CARE HOME RESIDENTS REBEL OVER MOBILE PHONE MAST
The article which I have transcribed below appears in today's edition of THE SUNDAY TIMES. The Tipperary farmer who wants a mast removed from his property, mentioned toward end of the article, is John Ryan whose account of the severe bio effects he and his family have suffered is well known in Ireland and has been posted by you earlier this year:
MOBILE PHONE HEALTH COMPLAINTS
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/264613/
Simmering masts row
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/262043/
John Ryan: Phone mast wrecks my life
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/232655/
Imelda, Cork.
From THE SUNDAY TIMES, November 14, 2004. Print edition, page 10
"CARE HOME RESIDENTS REBEL OVER MOBILE PHONE MAST"
by Richard Oakley
It is a nursing home that guarantees residents a good reception, but most have decided they do not want it.
Hillview, a residential care unit for elderly people in Carlow town, is at the centre of a row over a mobile-phone base station to be installed on its premises. The equipment, put in place by Vodafone, includes antennae attached to the roof and a "control room" on the first floor. It has improved coverage for locals of Carlow, but has led to protests from some of the home's residents concerned about possible health repercussions.
"We want this base station to come down and the sooner the better," said Mary White, a Green party councillor who is representing the residents. "A nursing home is not a proper site for it. "Guidelines in Carlow state that it would be better if such infrastructure was not placed near schools, residential areas and community facilities. We think this should also include nursing homes even though they may be commercial premises."
Residents/Relatives Against Masts, a pressure group, has been set up to campaign against the base station, but last week agreed not to talk publicly pending negotiations with the home's owners.
A spokeswoman for Vodafone said the company had informed Carlow's town council that it was going to install the base station, as was required. She said it did not require planning permission and that there were no objections. The spokeswoman added that it had been in operation for a number of weeks and there were no safety concerns or health risks as it was subject to radiation regulations. "We have entered into a five-year contract and money has changed hands. We are talking with the owners, but that is all we are prepared to say at this stage," she said. She added that the people of Carlow had been "demanding better coverage" and that the base station was "one of the busiest in the country". She refused to say how much the contract was worth to the home's owners.
James O'Byrne and Catherine, his wife, who run the £600 a week home, are understood to have told residents that it would be removed and that Vodafone had agreed to this.
South Eastern Health Board said it believed the base station had been deactivated and would be removed.
Phone companies in Ireland have generally refused to remove base stations when concerns have been raised by landlords. In one case, Vodafone has sought a fee to remove one from the land of a farmer in Tipperary who is claiming adverse effects, even though the mast on his land has been shown to adhere to safe radiation levels."
MOBILE PHONE HEALTH COMPLAINTS
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/264613/
Simmering masts row
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/262043/
John Ryan: Phone mast wrecks my life
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/232655/
Imelda, Cork.
From THE SUNDAY TIMES, November 14, 2004. Print edition, page 10
"CARE HOME RESIDENTS REBEL OVER MOBILE PHONE MAST"
by Richard Oakley
It is a nursing home that guarantees residents a good reception, but most have decided they do not want it.
Hillview, a residential care unit for elderly people in Carlow town, is at the centre of a row over a mobile-phone base station to be installed on its premises. The equipment, put in place by Vodafone, includes antennae attached to the roof and a "control room" on the first floor. It has improved coverage for locals of Carlow, but has led to protests from some of the home's residents concerned about possible health repercussions.
"We want this base station to come down and the sooner the better," said Mary White, a Green party councillor who is representing the residents. "A nursing home is not a proper site for it. "Guidelines in Carlow state that it would be better if such infrastructure was not placed near schools, residential areas and community facilities. We think this should also include nursing homes even though they may be commercial premises."
Residents/Relatives Against Masts, a pressure group, has been set up to campaign against the base station, but last week agreed not to talk publicly pending negotiations with the home's owners.
A spokeswoman for Vodafone said the company had informed Carlow's town council that it was going to install the base station, as was required. She said it did not require planning permission and that there were no objections. The spokeswoman added that it had been in operation for a number of weeks and there were no safety concerns or health risks as it was subject to radiation regulations. "We have entered into a five-year contract and money has changed hands. We are talking with the owners, but that is all we are prepared to say at this stage," she said. She added that the people of Carlow had been "demanding better coverage" and that the base station was "one of the busiest in the country". She refused to say how much the contract was worth to the home's owners.
James O'Byrne and Catherine, his wife, who run the £600 a week home, are understood to have told residents that it would be removed and that Vodafone had agreed to this.
South Eastern Health Board said it believed the base station had been deactivated and would be removed.
Phone companies in Ireland have generally refused to remove base stations when concerns have been raised by landlords. In one case, Vodafone has sought a fee to remove one from the land of a farmer in Tipperary who is claiming adverse effects, even though the mast on his land has been shown to adhere to safe radiation levels."
Starmail - 14. Nov, 17:04
