Finally, a well-balanced, non-alarmist article surveying what scientists know about the effects of cellular phone microwave radiation on human health: The answer is, not enough, but what we know is enough to be troubling. The studies don't show the clear-cut results in identical circumstances as routine cell phone use and aren't entirely conclusive. But taken in aggregate, there's enough smoke to worry about the fire, especially given the 10 to 20 years it takes for a brain tumor to grow large enough to become a problem.
Here's where the science gets fuzzy, though, when proponents of childrens' health point to these studies as a way to restrict Wi-Fi use. Wi-Fi is regulated at a much lower signal strength and is rarely directly next to someone's head. Because of this, Wi-Fi is substantially less powerful, and any studies that wind up proving or disproving cell signals' effects on health should similarly be able to show the threshold below which problems don't occur, which will in turn be applicable to Wi-Fi signal levels.
After reading this article and some recent studies, I don't think I'll ever spend much time with a cell phone next to my head again.
The hook on the article, by the way, isn't to frighten folks but to note that the federal government will spend $10 million to conduct research in this area. It's a large array of agencies: The methodology and direction will be set by the U.S. National Toxicology Program, a division of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health. The program will also get some guidance from the FDA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.