Prevention is always better

Radio signals from phone masts for the high tech third generation of mobile phone cause headaches and nausea. This was the result of a research conducted by Dutch experts for three Dutch ministries as reported both by the BBC and the CNN. On the other hand there was no negative impact from signals from current mobile networks.

Maarter Lortzer, a spokesman for the Dutch research organisation TNO, which carried out the research on behalf of the government, said that "these findings were very unexpected and it means that there are a whole lot of other questions coming up". Previous research did find an impact on cognitive functions, which was also found in the Dutch survey. There is still uncertainty whether second generation phones cause brain tumours since the results of a long-term study by the International Agency on Research on Cancer are not yet available.

At this stage it is worth referring to other surveys conducted in France and Spain on the present mobile networks. Roger Santini, who directed the French research, found out that the people living near mobile phone base stations were suffering from a series of health conditions such as nausea, loss of appetite, visual disturbances, depressive tendency, loss of memory, headaches, etc. This survey concluded that there is a correlation between the severity of the resulted health effects and the distance between these antennas and the residences of the people involved.

Furthermore Prof. Santini and his team recommended that these antennas should be installed at least 300 metres away from any residential building.

Meanwhile, Claudio Perretta, who carried out a similar health survey in Murcia (Spain), ended up having the same results.

Recently in the UK, the outcome of research into mobile phone base stations was announced. The epidemiological study addresses public concerns about possible health risks from exposure to emissions from base stations. This study has the approval of the WHO.

This reality should be an eye opener to all those who proclaim that the radiation levels emitted from these antennas are just a fraction of the so-called international standards. The Dutch, French and Spanish surveys focused only on the immediate or short-term health effects and certainly did not consider the unknown long-term effects that might become evident and accumulate by time.

In these unclear circumstances precaution is the best principle and should be applied in order to avoid any present and future health damages.

Our local authorities should take heed of these surveys' results and act now by adopting a safety measure by not allowing the siting of these antennas in residential areas, schools and other sensitive buildings. That is what some local and national governments are doing because for them prevention is better than cure.