At odds over Wi-Fi effects, former colleagues fume

Robert Porter was practically shaking with outrage when he stood in front of the Sebastopol City Council last week.

Porter, who has a doctorate in electrophysiology, couldn't believe the arguments he was hearing about the negative health effects associated with a proposal to provide free Wi-Fi in downtown Sebastopol.

"These people might genuinely believe there is evil in this stuff, but they can't provide any credible evidence," said Porter, a former SSU physics instructor. "I was fuming by the time I went up to speak."

Divisive issues can spread by strange means in a town the size of Sebastopol, and can drive wedges between longtime acquaintances.

The backstory of how the council came to reject an offer by Sonic.net to provide free wireless Internet in downtown Sebastopol is a great example.

Porter is a longtime acquaintance of the main opponents of free Wi-Fi, including the woman who successfully orchestrated the petition to derail free Wi-Fi downtown.

Sandi Maurer, who describes herself as electro sensitive, gathered more than 500 signatures and along with others convinced the City Council to overturn its earlier decision to allow free Wi-Fi.

She learned of electromagnetic fields, EMFs, in the mid-1990s from Michael Neuert, a Santa Rosa resident who has a bachelor's degree in engineering from the University of Wisconsin.

Neuert was an apprentice of Porter. They met at a Sebastopol spiritual retreat known as Summerland in the 1980s. It was a place where people meditated and convened with spirits. Maurer also attended.

In the early 1990s, Porter decided to design a gadget that would mitigate the electrical radiation produced by electric blankets. Neuert became his apprentice at that time.

Porter abandoned the project after he concluded that electromagnetic radiation in the low levels found in blankets -- and Wi-Fi -- does not cause serious health problems.

Neuert, who became interested in electric radiation from Porter, decided to continue pursuing the issue of electric radiation after the project and his apprenticeship ended.

"Robert is wrong," Neuert said. "I'm sensitive to electric radiation."

Neuert started a business testing people's homes for EMFs, and providing solutions that ranged from a couple hundred dollars to as much as $25,000.

Neuert introduced the concept of EMFs to Maurer, who says cutting back her exposure to electric radiation has improved her immune system, hair growth, memory and speech.

When Maurer learned of the plan to provide free Wi-Fi in Sebastopol, she began her crusade.

"People have very strong feelings," Maurer said. "It's really emotional for people who have electrical sensitivity."

The debate is burning on local online bulletin boards, such as www.waccobb.net, where there are comments like, "We should require proof that it is safe. 'Unlikely to be a health risk' is not enough for me. "

Dale Dougherty, publisher of Make and Craft magazines based in Sebastopol, sounded off from the other side on the O'Reilly Media blog.

"If it wasn't Wi-Fi, it would be fluoride," Dougherty wrote. "Something is needed to affix to their anxiety. I can only be glad that they weren't alive when the city decided on electrification a century ago."

One thing is for sure, the debate isn't going away. Daniel Osmer, who founded the group Science Buzz Cafe, plans to invite a panel of experts to debate both sides of the potential health effects of Wi-fi.

"I know people on both sides of the issue here," he said. "It's gotten pretty heated."

You can reach Staff Writer Nathan Halverson at 521-5494 or nathan.halverson@ pressdemocrat.com.