Another day, another study. This one comes from the Australasian Journal of Clinical Environmental Medicine and says that the signals spewing from the Wi-Fi router in your office can trap certain metals within brain cells and increase the chances your kids will develop autism.This is just the type of cheery news we need right before a holiday. Dr. George Carlo, author of the study, is known for his research on the effects that mobile phones have on people. His latest findings come from testing children with autism from 2005 to 2006. He said, "The electromagnetic radiation apparently causes the metals to be trapped in cells, slowing clearance and accelerating the onset of [autism] symptoms." He goes on to link the vast increase in the use of mobile phones and Wi-Fi to the worldwide rise in autism rates in children.

Before you panic and run home to unplug your Wi-Fi router and throw it out the window, rest assured knowing that there is a contradictory study floating around, too. Dr. Kenneth Foster from the University of Pennsylvania conducted his own research. He sampled data from 50 locations in four different countries, including the United States. He says, "In all cases the signal levels were very far below international safety limits. Health agencies such as the World Health Organization have repeatedly examined the scientific evidence and concluded that there is no convincing evidence for hazard from radio-frequency energy at levels below these international guidelines."

I guess that means it is up to us to decide which doctor and set of data to believe. Until conclusive evidence supporting or negating Dr. Carlo's claims are available, it probably wouldn't hurt to turn your Wi-Fi router off unless you are using it.