Steve says of his illness: "I feel like an exile on my own planet. It's almost impossible to find somewhere without wi-fi nowadays. If I fancy a pint I have to travel three miles to the only pub in my area that doesn't have it. I can't just go to the shops because huge parts of the High Street affect me. If I go somewhere, I can instantly sense the wi-fi and have to leg it."
The piece adds that Steve has been forced to turn down work because he can't find trains or hotels without wi-fi, and airports are off limits. His symptoms include headaches, dizziness and difficulty concentrating, Steve says, and he carries a wi-fi detector everywhere he goes. His only refuge is his detached house in Falmouth, Cornwall, with its 18in-thick walls.
Separately, Fox News is said to be working on a story about Wi-Fi allergy and is looking for people who think they have symptoms.
Wi-Fi Allergy: Improbable
While on the surface an allergy to new technology might sound almost feasible, The Telegraph responded with a debunking of the claims. Ian Douglas points out that the radiation levels we're exposed to in everyday life are significantly higher than those we'd experience from having wi-fi in the vicinity:
Wifi consists of electromagnetic waves, just like light or radio waves, with a frequency of 2.4GHz, giving it a wavelength of around 12.5cm. There is some variation but not enough of a range to make any difference. 2.4GHz is on the long end of microwave, getting close to radio, rather similar to mobile phone signals. It transmits at much lower power than a mobile phone mast, so even if those signals were harmful, Wifi would be less so.
Mr Miller makes no mention of mobile phones, he is only bothered by Wifi. If it is electromagnetic radiation in general he’s sensitive to, he’s in real trouble as radio waves and visible light flood our atmosphere every minute of every day.
To be clear: The Telegraph doesn't comment on devices that are in contact with the body - phones and laptops - but merely that being in a place with wi-fi is unlikely to be hazardous.