1408: Telco deception in headhunter land
While there is a growing awareness over possible health hazards from wireless devices, See for example: http://www.emfacts.com/weblog/?p=1461 and http://www.emfacts.com/weblog/?p=1444 a telcom conference in Bruni, a sovereign state on the island of Borneo, has proved that its all not true!
Borneo was once best known for its practice of headhunting (not in the corporate sense) and now it looks like the Telcom industry has plans for making the place a wireless paradise. First step: Convene a scientific conference made up of carefully selected ‘experts’ to convince the natives that cell phones and all other wireless devices are completely safe. Also make sure alternative scientific voices are not invited.
Following is a news report on the conference from the Borneo Bulletin. Note what the spokesperson from ARPANSA has to say about the state of the science. Nice that the Australian taxpayers are probably paying for this total waste of money……Shame on ARPANSA for being part of it.
Don
Health hazards, other dangers of mobile phones & stations not true
By James Kon
26 may 2011
Borneo Bulletin
Copyright (c) 2011. Brunei Press Sdn Bhd.
The common public concern that Radio Frequency (RF) can harm the human body and health was disproved yesterday in a briefing entitled Public Awareness on Health and Safety from Mobile Phones and Telecommunications Towers held at the Empire Hotel and Country Club.
Tariq Hassan Alamri from the Communications and Information Technology Commission of Saudi Arabia in his presentation entitled Myths and Facts on Radiation from Mobile Phones and Base Stations stated that some facts and researches have countered such a misleading belief.
“WHO has concluded in the recent review of Health Effects from Mobile and Base Stations that exposure electromagnetic fields below limits recommended in the ICNIRP International Guideline do not in fact appear to have any known consequences on health. To this date, there has been no proof that base stations could cause health problems,” he said.
ICNIRP is the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection that was established with the principal aim of disseminating information and advice on the potential health hazards of exposure to those with an interest in the subject. AITI or the Authority of Info-Communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam is currently complying with the regulatory standards.
Tariq Hassan Alamri then highlighted the ICNIRP Review 2009, which opined that scientific literature published since the 1998 guidelines has provided no evidence of any adverse effects below the basic restrictions and therefore does not necessitate an immediate revision of the guidelines on limiting exposure to high-frequency electromagnetic fields.
On the relationship between mobile phones’ usage and brain tumours, an official from Saudi Arabia’s Communications and Information Technology Commission also pointed out another statement from the WHO.
It mentioned that to date, no adverse health effects have been established relating to the use of mobile phones and, while an increase risk of brain tumour has not been established from Interphone data, the increasing use of mobile phones and lack of data on its usage use over time periods longer than 15 years warrant further research on such risks.
On the common myth of cooking popcorn with a mobile phone, he explained that it is actually a hoax, as mobile phones are low-powered and therefore cannot produce the heat required to cook popcorn or eggs.
The common myths that mobile phones can cause explosions at petrol stations are also wrong, he added, as RF energy from them is too low to cause sparks that could ignite petrol. Could using mobile phones attract lightning? No, answered Tariq Hassan Alamri, “Because the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration advises that mobile phones, small metal items and jewellery do not attract lightning. Lightning tends to strike much taller objects.”
He later reiterated that RF fields are everywhere, both natural and manmade, whereby the RF emitted by the Earth and people as well as energy from base stations are less than the energy emitted from a full moon. A light bulb emits about the same energy as a base station and radio, while TV antennas generally emit more RF than base stations.
If the general public are still concerned about mobile phones affecting health, he advised people to use hand-free kits and load speaker options, as well as messaging instead of calling and reducing the speaking times.
Dr Lindsay Martin, Manager, the Electromagnetic Radiation Section of Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency, in his presentation on Protecting and Informing the Public said, “The public is well protected against established health effects of electromagnetic fields. International exposure standards have large safety margins and are based on sound science.”
“Typical public exposure from base stations are well below current exposure limits and modern technologies are also reducing exposures from handsets,” he added. However, he further said, “There remains a possibility of unknown health effects and significant public concerns. To reduce these concerns, the government must support and review researches, as well as responding when necessary. The government must also inform the public on the latest scientific evidence and facts.” Further information can be found on the WHO’s website .
Brian Lancaster of Alan Dick and Company also delivered a presentation on Working and Living with Radio Telecommunication Sites. He revealed numerous examples of telecommunications antennas camouflaged from sight in the form of trees or hidden on top of buildings.
Brunei Press Sdn Bhd
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