Wireless Access
The Halton District School Board supports the use of WiFi in its schools and administrative offices in order to provide connectivity to resources and improve communication. Wireless coverage has been provisioned for at least 60% of each building. Typically portable buildings are not equipped with wireless access but do have hard wired access.
School staff can provide access details on how to access wireless within each building.
Technology Used
Halton uses Meru 320 (both the i and non-i version) Access Points also known as base stations. (Specifications can be found at http://www.merunetworks.com/pdf/datasheets/DS_AP320i_0410_v3.pdf).
All equipment conforms to: Federal Communications Commission (FCC); Information technology equipment safety (60950-1) from Underwriters Laboratories (UL), Canadian Standards Association (CAN/CSA-C22.2) and Commission Electrotechnique Internationale (IEC).
Safety of Wireless Technology
In order to ensure safety, equipment must meet safety standards as outlined by Health Canada, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), UL (Underwriters Laboratories) or ULC (Underwriters Laboratories of Canada) and CSA (Canadian Standards Association).
We are providing credible sources of information regarding the safety of wireless technologies for students, staff and the community. To gain a greater comfort, we encourage wider reading of those references.
The following excerpt is from the World Health Organization’s 2006 fact sheet on electromagnetic fields and public health:
From all evidence accumulated so far, no adverse short- or long-term health effects have been shown to occur from the radiofrequency RF signals produced by base stations. Since wireless networks produce generally lower RF signals than base stations, no adverse health effects are expected from exposure to them.
Health Canada’s Radiofrequency Energy Guidelines (Safety Code 6) state the following:
The typical levels of RF energy that you find coming from base stations, including cell phone towers, are thousands of times below the limits for public exposure.
Also from the Health Canada Guidelines:
Based on information to date and the weight from ongoing scientific literature reviewed by Health Canada scientists, the Department is confident that Canada’s RF exposure limits remain current and valid.
Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health stated:
I think the important thing for parents and others to hear is that the conclusion, at this point in time, is that the wireless communications systems do not pose a public health risk.
References
Electromagnetic fields and public health: Base stations and wireless technologies (2006). Retrieved April 30, 2010 from World Health Organization Web site: www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs304/en
Health Canada’s Radiofrequency Energy Guidelines (Safety Code 6) (n.d.). Retrieved April 30, 2010 from Health Canada Web site: www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/pubs/radiation/wireless_safe-securit_sansfil-eng.php
Wireless Access within HDSB schools, Bruce Smith, CIO, July 2011