Living wirelessly could come with a price.

But it depends on who you ask.

With parents in Barrie arguing that Wi-Fi in elementary schools is making their children sick, it appears the jury is still out among scientists on whether electromagnetic radiation from wireless routers can harm your health.

The messy debate in the scientific community is reason enough for some parents, educators and even politicians to challenge the availability of Wi-Fi to young children in schools.

Ontario’s Education Minister Leona Dombrowsky said she’s writing federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq demanding answers for the Barrie parents, whose bid to ban Wi-Fi in their schools this fall was rejected Monday by the Simcoe County school board.

And on Tuesday, Canada’s largest teachers’ union, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, is set to vote on a proposal by Niagara Region members to lobby school boards to limit the use of wireless technologies in schools, citing possible health concerns for children.

But what exactly does the science say and are the concerns warranted?

Tony Muc, assistant professor at the University of Toronto and chief physicist at the Toronto-based Radiation Health and Safety Consulting group, insists the concerns are unwarranted.

“(Wi-Fi technology) does not come anywhere near the guidelines set for (radiation) exposure limits by various international agencies, including Health Canada. That guideline is uniformly supported by scientific consensus,” Muc said.

But Magda Havas, a Trent University professor who focuses on the biological effects of electromagnetic pollution, said numerous studies have shown how Wi-Fi can cause headaches, nausea and memory loss.

“I think we are exposing children to unnecessary levels of radiation, both in the school environment and also in the home environment,” she said, adding that Wi-Fi hot spots that blanket school space are dangerous because they require a powerful router.

Both the World Health Organization and Health Canada say that electromagnetic radiation under the specified exposure limits is safe.

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But Lakehead University isn’t taking any chances, and has for several years now been running a Wi-Fi free campus, until the science proves otherwise.

“It’s not a closed book. And if and when it comes to the point where there is some established effect (of Wi-Fi on health), you can be sure the guideline will be changed,” said Muc.