[kwlug-disc] To WIFI or not to WIFI

[Khalid Baheyeldin]

On Sat, Oct 8, 2022 at 11:15 PM Andrew Kohlsmith (mailing lists account)
via kwlug-disc <kwlug-disc at kwlug.org> wrote:

> Most will not detect alpha particles because they’re so weak that the
> plastic enclosure of the dosimeter will block them.


Good point ...

Alpha particles are stopped by a single sheet of paper, so not hard at all.
Radon emits alpha particles, so why is it problematic?
Because it is a gas, and constantly seeps from sump wells and drains, it is
inhaled in the lungs, where it decays, and causes ~ 16% of lung cancer
cases (2nd cause after tobacco smoking).


> The inexpensive semiconductor based ones are IMO more susceptible to false
> detection since the threshold for an event on a tiny MOSFET SiO2 junction
> is so much smaller than that of a breakdown event in a GM tube. Still, I
> took my unit (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003721636457.html) and
> performed your experiment; I see between 0.13 and 0.15uSv/hr with no change
> relating to the amount of wifi or cell traffic I generated. Even when
> sitting on top of my fairly powerful AP, I saw nothing above 0.16uSv/hr.
>

Thanks for repeating the experiment. That is the scientific method in
action: repeating experiments to confirm or refute previous experiments and
their conclusions.

So even dosimeters that report in uSv may not be good enough because of EMF
and such. Good to know.

Where I do see some noticeable change is if I bring it near my gas stove or
> fireplace, or when I am near a larger diesel engine exhaust. These all make
> sense though; combustion does generate ionizing radiation. The most I could
> get out of the fireplace was 0.20uSv/hr, for example.
>

Interesting ...

One other source that was in wide use is coal ash from power stations.
It had lots of radioactivity in it.
Good thing we no longer burn coal in Ontario.


> I was thoroughly disappointed when I learned that neither my marble
> countertops nor the bananas I buy emit any noticeable ionizing radiation. I
> completely forgot to take it with me on my last flight; I would have
> expected to see an increase in that due to the window seat and
> significantly reduced atmosphere between me and outer space.


There are Youtube videos of passengers doing just that, and showing an
increase in radiation as the airplane goes up.
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