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I have to strongly agree about the scaryness of 100 W at 2.4 GHz. There is another thread also talking about WiFi jamming with a microwave oven -- door removed etc...
Folks, the mW level transmissions of "normal" 802.11b systems are generally considered pretty harmless. There MIGHT be some obscure long term effects even by such low power radiation, but personally I feel the risks are very low.
The story is completely different when the power level is in several watts, or tens...hundreds of watts. One known and well documented effect is damage to reproductive organs; radar guys make first only girls, then get no more of any kind.
The other obvious effect is heating. Some parts of human body are very heat sensitive--so far I know eyeballs are specially at risk, because they have very little cooling by blood circulation.
At several ten W and more any part of body is in great danger. I have myself burned my fingers on a 450 MHz, 15 W rig, and at 2.4 GHz the radiation is absorbed by water in tissues so much better.
I would consider <100 mW pretty safe, 1W "nearly" safe--one should practice reasonable care and avoid close exposure. Already at 3..10 W I would be extremely careful, specially with directive antennas. To use 100 W (or 1kW!) for anything would mean adoption of safety standards from radar professionals, inclusive monitoring of leakages from cables etc. Personally I would not go there at all.
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"They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-Benjamin Franklin, 1759
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