A 15-year-old girl took her own life after suffering from a rare case of Wi-Fi allergy that made her life a misery. The girl's mother accuses an Oxfordshire school of failing to protect students from the possible detrimental effects of wireless technology.
Jenny Fry was found hanging from a tree at Brooke Woods, close to her home in Oxfordshire, on June 11. She sent a text message to her friend that she won't be coming to school that day and planned to kill herself. The friend was not with her phone at the time.
Jenny had electro-hypersensitivity (EHS) that caused her to suffer from symptoms of tiredness, headaches and bladder problems. However, she was not officially diagnosed with the condition and no medical notes are present to prove that she suffered from this rare condition.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), EHS is characterized by a variety of non-specific symptoms that may vary from one individual to another. This usually happens when a person reacts to electromagnetic field exposure from mobile phones, Wi-Fi routers, and televisions, among others. Wi-Fi routers are one of the most common sources of electromagnetic fields that can affect a person's health.
Debra Fry, Jenny's mother, told the court that her daughter started feeling the symptoms of EHS three years ago and recalled that the closer Jenny was situated to a wireless router, the worse the symptoms got. The family decided to remove their Wi-Fi router from their home.
"Jenny was getting ill and so was I. I did some research and found how dangerous Wi-Fi could be," Debra said. They became fine after taking the Wi-Fi out of the house; however, there are areas in her school with wireless technology that made Jenny feel uncomfortable.
Debra told the court that Jenny was always in detention - not for misbehaving - but because she often left classes to do schoolwork in a room without Wi-Fi. Jenny was intelligent and serious about school work but the long-term effects of EHS made her miserable and frustrated.
"I fully believe Jenny did not intend to take her own life. I think she was frustrated with school. She had not made any suggestions she was thinking of suicide and I believe it was a cry for help," Debra added.
The couple is campaigning to take all Wi-Fi routers out of all schools.
"The symptoms are certainly real and can vary widely in their severity. Whatever its cause, EHS can be a disabling problem for the affected individual," WHO said on its website.
