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Does anyone want to add their voice to this article?
http://www.lancasterukonline.net/community/issues/aerials.htm


Sarah

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Cellphone radiation "trapped" in train carriages

02 May 2002 New Scientist (Print Edition ) Ian Sample

Passengers on packed trains could unwittingly be exposed to electromagnetic fields far higher than those recommended under international guidelines. The problem? Hordes of commuters all using their mobile phones at the same time. Tsuyoshi Hondou, a physicist from Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan, who is currently working at the Curie Institute in Paris, says Japanese commuter trains are often packed with people surfing the web on their mobile phones.

The trend spurred him to find out what effect this had on the electromagnetic radiation in a train carriage.

Starting with plans of a typical train carriage acquired from a Japanese train operator, Hondou worked out the ratio of window area to structural metal for a typical carriage. He then used this to work out what proportion of the microwave radiation from the cellphones would be transmitted out of a carriage through the windows and how much would be reflected back inside. Hondou then calculated how microwaves from mobile phones distributed throughout a train carriage would add together, much like light from different lamps would increase the overall illumination in a room.

He found that when both reflection and the cumulative effect of the radio waves were taken into consideration, the resulting electromagnetic field in a train carriage could exceed the maximum exposure level recommended by the International Committee for Non-Ionising Radiation (ICNIRP). "It's possible even if the train is not crowded," Hondou told New Scientist.

Buses and elevators For a standard train carriage, with a carrying capacity of 151 people, Hondou's calculations show that it is possible to exceed ICNIRP exposure limits if 30 people, each with a mobile phone that emits radio waves at a power of 0.4 watts, all use their phones at the same time. The peak power a mobile phone is allowed to produce is two watts.

Hondou says his findings point to what could become a new environmental issue, especially as new wireless devices and laptop "connections" come onto the market. He suggests train operators should take notice. "At the moment, we have no regulation on the use of mobile phones in areas where many people are together," he says. The problem could also arise on buses and in some types of lifts (elevators), he adds.

Les Barclay, a radio engineering consultant who was part of the British government's Stewart enquiry into mobile phones and health risks, is cautious over Hondou's findings. While he concedes microwaves will bounce around inside carriages and boost field levels, the increase should be minimal, because power drops off a short distance away from each phone, he says.

But Hondou counters that the drop-off Barclay refers to is only realistic if the radio waves are not strongly reflected by the train's walls.

Journal reference: Journal of the Physical Society of Japan (vol 71, p 432)
Physics, Tohoku University E-mail: kuramoto@cmpt.phys.tohoku.ac.jp

An update:
http://www.tetrawatch.net/tetra/function.php

Interesting update, and questions:
http://www.tetrawatch.net/tetra/

the "ups and downs" of Airwave ...


Andy

Interesting report about the increase in teenage cancers. I wonder if there could be another causative link ??

Dennis Cannon

Some teen cancer tied to growth spurts
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12079112/

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Mobile phones tumour risk to young children
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/469215/

The cellular phone and children
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/1178705/

The Argus, West Sussex

by Jenny Legg

Council blunders have allowed dozens of mobile phone masts to win planning permission.

On 26 occasions councils have fallen foul of a legal loophole allowing masts to be approved because officers failed to respond to applicants in time.

A catalogue of errors uncovered through a Freedom of Information request shows councils sent decisions by second-class post, date-stamped letters incorrectly, miscalculated time periods, sent out wrong decision notices and failed to make the fact they had refused permission clear.

Gary Kemp, who lives in Brighton and campaigns against phone masts for Friends of the Earth, said: "It's an absolutely appalling record. I am 100 per cent certain that phone masts cause health problems so it makes me really angry to know masts have gone up by default.

"We have enough problems fighting masts that are granted planning permission."

Current legislation allows mobile phone companies to assume masts below 15m in height have been given planning approval if they do not hear in writing from a council within 56 days.

The council is legally obliged to write to the companies within the given time, outlining whether the mast actually needs prior approval and whether or not the council objects to its siting and appearance.

In nine of the cases involving errors the authorities intended to refuse planning permission.

Sian Meredith, a spokeswoman for campaign group Mast Sanity, said: "The figures for Sussex are just the tip of the iceberg. We deal with hundreds of these across the country.

"Planning ministers have said the current system is perfectly okay but these figures prove it is not. We think all masts should go through the proper planning process."

