THE RADIATION IN OUR HIGH STREETS

THE RADIATION IN OUR HIGH STREETS

Jun 14 2007

By Nicole Le Marie

MOBILE phone masts are spreading like a rash in Mole Valley. More and more people are using wireless technology, but how much radiation is all this new technology producing?

A few weeks ago Sir William Stewart, chairman of the Health Protection Agency, called for a review of the health risks of wireless technology. Although the Department of Health denies that mobile phone masts pose a risk, health fears surrounding the masts are debated time and again.

The Advertiser enlisted the help of Paul Collins and his electrosmog detector to try to ascertain the level of micro-wave radiation that Mole Valley residents are really being exposed to.

The electrosmog detector is a machine that detects the presence of microwave radiation and enables you to hear it as sound.

It reacts to all microwave sources, including cordless phones, wi-fi networks, blue-tooth, 2G, 3G and TETRA masts,and gives an audio indication to the presence of microwaves.

The stronger the field the louder the sound gets, at some points in Mole Valley the machine reached the loudest level possible, with Dorking High Street proving to be an electrosmog hot point.

Paul Collins, a married-father-of-two from Bookham, bought the machine because he believes he is ElectroSensitivie - which means he suffers symptoms such as stinging skin, tinnitus and palpitations when exposed to high levels of electrosmog.

Paul said: "It is not just about telephone masts, but wifi and mobiles add it all up and it's not a pretty picture. There are increasing concerns and scientific evidence that this radiation is causing serious health effects.

"Dorking High Street is particularly intense - from Pump Corner down to the Pippbrook offices the noise produced by the machine is as loud as a machine gun.

"You can guarantee if you went back a decade ago Dorking High Street would be completely quiet.

"The mast on the top of Dorking Post Office is firing beams to a point located somewhere else. Those beams spread out and can end up somewhere in your living room, combined with that there are all the mobiles people are using on the High Street and other technology.

"There are hot spots in Leatherhead, such as near the theatre, but not as loud as the noise the electrosmog produces in Dorking High Street, especially on the side of Sainsbury's and The White Horse Hotel.

We visited the Meadowbank children's playground, which again produced a very loud sound from the electrosmog detector.

Paul said: "Do you really want this where our children are playing? Young kids have underdeveloped immune systems and are particularly susceptible to damage.

"I have been to St Josephs and it is relatively quiet but Ashcombe School has a mast on the roof,and is very noisy in car park area where there is a nursery. "When you can't see or touch something people often find it hard to believe there is problem - look at how long it took people to believe that smoking is bad for you. But in a few years time when the results of all the studies come back, we will regret it."

But in defence a spokesman for Orange, which operates the mast on top of the Post Office, claimed: "The Orange base station in the High Street is a simple low powered radio transmitter, which is operating at around the power of a domestic light bulb."

Orange uses a licensed frequency within the electromagnetic spectrum to transmit and receive signals like any other radio powered device.

Even if this particular mast were removed, there would still be an RF reading of a similar strength as mobile phone masts are not the only source of emissions in the environments where we live and work.

In addition to this, the phone handsets themselves use the same technology, so people walking around using their mobile phones would also pick up a reading.

It is interesting to the industry that people are worried about masts but continue to use mobile phones and it seems there is a reluctance to accept that these are one and the same.

The mast in the High Street is actually operating at hundreds of times below the guidelines that have been set by the Government. It is a high performing site, so clearly there are a large number of Orange users here that use the services this mast provides.

Once you pass Pump Corner into South Street, Dorking, the electrosmog was relatively quiet as was West Street. Areas such as Box Hill are also giving quiet readings.

In the past five years Mole Valley District Council has decided on 110 applications for mobile phone masts or related items. Of these, 74 have been allowed.

Mole Valley District Council said it was concerned to learn of the Advertiser's findings.

A spokesman said: "The council has a statutory duty to consider any valid planning application that is submitted."

New masts or additional equipment on existing structures appear to be demand-led with the continuing growth in usage of mobile phones.

With regard to health issues, the Government advice states that health concerns can be a material consideration in determining applications but it is for the decision maker to determine what weight to attach to such considerations. However, it is the firm view of the Government that the planning system is not the place for determining health safeguards.

"An application is submitted with a certificate by the operator, which confirms that the emissions are within the guidelines and as a result this council cannot take the matter any further." ..SUPL: