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 2020 Health and Safety Rules for Distance Learning

The Russia Ministry of Health has set new health and safety rules banning Wi-Fi and banning smartphones for distance learning. The Guide “Hygienic standards and special requirements for the device, content and modes of operation in a digital educational environment in the field of general education” is on the website of the Institute of Child Hygiene of the Ministry of Health which states,  “The guidance is based on the results of scientific research carried out in recent years, including in the framework of multicenter studies to ensure safe digital educational technologies for the health of children under the auspices of the Departments of Medical Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences.”

The new rules for digital school and computer learning at home include the following:

  • A ban on Wi-Fi and wireless Internet connections for primary school. 
  • A ban on smartphones for purposes of education. 
  • Recommendation to use books for home study, not computers. 
  • Recommendation against locating mobile network base stations (cell towers) on school grounds.

 

The recommendations united the opinion of the Ministry of Health, the Academy of Sciences, Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection and other institutions.  

“Children should not go to school on smartphones. While over a dozen countries recommend that children’s exposure to cell phone radiation is reduced,  the US federal government is going in the opposite direction pushing wireless into schools and supporting Telecom in using under-resourced schools as testbeds for 5G in the classroom. It is time for the United States to protect our children and issue strong recommendations for distance learning as well as to provide wired (not wireless) equipment for education,”  stated Theodora Scarato, Executive Director of Environmental Health Trust. 

Cyprus has removed Wi-Fi from elementary classrooms and has a strong, ongoing, public awareness campaign educating parents, teenagers, and pregnant women. Israel and France have banned Wi-Fi in kindergarten and restricted Wi-Fi in school. 

The European Parliamentary Assembly issued Resolution 1815 which recommends reducing EMF exposure to the public and recommends, “for children in general, and particularly in schools and classrooms, give preference to wired Internet connections, and strictly regulate the use of mobile phones by school children on school premises.” 

Local governments worldwide have passed resolutions to promote wired rather than wireless internet and many individual schools have removed and/or halted the introduction of wireless systems into school buildings. 

In 2019, Oregon USA passed a bill, SB283, which directs the Oregon Health Authority to review peer-reviewed, independently funded scientific studies of health effects of exposure to microwave radiation, particularly exposure that results from use of wireless network technologies in schools, and to report to a Legislative Educational Assembly in 2021. 

In 2017, the Maryland State Children’s Environmental Health And Protection Advisory Council issued first ever state recommendations for reducing wireless exposure in schools by providing wired—rather than wireless—Internet connections.

Despite the published scientific evidence of harm placed on the record, the US FCC decided in December 2019 that there is no evidence that wireless technology is harmful and no reason to update their 24 year old, outdated, non-protective limits for wireless radiation. In February 2020, Environmental Health Trust filed historic legal action against the FCC to reverse this decision. Our legal brief will be filed July 29, 2020. 

Link to  “Hygienic standards and special requirements for the device, content and modes of operation in a digital educational environment in the field of general education”

 Link to google translated Document with the new Russia Standards (Note this has not been checked but simply is google translate version.

Science to Know

Clegg et al. “Building science and Radiofrequency Radiation: What makes smart and healthy buildings.” Building and Environment, 2019.

Pall M. “Wi-Fi is an important threat to human health.” Environmental Research, 2018.

Avendaño et al. “Use of laptop computers connected to internet through Wi-Fi decreases human sperm motility and increases sperm DNA fragmentation.” Fertility and Sterility, 2012.

More Resources on Wi-Fi

International Action on Wi-F In School 

Wi-Fi in Schools Action Resources

Your Questions on Wi-Fi in School  Answered

Classroom Educational Materials

Teacher Unions Taking Action on Wi-Fi

Checklist: How to Reduce School Wireless

Collaborative for High Performance Schools LOW EMF Criteria

List of Schools Banning Cell Phones

List of Schools Reducing Wireless

 

Worldwide Comparison RF Limits in Selected Countries

Image from Clegg 2019.

Russia Policy on EMF

Russia has an RF limit for cell towers set to 100 times lower than the US and ICNIRP becaue Russia has found effects at lower levels. The basis  of Russia’s limits are detailed in “Scientific basis for the Soviet and Russian radiofrequency standards for the general public”.

2019: Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (RNCNRP) recommends EMF hazard warning sign for wireless devices. 

2011 Resolution – “ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS FROM MOBILE PHONES: HEALTH EFFECT ON CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS”

The Russian Federation specifically advises that those under the age of 18 should not use a mobile phone at all, recommends low- emission phones; and requires the following: on-device labelling notifying users that it is a source of RF-EMF, user guide information advising that ‘‘it is a source of harmful RF-EMF exposure’’ and the inclusion of courses in schools regarding mobile phones use and RF-EMF exposure issues. “Thus, for the first time in the human history, children using mobile telecommunications along with the adult population are included into the health risk group due to the RF EMF exposure….In children, the amount of so-called stem cells is larger than in adults and the stem cells were shown to be the most sensitive to RF EMF exposure….It is reasonable to set limits on mobile telecommunications use by children and adolescents, including ban on all types of advertisement of mobile telecommunications for children.”

2008  Decision – “Children and Mobile Phones:  The Health of the Following Generations is in Danger”

Read more about Russia policy HERE. 

 

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