Brighton and Hove City Council allowed five masts to be installed because decision notices were not received on time.

Leslie Hamilton, chairman of the planning committee, said; "I know early on we did have some problems but it hasn't happened recently."

He recalled a mix-up last year over what counted as the first day of the 56-day notice period which led to the council missing the deadline by one day and permission being granted by default.

He said: "I remember there was a conscious decision made to make sure we considered these applications within the time period so companies didn't get automatic consent."

Horsham District Council admitted failing to contact phone companies 14 times although it said that each time it only intended to inform the company that approval was not needed.

A spokesman said: "All these cases relate from 1998 to 2000 and no prior approval was necessary." He said all subsequent applications in the last six years had been dealt with on time.

Arun District Council admitted that a mast was erected because a letter was sent by second class post and missed the 56-day deadline. The figures were disclosed to the BBC as part of an investigation into phone mast applications across the South.

Rachel Bridgeman, 41, of Portland Road, Hove, is a member of Together We Can Stop the Mast, which is campaigning to stop a ten-metre mast being installed by Marconi/T-Mobile in the Wish Park area.

She said: "Everyone makes mistakes but at the end of the day there should be legislation to prevent them."

She said stringent regulations should be introduced to force mobile phone companies to consult nearby schools, businesses and home owners.

John Silvester, spokesman for the Planning Officers Society, said: "It's not rocket science to work out when the period finishes. Things should not be taken to the wire."

A spokesman for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister said: "Local planning authorities have the opportunity to deal with prior approval applications in the same way as a normal planning application, so long as they act within eight weeks."

BBCi 29 March 06

A controversial mobile phone mast that was put up despite a council claiming it had rejected it could be moved.

The mast went up in Fisherman's Walk, Bournemouth, Dorset, after the borough council failed to tell Vodafone clearly enough that it refused it permission.

But now Vodafone chiefs have told campaigners that they would consider moving it to a different site.

The news comes after a BBC probe revealed council blunders allowed scores of unwanted masts to be put up.

Response 'breakthrough'

The failure by Bournemouth Borough Council to state clearly enough in a letter that it was rejecting the mast allowed Vodafone to claim it had not been told of any refusal in the given 56-day period laid down by law.

Scores of Southbourne residents have protested over the mast, which was erected on 13 February.

In a letter to campaigner Charmaine Despres, Vodafone's planning specialist Clive Snelling has now said they would consider moving the mast.

But he warned that already 16 alternative sites have been discounted from a "technical, property or planning and environmental perspective".

"In the event that a suitable alternative location, including council owned land, is identified, Vodafone would consider relocation as long as the site is technically sound, commercially feasible and is likely to receive the necessary planning permissions," he added.

Mrs Despres described the comments as a "breakthrough" and said she was confident an alternative site would be found.

On Tuesday, the BBC news website revealed that on 68 occasions across southern England councils had failed to get back to mobile phone operators within the time limit - allowing scores of masts planning permission by default.

http://www.emfacts.com/weblog/index.php?p=420

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From: Corporate Action at Friends of the Earth
enews@foe.co.uk
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2006 19:46:01 +0100

Subject: Tell Brown about UK corporate abuse

The Operating and Financial Review required big business to report on its social and environmental impacts.

Last November Gordon Brown scrapped it - he wanted to be seen as a friend to big business.

Friends of the Earth threatened to challenge his decision in the High Court and the Government agreed to a public consultation on company reporting.

This consultation represents a unique opportunity for you to tell the UK Government that UK companies should be legally required to report on their social and environmental impacts.

Email Gordon Brown and the Department of Trade and Industry now.

http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/corporates/press_for_change/email_brown/index.html


Shoppers back rules to protect British farmers

Four out of five adults want new rules put in place to protect farmers in their dealings with the big supermarkets.

http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/supermarket_code_shoppers_15032006.html

Copy of email received today. That is the second company in two weeks! The other was ATS at Crowborough, East Sussex. Every little helps and may it multiply 1000 fold!

Sandi


Hi Sandi

Thought you would like to know this good news.

Victor Paris Bathrooms, are fairly near to where Paul and I live, they had 2 masts at the rear of their premises. Paul was out walking the other night at 10.30pm, low and behold there were contractors working at the back of Victor Paris, Paul enquired and was told they were removing the mobile masts as Victor Paris no longer wanted them.

