Oct 14 2005

By Sonia Sharma,
Newcastle Evening Chronicle

Jubilant families have won their battle to stop a mobile phone mast being put on top of a church.

Vodafone UK wanted to put up three antennae and a dish on the tower of Crawcrook Pentecostal Church, Kepier Chare, Crawcrook.

The tower is 11.6m high and the proposed addition would take it to 15.7m.

But more than 1,000 people signed a petition against the application and the proposal was turned down by Gateshead Council's planning and development committee on Wednesday.

Residents said the structure would not be acceptable in a residential area and may have health risks. They also felt property values of the houses nearby would be affected.

The Lindisfarne Care Home, on Kepier Chare, also lodged objections. The home has 53 people, many with Alzheimer's disease.

Today Elizabeth Squires, who lives next to the church and helped to collect signatures, said: "We are absolutely delighted. Everyone is elated the committee rejected the plan.

"There were so many people against it. We felt there could have been health risks from the mast but also that it was not suitable in a residential area. The mast would have looked dreadful. It would have been a monstrosity."

Alison Bell, 37, a sales assistant, lives directly opposite the church and the tower can be seen through her three-year-old son Luke's bedroom window. She said: "It would have been an eyesore."

But Arthur Jowett, chairman of trustees at the church, did not object. He said: "Once I was against mobile phone masts but now every person on the street has a mobile and you can see every child texting their friends."

A Vodafone spokeswoman said the antennae would have been concealed inside the tower and all equipment complies with guidelines to protect the population.

Omega read "Base Stations, operating within strict national and international Guidelines, do not present a Health Risk?" under:
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/771911/

The committee turned down the application on the grounds of visual amenity. It was felt the structure would be too dominating.

Oct 13 2005

By Neil Elkes, Birmingham Mail

MOBILE phone giant Vodafone has agreed to face-to-face talks with campaigners battling against a mast on parkland opposite their homes.

Hundreds of residents near Pype Hayes Park in Erdington are battling plans for a giant mast in Eachelhurst Road.

In a rare move Vodafone called the talks after its plan was met with more than 200 letters of objection from the local community amid health fears.

Now the Eachelhurst Mast Action Group are to join City Council planning officers in a closed meeting with Vodafone staff at The Belfry on Friday, October 14.

Group spokeswoman Lesley Mansfield said: "Vodafone are at least listening to us and are prepared to have a dialogue. Campaigners have made great strides in the last year, scientists are discovering more evidence of health affects and people are no longer willing to live with an unacceptable risk to their health."

The meeting will also be attended by Birmingham's leading campaigner Eileen O'Connor, who successfully battled a mast near her home in Wishaw, near Sutton Coldfield. It comes a week after Eileen, of the Radiation Research Trust, had top level talks with the Government solicitor general and North Warwickshire MP Mike O'Brien to discuss families' health concerns.

She presented a mass of evidence, including scientific research papers, during an hour-long talk with the minister.

The mother-of-two discussed the march of wireless technology and talked about problems with planning laws surrounding masts and raised the issue of a possible cancer cluster surrounding a mast next to Coleshill School.

She said: "I spoke about planning procedures and the urgent need to force the operators into the full planning process. I also pointed out our concern for children's health in all schools with the introduction of wireless computer networks which will expose children in every school to radiation."

Mr O'Brien told Eileen that health and planning ministers are taking these concerns seriously and are carefully monitoring the latest research.

Advice to parents of 10 year olds wanting mobiles strangely no warnings given.

In the Saturday's Telegraph, this question was put to the Parenting Cafe:

My 10-year-old daughter desperately wants a mobile phone, claiming that all her friends have one. I think 10 is too young to need a phone. Am I being old-fashioned?

JB

Here is their answer -

Karen: If the majority of your daughter's friends don't yet have a mobile phone, they soon will. Manh parents accept the move to secondary school as the point at which they can no longer resist their children's pleadings. Don't underestimate how useful you will find it to be able to text or phone your daughter.

There were no mobile phones when I was at school, but I spent hours on my home phone talking to my girlfriends. Today, children (particularly girls) have the same need to talk endlessly about things that we may judge as rubbish, but are desperately important to them.

When you decide to buy a phone for your daughter, ensure you agree with her how much you are prepared to spend on calls and texts, and how she will fund any excess charges.

