The President of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO), Denis Bohane, addressing the union's Annual Congress in Cork has attacked mobile phone operators for erecting mobile phone masts near primary schools without any thought for the health and safety of the children. "There is no concern for the children who are obliged by the state to attend school or the teachers who work in them," he said.
The INTO leader said he wanted regulation enacted quickly in relation to this which would ban the situating of phone masts near schools. He also said that there was a need to have an independent agency to measure the effects of radiation from these masts. "Taking data from the companies themselves is like asking Jaws if it is safe to go back in the water," he said.
"There is strong evidence from around the world of health risks associated with exposure to electric and magnetic fields and electromagnetic radiation," he said. "Recent studies show that people within 300 meters of mobile phone base stations suffer fatigue, headaches, concentration difficulties, depression, memory loss, visual and hearing disruptions, irritability, skin problems and dizziness."
Mr Bohane told delegates to the conference in Cork that data from the World Health Organization (WHO) is being used by providers to claim that these masts are safe.
"That data is out of date," he said, "and even when it was undertaken in 2000 the health effects were not fully researched." He said exposure guidelines proposed by the WHO are based only on short-term effects. "They are not designed to protect from long-term effects. Because children's bodies are developing and research is not complete on the long term health effects we should be even more cautious in allowing masts to be erected where children spend considerable amounts of time.
"Individuals have a choice whether to use a mobile phone or not. With a phone mast near a school, children have no choice." he concluded."
Posted to the site on 11th April 2007
Posted to: www.cellular-news.com/story/23081.php