World-News

The Sutton Coldfield Observer are running a story today about two local young boys age 4 and 8. The boys are to be used as the faces to promote the new mobile DECT football phones throughout the UK for Geemarc. I spoke to the sales manager Jacqui MacKinnon from Geemarc today, she said she was completely unaware with regards to health concerns from using DECT phones and would appreciate any research to show the dangers, I would be most grateful if anyone could provide her with research that is currently available, she is also interested in receiving information about the German DECT phone which is now available and does not give out radiation from the base station, contact Jacqui at Jacqui@geemarc.com .

Take a look at the website http://www.geemarc.com and also read the news story about Tony Blair ‘poster boy’. I believe Geemarc’s intentions are good; however they need the research to show it might not be sensible to promote DECT phones especially to children. We need to give them the information and the chance to reconsider the poster campaign using two young boys, please help!


Prime Minister ideal ‘poster boy’ for hearing campaign


http://www.suttonobserver.co.uk

30th June 2006

MOBILE FACE OF FOOTBALL

Two football-mad Sutton Coldfield brothers are over the moon after being signed up as the faces of a national campaign to launch a new phone in time for the World Cup. Tom and Elliot White, aged eight and four, from Boldmere, have been chosen to star in the launch of Geemarc’s Football DECT phone this month.

Geemarc UK sales manager Jacqui MacKinnon said the boys, who attend Boldmere Junior School, had been selected for their big smiles and love of football.

She added: “We wanted to have fun photos which really showcase the new phone’s appeal to children and were looking for true football fans.

“When we spotted Tom and Elliot and heard they were not only big fans of Aston Villa but also England, we knew we had the right boys.”

The pictures of the boys will be used as part of a campaign to promote the phone – which is cordless and has a St George design – across the UK.


Best wishes

Eileen O’Connor
Trustee – EM Radiation Research Trust
http://www.radiationresearch.org

--------

WLAN, DECT in Schools and Kindergardens
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/1579030/

James Randerson,
science correspondent
Friday June 30, 2006
The Guardian

Using a hands-free kit while at the wheel is as dangerous as drink driving, according to a study of volunteers in a driving simulator. The researchers conclude that all mobile phone use while driving should be banned.

"Just like you put yourself and other people at risk when you drive drunk, you put yourself and others at risk when you use a cellphone and drive. The level of impairment is very similar," said the report's lead author, David Strayer, a professor of psychology at the University of Utah.

The researchers studied the driving skills of 40 volunteers who followed a virtual car in a driving simulator which was programmed to brake at random.

Each of the volunteers performed the task four times: without distractions, while using a handheld phone, while speaking on a hands-free kit and after downing enough vodka to put them just over the drink-driving limit.

As in previous studies, the researchers found that talking into the phone, whether hands-free or hand-held, impaired their driving. Drivers were 9% slower hitting the brakes, 24% more variable in the distance they kept behind the lead car and 19% slower resuming their normal speed. Their impairment was similar to that when they drove drunk.

Proposed new legislation which is passing through parliament will mean that drivers caught using a hand-held phone will receive three points on their licence. A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents welcomed the move. "We hope that will give the law new teeth," he said.

The society had wanted hands-free kits to be included from the start, he added, although he conceded that this would be difficult to enforce.

"We want people to take the law very seriously," said a spokesman for the Department for Transport. "We don't want people to lose their licence, we want them to hang up."

He said there were no plans to extend the law to cover hands-free kits, but added that users who became distracted and caused an accident risked other penalties. "Don't think you are above the law because you are using hands-free."

Another study, carried out by researchers at the University of Michigan Transport Research Institute, which involved observing 36 drivers covering more than 80,000 miles on the road, found that speaking to passengers could be as distracting as talking on a mobile. Drivers nattering to the person next to them strayed further from the centre of their lane, for example.

