No Worries from Base Station Radiation - Report

Speculation regarding health issues and mobile telecommunications base stations is ignoring a huge body of local and international health research which has found no proven link between base stations and adverse health impacts, says the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA).

Much of the recent speculation follows a decision by the Australian University, RMIT to close two floors of a building in Bourke St, Melbourne, because of concern over an occurrence of seven brain tumours amongst occupants in the past seven years.

The building has several mobile phone base station antennas on its roof, leading to speculation about a link between the base stations and the cancers.

AMTA CEO Chris Althaus said recent comments by Australia's Electrical Trades Union in Victoria suggesting that its members not enter buildings near mobile base stations were unjustified on health grounds, unwarranted and not backed by the extensive health research on this issue.

"On the basis of the most recent proven scientific evidence sourced from internationally renowned bodies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) there is no adverse health risks linked to using mobile phones or living or working near mobile phone base stations," he said.

Mr Althaus said the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) recently confirmed the safety of base stations in research conducted on 60 towers across Australia in 2005.

The researchers found that on average the exposure level was many thousands of times less than the Australian safety limit in locations where the levels where expected to be at their highest.

The researchers concluded: It is clear from this survey that RF EME exposure levels from mobile telecommunications base stations are well within the mandated exposure limits of the ARPANSA Standard for the general public in Australia ARPANSA studies have also noted that AM radio was by far the most significant contributor of radio frequency emissions, representing around 91% of emissions, whereas mobile phone base stations contributed only 1.4%."

Posted to the site on 22nd May 2006