Crackpot University President Bans Wi-Fi — Might Cause Cancer He Thinks

Published on February 24th, 2006

Gilbert. Next on the agenda: Chemtrails and UFOs.

University bans wi-fi over health fears – Mobile & Wireless – Breaking Business and Technology News at silicon.com — Please send your used tinfoil hats to Thunder Bay, Ontario.

The president of Lakehead University, Fred Gilbert, recently took the decision to use wired internet connections rather than wi-fi as he believes health risks associated with the technology are yet to be entirely disproved.
Studies… have shown the electromagnetic forces used in wi-fi may be carcinogenic in animals.

Gilbert reportedly said while he remains president of the university, the college will not adopt wi-fi – citing the existence of studies which have shown the electromagnetic forces used in wi-fi may be carcinogenic in animals.

27 users responded in " Crackpot University President Bans Wi-Fi — Might Cause Cancer He Thinks "

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# 1 Kent Goldings said, on February 24th, 2006 at 4:45 pm

Patsy Cline, anyone…

# 2 nick said, on February 24th, 2006 at 4:49 pm

I agree with Fred.

# 3 gquaglia said, on February 24th, 2006 at 4:50 pm

I’m sure all the pot this guy smoked in the 60′s will have no ill effects either.

# 4 Zybch said, on February 24th, 2006 at 5:24 pm

So where can I -SNED- my preloved tinfoil hats to again?

On a serious note though, does this guy use a cell phone, cordless phone or microwave? For that matter does he sometimes watch TV or sit in front of a computer monitor?

Any of these things produce far more EM radiation than WiFi can.

# 5 ~ said, on February 24th, 2006 at 5:43 pm

Clearly none of you have been to Thunder Bay. That is not the most progressive place in the universe. People seem to just beg to get out of there. I think you can see why.

# 6 Chris said, on February 24th, 2006 at 6:02 pm

Ok, that is extremely retarded. The air is full of electromagnetic waves from a ton of different sources. Not allowing WiFi isn’t going to make much difference.

# 7 Raff said, on February 24th, 2006 at 6:03 pm

I think a study should be done on it. I think its been proven certain frequencies will cause cancer. Obviously we use microwaves to heat our cold coffe or leftover pizza. People seem to think cell phones cause cancer. Has that been proven?

I think really the best question to ask would be what frequencies are dangerous given a measured distance from transmitter, with measured output in signal strength?

# 8 AB CD said, on February 24th, 2006 at 7:14 pm

Lawmakers require electric cars as auto emissions might cause global warming.

# 9 cipher said, on February 24th, 2006 at 7:39 pm

Lakehead University:
A.K.A: Last Chance U.

Great place to get an education if you want a degree in canoeing.

# 10 Proud Alien said, on February 24th, 2006 at 8:30 pm

It all may seem funny to you until you or someone close to you does get a cancer, especially the type that was mentioned: leukemia or brain tumors. It’s hypethetical, of course, but I wonder how many of the smart-asses here would be laughing after watching your kid to go through a chemo or radiology treatment, or your spouse to die in front of your eyes. Too dramatic? Maybe. Or maybe not.

# 11 Dylan Neild said, on February 24th, 2006 at 8:39 pm

K.. to be totally fair… Lakehead University is not exactly a highly rated institution and should be in no way taken as indicitive of Canadian universities.

Think of the last college you’d want your own kid to go to… now realise that that you’d be only slightly happier with them going to Lakehead.

# 12 Zybch said, on February 24th, 2006 at 9:11 pm

Aha, the spelling mistake got corrected

# 13 Ivor Biggun said, on February 24th, 2006 at 10:09 pm

NEWS FLASH: Researchers at Johns-Hopkins have discovered the cause of most cancers. It’s saliva, swallowed in small amounts over a long period of time. The researchers have applied for a multi-billion dollar follow-up grant to continue studies…

# 14 Dan Collins said, on February 25th, 2006 at 5:38 am

The cause of most cancers are ……..who cares its like the Black death of the middle ages our cross to bear in a technological world.A friend of mine blames most on a virus that works differently on people according to their genetic profile.The real problem we have is anti technology profs and administraters who have not had an original thought since the 70′s.Maybe a little bit of good weed would help.

# 15 Jead duNord said, on February 25th, 2006 at 6:01 am

It is dumbfounding that this university 1/2 of the newest MEDICAL school in Canada.

This smells worse than the paper mill in Thunder Bay.

# 16 David said, on February 25th, 2006 at 7:31 am

Hey why not ban Cell phone signals from the campus as well, I’m sure 50watts of Cell phone power is going to cause alot more cancer then a 90mw signal.