Although less research has been done on the effects of distracting passengers, the result goes against conventional wisdom. Researchers had assumed that passengers would be more likely to keep quiet at difficult driving moments.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,,1809550,00.html


From Andy

Saw an ad for this in today's newspaper. http://www.shoprogers.com/store/cable/InternetContent/portable.asp
I wonder what effect this will have on people. Not only will it increase the ambient readings in the home or office, but I imagine that it will put additional pollution on the wiring. I'd be interested to hear some opinions.

Milt Bowling
Clean Energy Foundation
Phone: 1 888 436 2152 or 604 436 2152 in Vancouver
Fax: 604 436 2154
http://www.cleanenergycanada.com

29 June 2006

DETERMINED residents have vowed to continue their protests against a mobile phone mast being put up near a primary school.

Phone company T-Mobile began work on the 11.7-metre-tall mast next to Aldersbrook Bowls Club in Aldersbrook Road, Wanstead, on Friday.

The building work is set to continue despite a long-running campaign by residents who say it poses a cancer risk to pupils at nearby Aldersbrook Primary School in Harpenden Road and St Gabriel's Church pre-school in Park Road.

FOR FULL STORY SEE THIS WEEK'S RECORDER

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Letters

Jun 29, 2006

I would like to inform Aldridge residents, in particular those living within the vicinity of the Lazy Hill shops, of the imminent erection of a mobile phone mast on the top of the Shimla Restaurant/chip shop, which will be in the form of yet another flag pole as already erected on top of the Cedar Tree public house.

This means that we will now have two mobile phone masts in close proximity to each other. All parties concerned have displayed a total disregard for the residents of this area, especially as most of the groundwork appears to have been carried out over a holiday period when people are away.

There has been no public consultation whatsoever in respect of either of these masts despite being a potential health hazard. They are contrary to the wishes of residents and tenants alike.

I would urge anyone who wishes to raise any objections to write to Mr Norman Hickson, Senior Planning Officer, Planning and Transportation, Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council, Civic Centre, Walsall, WS1 1TP.

Mrs S. Mellar, Walsall Wood Road, Aldridge.

© Express & Star Ltd, 1997-2006

http://www.expressandstar.com/articles/features/opinion/article_91490.php

nlnews@archant.co.uk

28 June 2006

MOBILE phone company O2 have denied bowing to people pressure after cancelling plans for a mobile phone mast near a Muswell Hill School.

The mast - which was due to go up in Woodside Avenue near St James's Primary School - was bitterly opposed by the school and by residents.

A protest, followed by a public consultation, was due to go ahead outside the Royal British Legion, in Muswell Hill Road, last week but was cancelled when the mobile phone company withdrew the application.

Nurses, teachers, children and residents were able to put their placards away - overjoyed at the news, claiming a victory for people power.

Sarah Purdy, of Muswell Hill Against the Masts, said: "This shows what can happen when large numbers of people make their objections known.

"Our supporters have been e-mailing and writing to O2 threatening to stage a massive campaign against the mast and it has deterred them.

"I would urge everyone to keep up the pressure on mobile phone companies who will continue to pick sites for masts near schools and nurseries."

But representatives from O2 claimed a better site had been found on top of the Muswell Hill telephone exchange, in Grand Avenue, and had decided to move the mast there.

A spokesman said: "We did write to residents and said we would come and see you. Nobody in the area came back to us.

"We wanted to explain what we were doing. They didn't want to know. They wanted to conduct it through the papers.

"We found a better option. We hope we will get full support from the planning authority."

Muswell Hill Against the Masts, an anti-mobile phone mast pressure group, was formed last year in response to a Vodaphone plan to site a mast on top of the old telephone exchange on Grand Avenue - near several schools.

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Published: 28th June 2006

LILY Cauldwell on her stairlift.LILY Cauldwell on her stairlift.

EXCLUSIVE

A DISABLED widow fears that a ‘forest’ of phone masts lurking metres from her Marple house will cause her vital stairlift to malfunction, leaving her stranded.

