Mobile Learning and Health Risks - Implications for Pedagogical and Educational Practices

Wireless Systems and Health Risks - Implications for Pedagogical and Educational Practices Mikko Ahonen Researcher Department of Computer Sciences University of Tampere, Finland Mikko Ahonen – Online Educa Berlin (Based on a presentation in the Online Educa Berlin 2008, slides updated in February 2011)

Table of Contents
Background – Mobile Learning
Warnings and precautionary approach
Research question(s)
Microwave radiation and children
Wireless technologies (3G, DECT, Wi-Fi)
Pedagogical and educational practices
Future perspectives

Also: Worked at a teleoperator (TeliaSonera) and in the IT-business in the 80’s. Currently: Researcher at the University of Tampere (Power Quality, GreenIT). . Background: Research group leader – Mobile learning Tekes Digital Learning + EU IST MOBIlearn (2001-2006) Learning evaluation research (Ahonen & Syvänen, 2006) User-interface research and development (Syvänen, Beale, Sharples, Ahonen & Lonsdale, 2005).

Mobile learning – many dimensions Kukulska - Hulme and Traxler (2007 Remote/rural /development Informal, personalized, situated Mobile training/ Performance support Connected Classroom learning Miniature but portable e-learning Technology-driven Mobile learning

Interview - Australian Interphone project leader http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ03Ho8u6eA http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSL0223157720080102?rpc=63 THE PAPER: http://www.radiationresearch.org/pdfs/rncnirp_children.pdf RCNIRP Russia - Warning: Precautionary actions - Children and mobile phones :

http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=196395 Israel recommends radiation-free zones in schools

The Dilemma
Research question:
How wireless information systems can be used risk-free in public organisations like schools and libraries?
What is special in microwave radiation and children? How to minimise radiation exposure? What are those alternative pedagogical and educational practices? How to redesign information systems? (replication, off-line use, synch etc) Should there be areas without wireless network coverage?

Children are different from adults Gandhi et al . (1996) , Wiart et al . (2008), de Salles et al. (2008) “ The results show that the locally induced fields in children can be significantly higher (>3 dB) in subregions of the brain (cortex, hippocampus and hypothalamus) and the eye due to the closer proximity of the phone to these tissues. The increase is even larger for bone marrow (>10 dB) as a result of its significantly high conductivity.” (Christ et al. (2010); see also Peyman & Gabriel (2010))

Radiation - Electromagnetic Spectrum
Microwaves :
GSM
3 G (UMTS)
DECT
Wi-Fi (WLAN)
Digital-TV
@450
Tetra
Pulsed microwave radiation Huber et al , 2000  ECOLOG-study  http://www.hese-project.org/hese-uk/en/niemr/ecologsum.php Blackman et al , 1980; 1989  BioInitiative  http://www.bioinitiative.org DEMO Source: Wikipedia (2008)

"The alive human body is an electromagnetic instrument , not just a bag of chemicals. Information is transported electrically, the body chemistry is controlled by electrical signals.” - G. Hyland

How well does an artificial head emulate a human being?
SAR ( S pecific A bsorption R ate) is a measure of the amount of radio frequency energy absorbed by the body when using a mobile phone. (FCC, 2008)  Thermal effects .
SAR-measurements do not take in consi-deration biological effects like changes in blood pressure, glucose increase, abnormal cell division or calcium leakage from cell membranes .” Hyland (2000), Hänninen et al. (2007), BioInitiative (2007), Volkow et al. (2011)

Kramarenko & Tan (2003), Barth et al . (2008), Salford et al . (1994), Eliahu et al ., 2006 , Bawin et al. (1975), Hamblin & Wood ( 2002), Frey (1998), Hyland (2000), Leszczynski et al. (2002), Panagopoulos & Margaritis ( 2008 ), Arnetz et al . (2007), BioInitiative (2007), ECOLOG (2000) Non-thermal, biological effects - examples Discussed biological effect Symptom 1. Alters electrical activity in the brain.  Speed, coordination, learning difficulties 2. Affects pineal gland and melatonin production  Sleep problems, hormonal imbalance 3. Increases permeability in the blood-brain barrier.  Headache, dizziness

