was about 1 and a half.
She was totally normal until that last set of dreadfull shots!
Not even a week later or so....BOOM...she stopped talking/babbling, she started to flap her arms out of control, no eye contact, ect...
So, how does she go from totally fine to all of a sudden Autistic?
THE VACCINES!
I WILL NOT have her have NO MORE! She is now in first grade and the school board is fighting me due to she hasn't had her 'required school shots' updated!
OH WELL! And she's NOT going to have them either!
Her neurologist is backing me on this too. I refuse to let her have any more shots!
She only had the 3 sets as a baby ( 3mths, 6mths, & 9mths shots ) But like I said before...her shots were late and her shots were given to her when she was 5mths, 10mths, & 18mths.
All this hog-wash about this and that or whatever causes autism! It's BS!
The government probably KNOWS the VACCINES causes it and don't want us to know it!
The government won't even HELP WITH AID for Austistic! WHY NOT?
I applied various times for things and they said:
"Austism is not a disability"
BULL! YES IT IS! Until you have one yourself and KNOW what we go thru, then tell me!
I tell anyone I see pregnant to NOT get those shots!
How many people get measles, mumps, ect...
And they can CURE those! So why get the shots?
DON'T DO IT BECAUSE THEY DO CAUSE AUTISM!
Carol @ Nov 21st 2007 5:13PM
I suffer from electrosensitivities and am unable to work because of all the electrosmog. I also have chronic Lyme which is also a suspected link, though our leaders are trying to smother that one out, too. I personally think infection and electrosensitivities work together to cause diseases such as autism.
'The Body Electric' and 'Cross Currents' by Dr. Robert Becker - the EMF expert - also, 'Currents of Death' by Paul Brodeur and 'Cell Towers: Wireless Convenience? or Environmental Hazard?' by B. Blake Levitt - all excellent resources for parents of autistic kids or anyone who has been ill and suspects an environmental cause.
Below are two forums for those parents to get involved so we can stop this nonsense:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/emfrefugee/
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/IC-ESP/
sig @ Nov 21st 2007 5:17PM
vaccines do not cause autism. the "finding" was later retracted as the information proved faulty. for developmental reasons, autism begins to present itself around the same age as when a child is scheduled to get those "fearful" vaccinations. it doesn't mean that the vaccines cause it to occur-- it is that after the autistic child gets the vaccines they have simultaneously reached the age when the first symptoms of autuism begin to show. be discerning in your acceptance of ill-founded claims and listen first to pediatricians who, surprisingly enough to some of you out there, do not have some evil-scientist agenda to harm your children. just because there's enough ignorance in the limelight to make it seem like a viable notion doesn't mean it holds weight. the "natural" food and drug industry stands to make a killing in promoting this ignorance so that consumers will turn to their products and their ministrations as "safer" alternatives which in turn contributes greatly to the collective hype. please let's not add this to the dumbing down of america already in progress.
Kathy @ Nov 21st 2007 5:19PM
Does anyone have any statistics on children receiving vaccines vs. children that didn't? I know there are parents out there that take the risk of not getting vaccines, and with good reason. I believe vaccines play a big roll in autism, although environmental factors could play a minimum roll. My babies are grown and healthy, thank God, but if I had to do it over again, I'd be thinking twice about vaccines. Also, why is mercury in vaccines?