Needless to say Paul phoned me straight away to give me the good news, I said I'd email people I thought would be interested, i.e. yourself and others who were such a help to us during our campaign.

Best Wishes

From A delighted Paul and Sandra

From the desk of John O'Hanlon

Dear Geoff and any interested parties,

Despite much, much effort and time by a few who are convinced that this type of constant irradiation is harmful (I liken non-ionizing radiation to a tap dripping on your head-it won't harm you for a couple of weeks but as time goes on it will harm) there appears to be no hearing ears to the plight of the 'mast sensitive'. The main reason for this being the deceptive power of money, which it would seem holds almost everyone in it's clutches.

With the aforesaid in view then it is my belief that we are with this technology for some time yet to come; although I would seriously expect the next 18 months to be ''telling''. As 3g is rolled out nationwide we are seeing at the same pace the complete and utter overloading of the NHS system-despite having been funded up to the hilt in recent months. It won't be, however, fully accepted that these masts are harmful until it is irrefutable-as was the case with the drug thalidamide. It was considered 'safe' until the babies were being born without limbs on such a scale that questions were asked.

In conclusion, I can see why Richard Branson is gearing down his interests in virgin mobile-and if I had shares in any of these firms i too would definately sell-sell-sell! Because as soon as it is openly apparant there are problems the litigations against the phone firms will wipe them out in a matter of days. I wonder what odds William Hills Bookmakers would give now on any of the big mobile firms going bust in the next two years would be? i would hazard a guess at 2000/1.

Kind regards,

John O'Hanlon
S.R.A.M. Honorary Member

RESIDENTS are opposing plans to have hi-tech phone masts installed inside a church steeple as they fear they could be used to download porn.

Around 150 people lined the streets outside St James' Church, Kidbrooke Park Road, Greenwich, on Sunday brandishing banners and condemning religious leaders who would be "willing landlords" to the two masts.

The demonstration saw residents hand over a petition containing 250 signatures to the rector, the Reverend Kim Hitch, following his morning service.

Hutchinson 3G and Vodafone are expected to submit an application to Greenwich Council in the next few days for permission to install the masts, which could net the church up to £17,000 a year in rent.

But residents say the plans "stink" of hypocrisy because the masts are "third generation", which enables phone users to download videos from the internet.

Devout Catholic Steve Kelleher, who lives next door to the Anglican church, said: "If you can watch football on phones with 3G technology, then you can also watch porn and do online gambling.

"So why is the church, the house of God, willing to facilitate such a form of communication?"

The married father-of-five added: "I am very uncomfortable about how the church is supporting technology which can be used to download less salubrious things, shall we say."

Residents are also concerned about radiation being emitted from the high-frequency masts.

Legally, planners cannot turn down an application on health grounds as there is currently no conclusive evidence to suggest radiation from phone masts is a danger to people.

Resident Dean Beer has children whose bedrooms are 50m away from where the masts would be situated.

He says the church should put the community's health first, not the lure of a lucrative rent deal.

Mr Beer said: "The proposed 3G mast is technology aimed at a youth market which is more likely to access pornography and gambling.

"It totally disgusts us this could be going on under our church roof."

The protest on Sunday occurred seven months after residents first heard of the plans.

On September 18 last year, the St James' Church parochial council threw out the plans following widespread opposition.

But after consultations with the phone companies and an independent health adviser, Mr Hitch says he was persuaded it was safe to have the base stations installed and the church would be a "willing landlord".

Omega this is not true. See under:
http://omega.twoday.net/topics/Wissenschaft+zu+Mobilfunk/
http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=Cancer+Cluster
http://www.buergerwelle.de/body_science.html

Mr Hitch said: "The rent would certainly be useful, although it is not the be-all-and-end-all.

"It is a matter for the planning authority to decide.

"However, if it approves them then we would be willing landlords for the masts."

He dismissed calls from residents about the masts helping to facilitate the downloading of porn in God's house.

Mr Hitch said: "Any form of communication technology can be used for good or for ill."

10:54am Wednesday 22nd March 2006

By Chris Johnson

© Copyright 2001-2006 Newsquest Media Group

http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/lewgreennews/display.var.711937.0.masts_cause_unholy_row.php