Cancer and tumours?
In the WHO Interphone 13-country case-control study only some studies indicate risk ( Sadetzki et al . (2008) , Lahkola et al . (2008), Hours et al . (2007) and Blettner et al . (2007 )
The Interphone final report is difficult to interpret: Increased risk, but reason unknown .
The study protocol may have design faults, Morgan (2009)
The independent research team by Dr Lennart Hardell has produced the most concerning results
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=Search&Term=%22Hardell%20L%22[Author]&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlus
Several meta-analysis show an increased risks for users who had used a mobile phone more than 10 years
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19826127,19328536,17619826,18425337

Video CBC National – What aren’t they telling us http://www.cbc.ca/thenational/indepthanalysis/wendymesley/2010/09/cellphone_safety_what_arent_they_telling_us.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xtd-y2C9lH4 http://www.disconnectbook.com/

DNA-damage Not only in the REFLEX-project, but all around the world: Ivancsits et al. (2002), Aitken et al. (2005), Baohong et al. (2005), Gursatej Gandhi (2005), Lixia et al. (2006), Baohong et al. (2007), Kim et al. (2008), Yao et al. (2008), Zhang et al. (2008), Kesari et al. (2010) ….
2.45 GHz:
Wi-Fi (WLAN)
mikroaaltouunit
DECT (USA)

Fertility problems of mobile phone users and in-the-pocket-keepers Problems with motility, bad sperm quality, DNA-damage De Iuliis et al. (2009), Baste et al. (2008), Agarwal et al. (2009), Fejes et al. (2005), Salama et al. (2010) etc

Can you make a case-control study? (Where to find unexposed subjects?) Moser (2005)

Example: Problem-Based Learning - Possible without continuous wireless connection Gather data, interpret information by using mobile devices (taking pictures, making notes, recording sound) in the off-line mode . Modify, edit and reflect findings by using a PC with an Ethernet connection) START Student identify what they need to know Apply it Learn it Problem posed

3G aka UMTS ( U niversal M obile T elephone S ystem) Research findings and related comments are conflicting (examples): ” UMTS signal had no effect on attention or reaction time” (Unterlechner et al ., 2008) "DNA-double strand breaks take place in 1/40 of the (ICNIRP) guidance level. UMTS-signal is thus 10 times more bioactive than GSM-signal.” (Adlkofer, 2008) ” UMTS inhibits DNA repair 72 hours after 1 hour exposure ” (Belyaev et al. , 2008)
3G signal is not clearly pulsed, it consists of many frequences and it is heavily modulated
1885–2200 MHz

DECT ( D igital E nhanced C ordless T elecommunications)
Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz – German Radiation Protection Bureau – recommends that the base station should not be continuosly on
http://www.bfs.de/elektro/Strahlungsarme_Dect_Schnurlostelefone.html
BMW Corporation set already in 2004 an ECO-limit of 100 uW/m2 for base stations by shielding DECT-basestations (compare: normally 10.000 uW/m2 in 2 meters distance from the docking/base station)
http://www.oedp-muenchen.de/stadtpolitik2004/20040301.html
German Doctor Appeals (Bamberg, Freiburg …) http://www.igumed.de/apell.html
http://www.mobilfunk-aerzteappell.de /
DEMO 1880–1900 MHz Pulsing at 100 Hz

Wi-Fi = WLAN ( W ireless L ocal A rea N etwork) http:// wifiinschools.org.uk , http://www.radiationresearch.org/goldsworthy_bio_weak_em_07.pdf http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1039235/Suspend-wi-fi-schools-says-union-chief-following-reports-causes-ill-health.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuNaDj6VLHw , http://tinyurl.com/WhyFi Laptop on the lap: RF-Radiation exposure to stomach, hands and eyes + low-level magnetic field. Recommendations: - Use directional antennas in the hot spot (Wi-Fi router), so that only a certain sector is covered, not the whole building. Miminise the output power. - Use Wi-Fi or other wireless connections only occasionally, most of the time use an Ethernet-cable connection. Pictures: Next-Up http://www.next-up.org/Newsoftheworld/WiFi.php#1 2400-2485 MHz Pulsing 50-500 Hz 10 Hz beacon signal

Why (Wi-Fi) laptop should not be kept in lap 1/2

Why (Wi-Fi) laptop should not be kept in lap 2/2

Technology is using the same frequencies as our brain

Thermal-based ICNIRP-guideline versus Biological, non-thermal recommended values

Bias? ICNIRP International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (saksalainen säätiö) Kunniapuheenjohtaja: Michael Repacholi (critic: http://emf2009.no , http ://tinyurl.com/eilampo ) EU SCENIHR + COST 281 International EMF Project in the WHO Before: Michael Repacholi Now: Emilie Deventer (critic:see http://www.microwavenews.com  lower right frame WHO Watch) http://www.chronicexposure.org/limitsICNIRP.html Video: http://www.nrk.no/programmer/tv/brennpunkt/1.6292981

European Parliament 2.4.2009 - No base station near schools - No marketing of mobile phones to children - Information packages of safer cell phone use Like the Green Party in France, the EU Parliament recommends BioInitiative values, 100 µW/m² indoors, 1000 µW/m² outdoors. Several French cities have adapted this. http://international-emf-alliance.org/images/pdf/SELETUN_statement.pdf http:// www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef =-//EP//TEXT+IM-PRESS+20090401IPR53233+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN&language=EN http://www.europarltv.europa.eu/yourParliament.aspx?action=view&PackageId=dc2851a5-d4d7-48b7-9769-ecc7e37e3a6b

Epidemiological studies :
Radio and TV-transmitters
Increased risk : Dolk et al. (1997a), Hocking & Gordon (2003), Ha et al. (2007), Mascarinec et al. (1994, Michelozzi et al. (2002), Morton & Phillips (1983), Park et al. (2004) [More leukemia and lymphoma]
No risk: Dolk et al. (1997b), Mersenich et al. (2008)
Mobile Phone Base Stations Increased risk: Abdel-Rassoul et al. (2007), Eger et al. (2004), Hutter et al. (2006), Gadzicka et al. (2004) Navarro et al. (2003), Santini et al. (2003), Wolf & Wolf (2004), Blettner et al . (2008), Eger & Jahn (2010) [great variety:from neurobehavioral effects to breast cancer] No risk: Meyer et al. (2006), Berg-Beckhoff et al .(2009) http://www.chronicexposure.org http://tinyurl.com/TowerEpidemiology

Replication / Synchronisation “ Replication is especially important in mobile environments, since disconnected or poorly connected machines must rely primarily on local resources. … The monetary costs of communication when mobile, combined with the lower bandwidth, higher latency, and reduced availability, effectively require that important data be stored locally on the mobile machine. (Ratner, Reiher and Popek , 2001) MIT Technology nominated Offline Web Applications as one of ten Emerging Technologies of 2008

Alternative technologies in the future? Source: Smart Lighting ERC ( http://smartlighting.bu.edu/ ), Visible Light Consortium ( http://www.vlcc.net/e/e_about.htm )

Recommendations – Mobile learning at schools
Keep distance: device away from head and body
Minimise exposure time, no base stations (incl. Wi-Fi) close to classrooms
Avoid continuous mobile data transfer, prefer synchronised, off-line services
Anytime, anyplace is not realistic. Focus on time management advantages.
Remember: pulsed radiation effects memory, concentration, cognitive abilites, growth … and learning.

Questions and comments welcome!
Mikko Ahonen
Researcher
University of Tampere
Finland
Telephone +358-3-3551 8069
E-mail mikko.ahonen [at] uta.fi
Blog http://beyondradiation.blogs.com
Info http://www.uta.fi/~mikko.ahonen/

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Mobile Learning and Health Risks - Implications for Pedagogical and Educational Practices

by Mikko Ahonen on Dec 02, 2008

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Mobile Learning and Health Risks - Implications for Pedagogical and Educational Practices — Presentation Transcript