Service engineers discovered electromagnetic interference with Lily Cauldwell’s lift in 2002, just months after three telecoms antennae were erected on a Marple telephone exchange, which overlooks her house.

They managed to fix the fault, but now T-Mobile has applied for a further three transmitters at the same site, which already houses six masts and a satellite dish.

Meanwhile a leading stairlift manufacturer has admitted that phone masts could indeed cause interference with their stairlifts.

Jon Stannah, managing director of Stannah Stairlifts, said: "I know interference can happen. Some stairlift controls work through radio control frequencies. If you’re right next to something that’s sending out strong signals on similar bandwidths then you’re going to get interference. The solutions are changing the frequencies of the different devices, or putting another control method in such as hard-wired controls or infra-red controls."

Lily relies heavily on her stairlift since an horrific car accident 12 years ago, although she receives support from neighbours, carers and family.

She is so concerned about getting stranded that she changed to a lift with battery power back-up following a power cut a few years ago which left her stuck on the stairs.

Lily, 78, said: "I’m worried. I’ve got to have carers to wash and dress me and undress me and feed me. But if they put any more masts up and something else interferes with it I’ve got to pay for my care. I wouldn’t like to have to go in a home."

Neighbour and carer Stella Munday added: "Her biggest fear is that she’s going to be stuck downstairs."

The mast application met with fierce public opposition at Marple Area Committee, and was due to be discussed by planning councillors last night, following a site visit on Monday.

Speaking against the application, local residents spokeswoman Jean Grieves said there was uncertainty surrounding the long-term side effects and detrimental health aspects connected with living near electromagnetic fields.

Councillor Martin Candler added that he detected a "quite perceptible fear of the health consequences of this particular mast."

T-Mobile has certified that the equipment is designed to operate within internationally recommended frequencies and power levels.

Omega read "Base Stations, operating within strict national and international Guidelines, do not present a Health Risk?" under: http://omega.twoday.net/stories/771911/

Their agent Matthew Waugh claimed the plans were required to provide coverage to the Marple and Marple Bridge areas.

He added: "We’re complying with government guidance for site sharing." Stuart Pike

First published by the Stockport Express

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© Copyright 2006 Guardian Media Group

http://www.stockportexpress.co.uk/news/s/214/214596_phone_mast_signals_problems_for_stairlifts_disabled_widow_fears.html

A NEW mast that has been erected at Coolock Garda Station has sparked fury amongst residents living to the rear of the station. However, the Office of Public Works (OPW) is adamant that the mast meets all the necessary health and safety guidelines, as well as planning regulations.

Residents in Coolock Village live right beside the mast. It can be seen from their living room windows and towers above their homes.

They spoke exclusively to Northside People last week about their campaign to have the “monstrosity” removed.

Resident Caroline Bradley claimed that locals were not informed that the new mast, which was first installed on May 15, was being constructed.
“On that day, traffic was unable to access the cul-de-sac as a small tractor blocked an entrance,” said Ms Bradley.

“Subsequent works were also carried out on the mast two weeks later, yet we were not made aware of this either.”

Marion Swift, who has lived there for the past nine years, said that in the event of an accident, they worried that an ambulance would not have been able to enter the Close at this time.

The residents also fear for the safety of their children due to the mast's existence on their doorstep.

“We have a cub scouts' den and residential units all around with two schools 10 minutes away,” said Caroline Bradley.

The neighbours also feel the mast could pose a serious health hazard and say that the “threat of radiation and possible emissions from the mast cannot be ignored”.

Meanwhile, for Village Close residents, a number of questions remain unanswered.

Joan Black commented: “The masts are here to stay. It's a fact of life. What we want to know is the safe legal distance that a mast can be installed from our home.

“Are people that are a few miles away as affected by the small level of radiation as us, because we are faced with this constantly?”

With house prices still on the increase, Ms Black also feels that the arrival of the mast will not do them any favours.

