Is Living Next to a WiFi Antenna a Health Risk?

[Tyatyra]

berkeman, I read a post of yours stating that "the house next door a wifi cell tower was more dangerous than the one with the antenna on top"

Would you please elaborate? Is this because of the umbrella effect? I am considering buying a home which is next door to a house that installed a wifi antenna! The owner indicated this antenna is a transmitter to other wifi antenna in a nearby town and is about 20 meters from the property for sale. The antenna is high up on a rocky area of the back yard and contains about 6 small receivers. He is a radio enthusiast! He also has a smaller wifi antenna or so it looks right next to his home! I am worried about wifi dangers and microwaves exposure.

Please let me know how dangerous is to live next door. Thank you.

 

[Tyatyra]

The house is about 20 meters from antennas. Large in the back yard on a tiny hill, smaller parallel to house for sale and next to the owner. No houses are inmeduatedly adjacent to this homeowner except the one for sale and across the rural road, there is a large community. When asked the homeowner stated the large antenna is transmitting wifi signals to another nearby antenna. My concerns are for health reasons since I am already not so well physically.

Also, what are the legal options when as I understand some members of the community objected to the installation and they were ignored by the authorities!

The property is in Puerto Rico.

Thank you so much for the insightful responses, I am not too familiar with this topic since my degree is in business administration.

Regards, Tyatyra

 

[rootone]

Microwaves are not ionizing radiation, they are not a health hazard in the same way that UV wavelengths and higher frequencies such as X-rays are.
Their wavelength is in the region between infra red and conventional radio broadcasting frequencies.
At a specific frequency (which I don't remember offhand) they cause water molecules to resonate, which is how microwave ovens work.
However I'm pretty sure that the telecoms frequencies are different to that and also they are not focused like oven microwaves are with the specific intention to boil water.
Microwaves at low intensity and outside of the water heating frequencies are no more dangerous than an ordinary radio transmitter.
If they were then things like radio controlled model aircraft would be dangerous, weather radar systems would be dangerous.

 

[Tyatyra]

Thank you much for the explanations about microwaves!

Can you provide feedback about the residential wifi antennas I am concerned about, per above?

 

[davenn]

none of those antennas look like 2.4 GHz WiFi antennas, more like amateur radio antennas
In fact the top antenna in pic 2 is pretty much identical to my 144MHz, 430MHz and 1296MHz triband antenna

a reasonably spectactular pic with the lightning in the background, the only pic I have on my work puter of my antennas

in short, as rootone said, you have nothing to worry aboutDave

 

[rootone]

If you use a cellphone, you are holding a microwave transmitter right next to your head when you use it.
Since electromagnetic field strength decreases rapidly with distance from the source, it's quite likely that when using your phone you are dosing your brain with more microwave energy than the relatively distant wifi attenna.
As far as I know mobile phones are not a known cause of physical ailments, although there are crank websites which make claims that they are based on no evidence at all.
Almost everyone has one, some people use them constantly, and they always seem to survive.

 

[Tyatyra]

Wonderful! I am so glad I asked the question! I love the house and it is 10 minutes from my childhood beach, Guajataca in Quebradillas, Puerto Rico.

God Bless You All!

 

[unplebeian]

Here is a good article on a website that adds more detail. A good read.
http://www.antenna-theory.com/tutorial/cancer/cellphone.php

 

[DaveC426913]

Wonderful! I am so glad I asked the question! I love the house and it is 10 minutes from my childhood beach, Guajataca in Quebradillas, Puerto Rico.

God Bless You All!

I was there in '92. Took Hwy 2 from San Juan to Aguadilla.

I waved at you as we passed.

 

[Tyatyra]

Thank you unplebeian for the article.

And to Dave for your '92 visit to Aguadilla! Guajataca is breathtaking!

The Guajataca Lake starts in Lares and ends at the beach in Quebradillas (thru 4 winding towns), the Tunel carved thru the solid mountain at the other side of mountain range, reminds us of the railroad that carried sugar and molasses and dreams and hopes all over the island; and the wonderful natural underground and above ground rivers and streams systems (Quebradillas means, little streams - many), that surrounds our town and meet the famous mountain range next to the beach that drops over 500 feet!

The Times published an article that stated it is one of the most spectacular sceneries in the world! Unfortunately, lack of funding for conservation and protection has always been scarce so the area is still very much undeveloped which is a blessing! The Tunel is under the protection of Historic sites and the Guajataca Beach and River should be also.

I am advocating for open space protection as a legacy to our future generations and the worlds!

 

[cosmik debris]

berkeman, I read a post of yours stating that "the house next door a wifi cell tower was more dangerous than the one with the antenna on top"

Would you please elaborate? Is this because of the umbrella effect? I am considering buying a home which is next door to a house that installed a wifi antenna! The owner indicated this antenna is a transmitter to other wifi antenna in a nearby town and is about 20 meters from the property for sale. The antenna is high up on a rocky area of the back yard and contains about 6 small receivers. He is a radio enthusiast! He also has a smaller wifi antenna or so it looks right next to his home! I am worried about wifi dangers and microwaves exposure.

Please let me know how dangerous is to live next door. Thank you.

He was probably referring to the lobes of the radiation pattern. These lobes point toward the ground around the tower and very little radiation is transmitted straight down. So yes the umbrella effect.

 

[Tyatyra]

Thank you, Cosmik Debris.