I was reading an article in the UK's "Independent on Sunday" newspaper a few days ago which highlighted the growing concerns over what is being termed 'electronic smog' - the increasing background radiation caused by all our mobile/cell phones and wireless internet (wi-fi) networks. Apparently our body cells are now being bombarded with levels of radiation millions of times higher than they evolved to cope with, and there are scientists now seriously suggesting that mobiles and wi-fi will become "the cigarettes of the 21st century": ie a leading cause of preventable death.

This 'smog' appears to be potentially a very serious problem: according to the article people who are particularly sensitive to the telecommunications hum all around us are becoming nauseous and suffering severe headaches - in fact a newly-installed wi-fi network at one of England's better-known private schools so affected a teacher who had worked there for over twenty years that the network was removed. It's especially worrying given that many primary schools are setting up networks and that young and developing brains are thought to be more susceptible to radiation than adult ones which could lead to cancers and early onset of senility as our children's brains are slowly fried during their most formative years.

I must admit I'd not given much thought to it before. I'll be honest right now and say that I love the convenience of wireless internet. The internet has changed everything of course, and the ease with which we can connect in homes, hotels, offices, coffee-shops etc is a modern miracle: rather flippantly I'd thought that compared with climate change, mass extinctions, and air pollution what was a little bit of extra radiation from masts and wi-fi going to do (especially living where I do, where I can log on to our own wi-fi network and only occasionally pick up a very poor signal from one of the few neighbours near us whose own house is 'wireless')?

Having said that, if the article I read is accurate then - convenient or not - the reality of our desire and ability to log-on almost anywhere may be very worrying indeed. From my own perspective reality bit a whole lot harder when I got to my 7th floor hotel room in New York last night and switched on my lap-top. Ironically I couldn't connect with the hotel's own wi-fi network which is available on the 3rd and 4th floors, but my "Network manager" pop-up screen gave me the startling option of connecting to THIRTEEN other wi-fi networks, presumably coming from the offices and buildings all around me. There was 'Rene network', "OrlaneNYC', 'Lola's Router', 'russellino', and a whole pile more. Thirteen sets of wi-fi radiation coming in through the window...pretty frightening really, especially since I'd just spent six hours at nearly 40,000' where the levels of solar radiation are far higher than at ground level...

Anyway, that was last night. This afternoon I got in from another wander round Central Park, switched on, and - no word of a lie - as I type this I am now in range of a staggering TWENTY-ONE wi-fi signals. I can't see them, I have no idea whether they're at levels high enough to cause any damage (and don't forget neither has anyone else), and I have no choice about turning them off. If those lone voices currently saying that we are marching towards rocketing levels of cancer and senility are correct - and before we dismiss them, remember that cigarettes were once sold as health products for sore throats - then there must be tens of thousands of people in New York alone who right now are sitting in an 'electronic smog' far thicker than can possibly be healthy...

It all reminds me of a haiku printed on the back of a t-shirt I often wear: