Wi-Fi Damaging Trees Worldwide, Study Says

The research on the deleterious effects of Wi-Fi radio frequency radiation (RF) on trees was conducted by Wageningen University and Research Centre in the Netherlands.

A study by Wageningen University in the Netherlands over the last five years concludes radio frequency radiation from Wi-Fi networks is harmful to trees, causing significant variations in growth, as well as bleeding and fissures in the bark.

The city of Alphen aan den Rijn ordered the study when local trees displayed a disease condition that could not be attributed to a virus or bacterial infection.

In the Netherlands, about 70 percent of all urban trees show the same symptoms, compared with only 10 percent of the trees five years ago. Trees in densely forested areas are hardly affected.

Additional testing found this particular disease condition to occur throughout the Western world in all deciduous trees.

Besides the electromagnetic fields created by cell-phone networks and wireless LANs, ultrafine particles emitted by cars and trucks may also be to blame, said the study. These particles are so small they are able to enter the organisms.

The study exposed 20 ash trees to various radiation sources for three months. Trees placed closest to the Wi-Fi radiation demonstrated a "lead-like shine" on their leaves that was caused by the dying of the upper and lower epidermis of the leaves. This would eventually result in the death of parts of the leaves. The study also found Wi-Fi radiation can inhibit the growth of corncobs.

As with all initial research, further studies are needed to replicate or confirm these results and to further determine long-term effects of wireless radiation on trees.

The World Health Organization established the International EMF (electromagnetic fields) Project in 1996. WHO asserts EMFs are influencing the environment, but not people. The WHO also seeks to determine whether there are any health consequences from the higher RF exposures from mobile phones.