Strangely enough, right next to this is a report on yobbish behaviour and not letting children have everything they plead for!

In case anyone wants to email regarding the absence of health warnings and other problems associated with kids and phones:

karenandcaroline@parentingcafe.co.uk

--------

It has been brought to my attention that you have given advice to a parent of a 10 year old child regarding whether to allow her a mobile phone.

It is amazing to me that at no point have you mentioned the official government leaflet "Mobile Phones & Health", produced by the Department of Health, as a result of Sir William Stewart's advice over five years ago. These leaflets contain information for parents of children under 16 years of age, recommending emergency use only - and then keeping calls to a minimum length of time.

These leaflets also draw attention to the fact that mobile phones are given SAR rating - in order for the purchaser to choose a "safer" model.

Sorry - this is my reply

In all of the frenzy of hard sell by the Mobile Phone Companies, these messages have been buried and the leaflets, although recommended for delivery to every house in the country, have been left languishing in back rooms of mobile phone shops. Certainly no leaflet has been seen by anyone I have spoken to in libraries, doctors surgeries, etc., which has been claimed.

I suggest that in any future advice given to parents on this subject, that you point them to this leaflet and suggest that they consider the possible serious health effects that we are probably already experiencing. Also that they are putting children at risk of bullying, "happy slapping" and even mugging - all things we are seeing more and more of in recent times.

Regards

Cllr Sylvia Wright

--------

Thank you for your thank you, Jane. I have also e-mailed the BBC this morning, as they have been discussing the very serious attack on the young girl in Sheffield and asking for comments on mobile phone bullying. The following is my contribution. They are accepting comments up to 12 pm tonight.

I will contact Russell.

Sylvia


There is widespread concern at the moment about the rapid increase in the use of mobile phones for bullying, and the recording of "happy" slapping. On BBC Breakfast I have just watched a psychiatrist and a representative from a Parenting Organisation (sorry, but the information strip giving her details was only flashed on the screen) who were giving advice on dealing with this trend.

The psychiatrist briefly mentioned that young people may become depressed if they were bullied and this could then lead to suicide in extreme cases.

The lady from the Parenting Organisation intimated that parents of children who were bullied wanted information on the technology - something they very often knew nothing about - and they were then able to discuss the problem with the child with more confidence.

In all of this absolutely no mention was made of the fact that a leaflet was produced by the DofH, following expert advice to the Government by Sir William Stewart five years ago and reiterated this January, that children under 16 years of age should not use mobile phones for anything other than emergency - and then calls should be kept to a minimum. This leaflet also contains information on the SAR rates on mobile phones - to enable the parent to make an informed choice.

In the marketing frenzy of the mobile phone operators, our children are being exploited and this is being compounded by the fact that press/media do not give a clear message on this. We are ignoring the warnings from many eminent scientists and researchers from around the world who have listed aggression and depression as two of the likely effects of regular mobile phone use by children.

In addition to the mobile phone use, our children are now being exposed within schools by the widespread use of wireless local area networking in the classroom environment. Powerwatch have given a warning on this practice and have recommended that schools take the safer option of alternative networking.

We are hearing more and more of extreme behaviour in our children, but more worrying is the fact that there are more dire warnings - regarding the long term health of our children. Studies have taken place on whether mobile phone use can cause serious health effects - examining the studies to date there is a strong likelihood that it does - but we have allowed the Industry propaganda to push to the fore. We need to give out the message loud and clear - whenever mobile phone use and children are discussed, for whatever reason - that the practice should be avoided if at all possible. Parents should be shown the flip side of the coin - at the moment they have been brainwashed into believing their children are safer for having a phone. We are now seeing that the opposite is true.

Take the lead on this BBC! If this were exploitation of children from any other source you would proudly be the first to blow the whistle.

