Book Review
Title: WiFi Refugee; Plight of the Modern-day Canary by Shannon Rowan
Genre: Non-Fiction, Science, Technology
Rating: 5 Stars
The introduction and opening chapter of Wifi Refugee was intensely gripping as Rowan explains what happened to her and what electromagnetic frequency (EMF) and electromagnetic radiation (EMR) is doing to us and the environment around us. Rowan despite loving to travel in her youth developing a sensitivity to EMF’s and with the rise of modern, smart technology meant she was incapable of travelling and it was during the pandemic that she realised how bad it was. Rowan explains that there is a definite correlation between modern technology and the deaths of varieties of plant and animal life. Some of the animals most effected are pollinators like bees which have been decreasing rapidly, without bees our food supply is destroyed. There are also several studies showing the negative impacts of EMF’s on plants and the human body but many companies aren’t held responsible for breaking the limits imposed on them since they are no consequences for breaking them. This creates a potentially devastating scenario where technology including 5G continues to rise and we suffer as a result or we do something about it.
Rowan goes onto explain that there is a massive proliferation of microwave radiation in our environment and this is leading to more and more people developing EHS. Something unique about microwave radiation is that it is ability to deeply penetrate the body and essentially cook us from the inside out. Microwave radiation is distinguished from other forms of radiation by the pattern of injury it produces which is recognizable from the dosimetric and scientific studies. This chronic exposure is causing an epidemic of chronic fatigue among many different populations and this is worried for people that live in highly urbanised areas but this information is being supressed at every turns. There are three main reasons for these wireless technologies being rolled out in stages, it increased profit by introducing new technologies and products, it is a way to delay safety testing indefinitely and finally it minimizes public protest to the changes in the environment. What we have to remember that we are all electrically sensitive to some degree, however most of us have been taught to ignore the symptoms.
The number of people who have EHS is staggering estimated to be 3.1% in the United States, 2.6% in Denmark, 3.2% in Sweden, 5.6% in Germany, 6-8% in Switzerland, 10% percent in Israel, and the highest percentage at 13.4% in Taiwan. Unofficially according to a new study puts the number of EHS compromised populations much higher, closer to 26% in the US, 19% in Sweden, 27% in Denmark, and 32% in Germany which represents millions of people worldwide that continue to be ignored. EHS is hardly ever mentioned in the mainstream media and many remain ignorant of the situation at hand. People with EHS essentially become refugees, having to seek out dead zones where they can exist normally without pain and suffering and yet are treating far worse than people with any other kind of sensitivity or disability. In 2016, Rowan contacted Professor Olle Johansson, famous for his work on the health effects of EMF exposure and on electro-hypersensitivity in order to find out more about her condition. Dr. Johansson had been one of those instrumental in having EHS recognized as a “functional impairment” in Sweden and by the United Nations. However, in most countries, including the US, recognize it in name only, and not in practice.
Dr. Johansson also discovered that EMFs did aversely affect human health as far back as the 1980s which started with the impact of computer-screen exposure on skin. Dr. Johansson was forced into early retirement with the excuse that his research on adverse health effects of artificial electromagnetic fields was of “no importance.” He also had to endure attempt on his life, one of which came very close to succeeding. Dr. Johansson wasn’t the only one, the former Director-General of the World Health Organization also suffers with EHS. Gro Harlem Brundtland was known for reacting adversely to cellular phones, which gave her headaches, to the point of banning them from her office at the WHO and after speaking out about it was let go for undisclosed reasons. Throughout these chapters, Rowan details her own experience with becoming a wifi refugee and how finding somewhere she and her partner, Sam could live without being in constant pain was tough. At one point they were even prepared to camp outside throughout the winter than try and live somewhere that would cause Rowan to suffer.
As we approach part two, Rowan makes it clear that people who suffer with EHS, are treated and portrayed poorly in the mainstream media. Rowan herself and other have tried taking legal action against being SMART metres being forced into their homes with little success. Rowan also details how some mainstream shows like Better Call Saul, portray EHS as a psychological issue not a physiological one which is completely inaccurate and leads to many people being persecuted in the court of public opinion, having their reputations torn to shreds. EHS isn’t the only sensitivity that has this reception, MCS or multiple chemical sensitivity means that people are more sensitive to chemicals in soaps, cleaning products and foods. Honestly, it is shocking to see that with all the various illnesses known to us especially some like autism and allergies which are on a spectrum that people with EHS and MCS are treated so poorly.
While most of the symptoms of EHS were passed off as psychological, fMRI scans found that in people with EHS they have hyper connectivity of the anterior component of the default mode in the medial orbitofrontal area, meaning their symptoms are physical and can be tracked. Rowan goes far deeper into the human elements of EHS by sharing stories of people like herself and how their lives have been ripped apart by their condition. She also discusses safe zones like Green Bank which is the home to the National Radio Quiet Zone and has become a focal point for WiFi refugees seeking asylum.
Due to the nature of Green Bank it has become a haven for EHS sufferers to relocate to and has since become the single place in the world with the highest concentration of electro-sensitive people. These stories are heart-breaking as these people have lost friends, family, employment, housing and much more. Most like Rowan are seeking somewhere they can live and thrive in peace without being in constant pain, places to escape the ever widening scope of wifi and telecommunication. This expansion of technology has been driving many EHS sufferers to suicide and the story of Bruce in Australia really drives this home. Bruce’s story is hard to read but the support he got from the community was amazing and ended up showing many more people they actually suffer with EHS and their experiences aren’t imagining things.
Rowan dives deeper into the situation around EMF as she claims that both the Spanish Flu and COVID-19 were cover up disease for the emergence of new technology and the radiation sickness they caused. In 1918, the outbreak of sicknesses was blamed it on the ‘Spanish flu’, this alleged ‘flu’ was neither Spanish nor a flu, but rather symptoms of radiation sickness that first occurred on military bases where wireless telegraphy was being used and then spread around the world on military ships that were also using wireless telegraphy. This also applies for COVID since the emergence of COVID in Wuhan lines up perfectly with mass 5G activation in the region. After looking back at the past, Rowan turns her attention to the future and what this might mean for people like her who are sensitive and for those that are not. In countries like Japan, they expect the majority of people to be living as avatars by 2050, just over 25 years away within my own lifetime which seem unbelievable but signs of this are already here we just ignore them.
The book fittingly ends with Sam, Rowan’s partner explaining everything from his perspective as someone who isn’t sensitive like Rowan is. He shows a massive amount of understanding and compassion but there is also some frustration evident. Overall, I found Wifi Refugee to be an interesting and informative read that made me question a lot of things from the recent pandemic to the amount of “smart” technology I own and use on a regular basis and what it could be doing to my physical and emotional health without me even being aware of it.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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