Two New Zealand parents think a school s Wi-Fi may have killed their son.Ethan Wyman, 10, died of brain cancer earlier this year after an 11-month battle.
His parents now want Wi-Fi removed from his school because they believe students there are being exposed to radiation that could lead them to suffer Ethan s fate.
Though numerous studies have found that Wi-Fi signals do not present any public health risk, Ethan s Te Horo School has sent a survey to all parents asking if the wireless internet should be removed.
A decision is expected Saturday.
Ethan s father, Damon Wyman, told New Zealand s The Dominion Post his son received the diagnosis of brain tumors three months after he was given an iPod with a Wi-Fi connection.
The parents later learned that Ethan had been falling asleep with it under his pillow.
We're not saying that caused it, but it seems like a bit of a coincidence. Most people would be very cautious about giving their 5-year-old a cellphone well, this is 30 kids in a classroom (being exposed) to the same thing, Damon Wyman told the newspaper, adding he still has two children at the school.
The controversy prompted New Zealand s Ministry of Health to restate its position that electromagnetic fields from Wi-Fi did not pose a health risk.
Scientific studies have found no definitive link between childhood cancer and exposure to electric and magnetic fields.