# 17 Mr. Fusion said, on February 25th, 2006 at 9:59 am

Before a new airplane can fly in the US, it must be certified . All new drugs coming on stream must pass rigorous testing. New foods (bio and genetic engineered) must be proved safe. Automobiles must pass safety standards before being sold in the US.

So why can WI-FI or cell phones be accepted as safe without any testing?

The guy might be wrong and Lakehead U. might be out in the sticks, but he is not the first person to question electromagnetic radio waves as carcenogenic.

# 18 Mike said, on February 25th, 2006 at 11:37 pm

Unfortunately, people like that aren’t called “crackpots” in the Philippines.

They’re called “authorities”.

# 19 gary said, on February 26th, 2006 at 4:14 am

There has been testing.
EMF AGAIN: CANADIAN UNIVERSITY BANS WIRELESS INTERNET ACCESS.
The President of Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario has
decided to keep the school isolated. “The jury is still out on
the impact that electromagnetic forces have on human physiology,”
he told a university meeting. How isolated can you get? WN has
followed the EMF/cancer issue for more than 20 years. It almost
died after an epidemiological study by NIH in 1997, but there are
always people who overslept. It last came up 4 years ago in
California
Check out Bob Park’s site for more info.
http://bobpark.physics.umd.edu/WN02/wn053102.html .

# 20 mbg said, on February 26th, 2006 at 8:57 am

To put some of the other comments in context, Lakehead is one of the Canadian universities that Canadians (Ontarians?) like to kick around. It’s like one of those bad jokes that is timeless to some people.

That doesn’t mean it’s a bad university (I don’t know whether it is good or not).

It’s in northern Ontario and has some programs suited to that environment (i.e forestry, geology, native studies)… so, of course, city dwellers think that’s funny because it’d be a waste of time to study forestry, and if you have to do a 16 hour drive from Toronto to get there, then you must really have not been able to get into another school. Or so the story goes…

# 21 Mr Fusion said, on February 26th, 2006 at 8:17 pm

Lakehead U. is in Canada. Fred Gilbert though, hails from Colorado.

# 22 Steve said, on February 26th, 2006 at 11:18 pm

I unplug my wireless router at night. I figure a little less going through the air won’t hurt, and it might be better.

# 23 Richard Brill said, on February 26th, 2006 at 11:23 pm

Looking at his picture you can see hes stoned on Alice b.’s brownies.
This guys on a power trip. Its all about control.
Thier is more harmful radiaton from electrical lines and TVs than thier is from Wi Fi.
In addition,
Thier are more
health risks associated with the crackpot campus food than Wi-Fi technology.
How do idiots like him rise to be president of of a University?

# 24 John Gilbert said, on March 2nd, 2006 at 4:28 pm

I’m slightly offended by negative comments directed towards lakehead, rather than being directed towards Gilbert.

I go to lakehead. Fundamentally, the university is the same as any other. Prof’s at our school have the same doctoral degrees as at other universities. They regularly publish and obtain research grants. They are actively involved in contributing to their academic fields. Per capita, our students maintain some of the highest marks on standardized tests, such as the LSAT…etc. You will rarely find a class with over 50 students. The prof’s are very approachable. At certain times, some have even had students over for christmas and ‘end-of-year’ parties. Overall, the education is good. It’s a small school with a close departamental kinship.

Bottom-line…The school provides a cheap, bare-bones education without any of the ‘bells and whistles’. Though located in a crappy town, it sits on the shore of the largest lake in the world, surrounded by billions of trees, hundreds of rivers, and countless animals. There is no where else that you can obtain a quality education in a setting like this. Look at a map. We are isolated, but that’s a good thing!

# 25 Dan said, on March 3rd, 2006 at 2:17 pm

Why trash Lakehead for Gilbert’s apparent unorthodox position? He admitted it was his “personal” decision. The campus is already extensively wired with fiber-optics and may not even need Wi-Fi for security reasons.

Gilbert wasn’t even educated in Thunder Bay. He merely works there as a university president. Why not blame Acadia and Guelph, the universities from which he obtained his undergraduate and graduate degrees? Who put these crazy ideas into his head anyway?

# 26 Dave said, on May 13th, 2007 at 7:48 pm

If the honey bees disappear totally man would be like the dinosaurs done in 5 years

# 27 NAN said, on March 29th, 2008 at 3:03 pm

Wow! That is stupid. You know what else is stupid? They say that the earth is getting warmer and it’s because we use too much oil! They call it global warming, but we all know it’s just weather! They say that McDonald’s food can make you fat, but we know that’s because some people’s genes just make them that way! They say that autism is on the rise! What a bunch of bunk! It’s just that doctors in the 1970s were too blind to diagnose it and now they can. What will these over cautious knuckleheads!!

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