Toronto Hydro's plans to roll out a city-wide Wi-Fi network has a lot of people excited about always-on, any time, anywhere broadband. It has also spawned fears about the health dangers posed by wireless technology what with all the radio waves pulsing through the atmosphere. Now Magazine, for example, ran a feature story ringing the alarm bells, while the Toronto Star had a story about how Toronto's public health department is going to meet with Toronto Hydro to learn more about Wi-Fi technology. The story comes on the heels of a decision by Fred Gilbert, the president of Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont., to stop the installation of Wi-Fi networks due to concerns about how they would affect the health of students. It's becoming an interesting and controversial debate because wireless networks - be they Wi-Fi, Wi-Max or cellular - have become part of the communications landscape. We have installed these systems all over the place with nary a thought about whether they are as dangerous as tobacco. The wireless industry will tell you there are no health risks. A good example were assurances by Toronto Hydro Telecom CEO Dave Dobbin this week that Wi-Fi poses no health risk to the general public. That said, there are plenty of people who believe the wireless industry has never proved all this technology is actually safe. These people believe we could wake up in 25 years to discover a generation of people with serious health issues caused by wireless and electromagnetic technology. Who's right, who wrong? Fred Gilbert of Dave Dobbin? At this point it is difficult to tell but there are distinct camps being created on both sides of the wireless divide. Some people protray as the cigarette industry 50 years ago when the tobacco industry sold smoking as a harmless casual activity. It may be that wireless technology doesn't pose the same kind of health risks but it would be dangerous to simply dismiss voices of dissent.