Let’s study effects of mobile phone bases
However, as an Irish taxpayer, I would rather be out of pocket than without my good health.
I would welcome an Irish-based, non-industry driven study into the perceived ill-health effects of mobile phone base stations, and the work carried out by Dr Elizabeth Cullen and her colleagues is to be applauded.
Mr Sheehy needs to get his facts in order. Studies carried out in the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, Germany and France all concluded that base station emissions have significant health effects on people living within 300m of them.
Indeed in Sweden and the state of California, EHS is a medically recognised condition.
And it is on this point that I echo the facts put forward by Frans van Velden of The Hague (Irish Examiner letters, April 4).
If the major studies to which Mr Sheehy refers state there is no evidence of damaging effects from base stations, why then did these same studies conclude that evidence might be found in the future.
The major studies to which he refers seem to be self-contradictory.
After extensive personal research I know of no study of health effects from base stations that does not show such ill-health effects.
Perhaps Mr Sheehy is referring to statements which are intermittently released by industry and official sources that claim or suggest there is no evidence of ill-health effects from mast emissions. These are nothing more than mere statements and are completely untrue.
There are many grey areas surrounding this issue.
One in particular is that most insurance companies carry a clause in their policy conditions which indemnify and exclude them from any claims in respect of exposure to magnetic electric or electromagnetic fields or non-ionising radiation.
It would seem the insurance industry has adopted a precautionary approach to this technology.
As it is effectively still in its infancy, a precautionary approach should be adopted across the board until there is conclusive evidence either way.
Ann Coughlan
Galbally
Co Limerick