“The value of our homes might depreciate in such a sought after residential area which benefits from close proximity to the Garda station,” she said.

Residents of the Close said they didn't understand why the existing mast had to be enlarged as the previous one that occupied the same spot was smaller and did not create any problems.

All of the residents are united in their efforts to have the mast removed and hope to enlist the help of local politicians, whom they point out, have been elected to represent them in such matters. They also vowed to extend their campaign to the wider community and are planning to organise a petition.

When contacted by Northside People for comment, a spokesman for the OPW said the Commissioners of Public Works have granted licences to three mobile phone companies to install telecommunications equipment on the mast at Coolock Garda Station.

“This is as part of the ongoing programme of licensing mobile phone operators to install equipment on Garda masts,” he said.

The spokesman said that for structural reasons, it was necessary to replace the original mast with a new mast and this was carried out in accordance with the requisite planning regulations.

“The original mast has now been removed from the site,” he said.

“Under the terms of their licence agreement, the mobile phone operators are required to install and operate all equipment in accordance with all relevant legislation, including health and safety and planning.”

http://www.dublinpeople.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1332&Itemid=49

Jun 25, 2006

Residents in Tipton are celebrating after a mobile phone giant lost an appeal to put a mast near one of the town's primary schools.

Campaigners, including Lisa Guest, of Elizabeth Walk, whose daughter goes to Wednesbury Oak Junior School, had thought they had won the battle to stop the 35ft 3G mast after it was turned down last year.

But Vodafone appealed at the eleventh hour and left residents fearing they could still face the prospect of having a mast within just a short distance from the school.

Around 1,000 people of Wednesbury Oak and Princes End fought the plans and launched a petition.

And this week they found out that the appeal had been turned down.

© Express & Star Ltd, 1997-200

http://www.expressandstar.com/articles/news/es/article_91420.php

PETER WALSH
24 June 2006 09:31

Families living on a sprawling estate look set for a fresh battle to stop a mobile phone mast being built at the heart of their community.

Telecommunications giant O2 has submitted plans for a 12.5 metre mast with enclosed antennae and ground-based equipment cabinets on highway verge on Dussindale Drive, Thorpe St Andrew.

The choice of site initially caused outrage among people living in the area as it was just yards from a plot of land at Vane Close, off Dussindale Drive, where work to build a £4m primary school has started.

The application was withdrawn by O2 in March following a successful community campaign opposing the mast, but now the company has put in a separate application for a mast on the road opposite an existing 10m mobile phone mast operated by Orange.

“It's down the road from the first one,” said a spokesman for O2. “We're getting out of the area of where people were saying they didn't want it - hopefully we're going to be out of the way of them.”

The spokesman said the mast was needed to provide adequate access and cover for mobile users in the area. But families who fought so hard to stop the mast last time are not impressed they will be faced with another battle to stop this one.

Roy Francis, 52, from Vane Close, who started a petition against the previous mast application, said he was shocked to hear more proposals had been lodged with Broadland District Council.

Mr Francis, an aircraft engineer, said he would support objectors to the mast even though it was further away from the site of the school.

“It's still a very densely populated residential area,” he said. “I wouldn't want it next to my house; it's hard to visualise 12.5 metres.”

Michelle Dickerson, a mum of two who lives on Association Way, off Dussindale Drive, said: “There's obviously a need for mobile phone masts, but I don't know why they have to be right outside our house.”

After their victory in March, Mr Francis thanked the Evening News for raising awareness about the issue among people living in the area.

The Evening News has campaigned against the installation of mobile phone masts near homes and schools, until it is proved they are safe, through our Put Masts on Hold campaign.

Are you battling a mobile phone mast application where you live? Telephone Evening News reporter Peter Walsh on (01603) 772439 or e-mail peter.walsh@archant.co.uk .

Copyright © 2006 Archant Regional. All rights reserved.

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