Enable Nigerians to know whether or not siting of GSM masts near residential areas, schools, health centres, churches or even police stations can be hazardous in any form whatsoever
Sadly enough, nobody has bordered to ascertain the health implications of their actions not even the State or Federal Ministry of Health.
Should the masts collapse for one reason or another, the consequences may be very disastrous.
It is unclear if health ministry (Federal or State) had made any effort whatsoever to find out whether or not the indiscriminate erection of GSM masts pose any form of danger to people’s health, especially those who work or live close to where these masts are erected. It is very unfortunate.
I am therefore calling on both the federal and state ministries of health to carry independent survey investigations with a view to coming out with results that will enable Nigerians and non-Nigerians alike to know whether or not siting of GSM masts near residential areas, schools, health centres, churches or even police stations can be hazardous in any form whatsoever.
May I equally call on the Nigerian Communications Commission to properly monitor and regulate the activities of mobile phone operators in the country as what is worth doing is worth doing well.
This call has become necessary following emerging evidence that there could be some very serious health implications, most notably an increased incidence of cancer for people working or residing in the vicinity of mobile phone base transmitter masts
Bearing this in mind, one can now understand why former president of America, Mr. Bill Clinton, 1n 1995 issued a formal memorandum stating that transmitter masts should not be sited in schools or residential areas.
In the same vein, in 2000, a special committee in the United Kingdom (UK), the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (also known as the Seeward Commission’s) issued a report on mobile phones safety issues, while follow up reports were issued in 2003, and in that same year, the expert group concluded its work and came up with its findings.
Also in 1999, an expert panel assembled by the Royal Society of Canada issued a report on mobile phones safety, regarding mobile phone base stations and the expert panel equally concluded its surveys and made public the outcome of its investigations.
It is equally on record that an Expert Panel in U.S.A. did something about the safety of mobile phone base stations as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in 2001, published a statement on mobile phone base stations and also came out with its reports.
The Health Council of the Netherlands was not left out in this very crusade as it issued a report in 2002, on the safety of mobile phones, with regards to mobile phone base stations, and as in other cases it also made public its findings.
Infact, the list of countries that have at one time or another constituted panels or commissions on the safety of mobile phone base stations is endless.
All the panels and commissions constituted by different countries of the world had one thing in common as none of them supported siting of GSM masts close to schools, police stations, churches, healthcentres and residential areas as we are experiencing here in Nigeria today.
Even if they had supported a thing like that, is it not better and safer for authorities concerned, to carry out their own survey for the fact that their climate or weather condition is quite different from what we have here in Nigeria.
In effect, what is not harmful there may be harmful here or vice versa, and this makes it imperative for both the State and Federal Ministries of Health to carry out surveys with a view to ascertaining the health implications of indiscriminate siting of GSM masts by GSM phone operators in Nigeria.
The Nigerian Communications Commission whose duty it is to regulate the activities of GSM phone operators in the country should also wake up from its slumber and live up to expectations by monitoring and regulating effectively the activities of the operators and insisting on undiluted compliance.
http://www.thetidenews.com/article.aspx?qrDate=12/07/2005&qrTitle=NCC%20and%20telecommunications%20(II)&qrColumn=OPINION
(excerpt)
Should the masts collapse for one reason or another, the consequences may be very disastrous.
It is unclear if health ministry (Federal or State) had made any effort whatsoever to find out whether or not the indiscriminate erection of GSM masts pose any form of danger to people’s health, especially those who work or live close to where these masts are erected. It is very unfortunate.
I am therefore calling on both the federal and state ministries of health to carry independent survey investigations with a view to coming out with results that will enable Nigerians and non-Nigerians alike to know whether or not siting of GSM masts near residential areas, schools, health centres, churches or even police stations can be hazardous in any form whatsoever.
May I equally call on the Nigerian Communications Commission to properly monitor and regulate the activities of mobile phone operators in the country as what is worth doing is worth doing well.
This call has become necessary following emerging evidence that there could be some very serious health implications, most notably an increased incidence of cancer for people working or residing in the vicinity of mobile phone base transmitter masts
Bearing this in mind, one can now understand why former president of America, Mr. Bill Clinton, 1n 1995 issued a formal memorandum stating that transmitter masts should not be sited in schools or residential areas.
In the same vein, in 2000, a special committee in the United Kingdom (UK), the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (also known as the Seeward Commission’s) issued a report on mobile phones safety issues, while follow up reports were issued in 2003, and in that same year, the expert group concluded its work and came up with its findings.
Also in 1999, an expert panel assembled by the Royal Society of Canada issued a report on mobile phones safety, regarding mobile phone base stations and the expert panel equally concluded its surveys and made public the outcome of its investigations.
It is equally on record that an Expert Panel in U.S.A. did something about the safety of mobile phone base stations as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in 2001, published a statement on mobile phone base stations and also came out with its reports.
The Health Council of the Netherlands was not left out in this very crusade as it issued a report in 2002, on the safety of mobile phones, with regards to mobile phone base stations, and as in other cases it also made public its findings.
Infact, the list of countries that have at one time or another constituted panels or commissions on the safety of mobile phone base stations is endless.
All the panels and commissions constituted by different countries of the world had one thing in common as none of them supported siting of GSM masts close to schools, police stations, churches, healthcentres and residential areas as we are experiencing here in Nigeria today.
Even if they had supported a thing like that, is it not better and safer for authorities concerned, to carry out their own survey for the fact that their climate or weather condition is quite different from what we have here in Nigeria.
In effect, what is not harmful there may be harmful here or vice versa, and this makes it imperative for both the State and Federal Ministries of Health to carry out surveys with a view to ascertaining the health implications of indiscriminate siting of GSM masts by GSM phone operators in Nigeria.
The Nigerian Communications Commission whose duty it is to regulate the activities of GSM phone operators in the country should also wake up from its slumber and live up to expectations by monitoring and regulating effectively the activities of the operators and insisting on undiluted compliance.
http://www.thetidenews.com/article.aspx?qrDate=12/07/2005&qrTitle=NCC%20and%20telecommunications%20(II)&qrColumn=OPINION
(excerpt)
Starmail - 7. Dez, 19:16
