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Growing resistance against 3G (UMTS) in The Netherlands

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    • 12 JUL 05
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    Growing resistance against 3G (UMTS) in The Netherlands

    From Frans van Velden:

    Growing resistance against 3G (UMTS) in The Netherlands

    The Hague – A growing amount of municipalities, organisations and citizens in The Netherlands resists the roll out of the 3G (UMTS) network for mobile telephone communications. They want clarity about the negative effects of the electromagnetic radiation on health and well-being.

    The leading newspaper ‘De Telegraaf’ writes that KPN (one of the five providers of mobile telephone services in The Netherlands) threatens to start lawsuits against municipalities. KPN warns the local authorities have to keep the rules of the ‘antenna convenant’ between government, municipalities and providers! . “We want to roll out, we have to roll out and we will roll out the 3G (UMTS) network”, says Stephen Hufton of KPN.

    ‘De Telegraaf’ of July 4, 2005, announces that the cities of Nijmegen, Apeldoorn, Haarlemmermeer, Zwolle and Lelystad have suspended all building licenses for masts of five metres and higher. According to the website www.stopumts.nl the same goes for the cities of Eindhoven, Haaksbergen, Barendrecht and Etten-Leur. Three housing corporations in Zwolle and the second largest nationwide housing corporation ‘De Alliantie’ do not accept new masts on top of their buildings.

    Procedures

    Citizens all over The Netherlands are proceeding against masts they don’t want in the neighbourhood of schools, nurseries and dwellings. In many cases the reason is concern about the negative effects of the radiofrequency radiation of 3G (UMTS) antennas on health and well-being of people. According to the government and prov! iders there is no need for this concern. The Health Council of The Net herlands says a link between the radiation and negative health effects has not been established scientifically.

    However, the Monitoring Network Health and Environment (www.mngm.nl) reports a growing flood of complaints from victims of radiofrequency radiation. Anneke Bouwman: “The complaints are not only caused by concerns. These people have serious health problems. They notice that the complaints diminish or disappear if they are in an environment with less radiofrequency radiation. Back in their homes, the complaints start again.” Many people have moved already, trying to escape the radiofrequency radiation.

    According to Bouwman many victims are suffering desperately. Probably there are many more citizens with complaints, not knowing these are related to the radiofrequency radiation of the antennas of 3G (UMTS), GSM, DECT telephones, WIFI hotspots, C2000/TETRA and other wireless communication networks. The complaints are slee! p disturbances, headaches, dizzyness, fatigue, nausea, cognitive problems, emotional flames, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, tinglings, blurry sight, loss of focus, and many more.

    Asbestos

    Etwald Goes, founder of the website www.stopumts.nl , does not agree with the Dutch Health Council. “All the epidemiologic investigations, with real living people permanently exposed to real working antennas, have found negative efects, from unwell-being to cancer. A short exposition in a laboratory is no base for conclusions – that is like sniffing asbestos and checking for cancer after thirty minutes. Enough research shows odd things happening. People have many complaints within 250 to 400 metres from a mobile phone base station.”

    The ministry of Economic Affairs has announced an Information Center for Radiation, to be established soon. It will give information to municipalities, organisations and citizens. Though the e! ffects of radiofrequency radiation are a health issue, the ministry of Public Health is not involved. A spokesman of the ministry of Economic Affairs has said, that the suffering of victims will not be recognized and the policy will not be changed. So the Information Center will not bring clarity to the concerned and suffering citizens. It will mainly support the roll out of the 3G (UMTS) network by the providers.

    July 8, 2005
    Frans van Velden

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