3g hutchinson phone masts

[badly]

are mobile phone masts a health hazard? not for residential areas?

[BillyNoMates]

Yes, if you stand within 0.5 metre of one.

Joe Public is unlikely to get that close so no, I don't think they are a health hazard. Therefore, there is no reason why they should not be placed in residential areas. Apare from asthetic reasons but they can be disguised in signs (petrol stations), as lamposts and even trees.

[DavidUK]

Nobody knows yet if there are any long term health hazards from the electromagnetic radiation that surrounds us. Only time and more research will tell.

[stinchcombe]

Id say its far more dangerous to live in an area with NO mobile phone masts than areas with them.

If I collapsed or had an accident in the street Id like there to be a good mobile signal so bystanders can call an ambulance at the quickest possible opportunity.

I would certainly prefer this to no signal in built up areas because of a non-evidential notion that masts are "harmful".

[badly]

ok,ok.. the issue near us is that the mast is proposed to be sited in a residential housing estate, when it could be sited 0.5 km north in a wooded area.. surely that makes sense...given the unknowns about these masts..

[BillyNoMates]

What gets me about people who have doubts about these masts are that they probably don't realise that there is a vast array of signals around.

How, for example, do you think you receive your TV signal or radio signal ? There may be a transmitter around the corner providing you with that service and yet no doubts are raised about them.

Yes, OK mobile 'phone transmitters use slightly different frequencies, but at the end of the day I have yet to see a proven case against them.

I also think stinchcombe raises a very interesting point.

[DavidUK]

BillyNoMates: what justification have you got for saying that "people who have doubts about these masts ... probably don't realise that there is a vast array of signals around"? Are you implying that people who have these doubts are just not as bright and well informed as you?

And just because there are a lot of signals around and you haven't seen a proven case against them doesn't mean that they are safe. We haven't reached the "end of the day" yet as far as the effects of electromagnetic radiation go.

[DavidUK]

badly: you might like to see this website: http://www.powerwatch.org.uk/contents.asp

Also, I meant to add to my previous reply that there has so far been no research into the long term effects of low level background emr, so that could explain why BillyNoMates has seen no proven case either way.

[clairey-s]

theres always sheep within 0.5 meters of them... DOES NOONE CARE ABOUT THE SHEEP??