Cllr Sylvia Wright

--------

I just found the attached study, out of a German university (i'ts in English) about current usage patterns of children and what potential health conclusions might be drawn. Could be really interesting!

http://www.buergerwelle.de/pdf/schuz.pdf

More on children can be found here as well
http://www.acnem.org/articles/children_mobile_phone_use-maisch.htm


Sarah P

--------

Mobile phone use and exposures in children
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/1004419/

Children and Mobile Phones… Is There a Health Risk?
http://www.acnem.org/journal/22-2_august_2003/children_and_mobile_phones.htm

Children & Mobile Phone Use: Is there a risk?
http://www.acnem.org/articles/children_mobile_phone_use-maisch.htm
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/1337433/

Cell Phones & Children: Hazardous Mix?
http://freepage.twoday.net/stories/2662815/

Teddy bear mobile ‘puts 4-year-olds at risk from radiation’
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/1204405/

5.5 million mobile phones are owned by children in Britain
http://freepage.twoday.net/stories/1601859/

Child warning over mobile phones
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4163003.stm

Children and Mobile Phones: Caution Is Warranted
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/4579358/

Get off that mobile, expert tells children
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1431415,00.html

Children's use of Mobile Phones needed urgent Attention
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/349736/

The cellular telephone and children
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/1178705/

Ban mobiles in schools
http://freepage.twoday.net/stories/2919136/

TEACHERS have been ordered to ban their pupils from using their mobile phones amid rising safety fears
http://freepage.twoday.net/stories/2903032/

WLAN, DECT in Schools and Kindergardens
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/1579030/

Hide Cellular Phones From Children
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/1178177/

France warns against excessive mobile phone use
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/4580961/



http://www.google.de/search?hl=de&q=Children+and+mobile+phones%2C+omega&btnG=Suche&meta=

To: Nigel Davies, Assisitant Director (Street Services) LB Bromley.

Dear Nigel Davies

I have had sight of your Report ELS 05289 regarding dual use lamp columns.

I have some serious queries and comments to raise on the contents of this document.

(a) you repeatedly cite Hutchinson, 3 and T-Mobile as examples.

- who are Hutchinson? If this is a repeated typo for Hutchison, then:

- "3" is the business name of Hutchison Telecom (i.e. same company) This confusion needs clarifying. Are there just two companies?

(b) You write "There would be concerns to any operatives carrying out maintenance on the lamp column working directly against the transmitter however the transmitters can be powered down during a designated period and therefore causing no additional health and safety concerns to our designated street lighting contractor."

This can not be correct. Even if the Mobile Phone Operator claimed to have remotely powered down a particular transmitter for a particular time period, this would need to be verified on site by the lamp-post by the person needing access. To meet HSE requirements for workers that might be exposed to RF sources that could exceed ICNIRP public exposure guidelines, their operatives will require pocket microwave safety monitors/alarms (cost over 1000GBP each and require regular charging and/or battery changes), training in how to use them, and ideally downloading of data-logged exposure dtae from the monitors to check that their operatives were not exposed to levels above ICNIRP. There is also a whole complex debate about whether such workers would fall under the occupational or general public ICNIRP exposure guidelines. To meet the occupational requirements they would require extra
(and formal) RF/microwave training and understanding that would need to be regularly checked and updated/refreshed.

So, I would say that the Contractor would require a significant extra payment from the Council in order to cover the extra costs and responsibilities. Their workers would also have to be insured against damage caused (e.g. to eyes) by possible over-exposure to microwave radiation.

(c) I am also very concerned about interactive/moving/lit advertising boards by roadsides. There is one at Catford at a busy junction on the one-way system at Plassey Road, Brownhill Rd, Rushey Green. It is on the North side of Bromley Road opposite where Plassey Road joins and on a dark wet night I find it extremely distracting to my driving. What official studies have been carried out regarding Road Traffic Accidents near such signs? I would be grateful if you could send me details as to where and how I can obtain copies.

Finally, I would be grateful if you could bring the contents of this email to the attention of the members of the Environment Policy Development & Scrutiny, the Environment Portfolio Holder and the Direct of Environment and Leisure Services.


Regards

Alasdair Philips
Technical Director of Powerwatch
http://www.powerwatch.org.uk

http://www.mastsanity.org
Advice Line 08704 322 377
Press Office 01962 864 388
Registered UK charity, no. 1109757

Highfields, Brantham Hill, Manningtree, Essex CO11 1SD

Mast Sanity Press Release: 11 OCTOBER 2005
(For immediate release)

IS THE COUNCIL TAX PAYER SUBSIDISING MOBILE PHONE MULTINATIONALS?

PENSIONERS ARE BEING JAILED FOR NON-PAYMENT OF COUNCIL TAX WHILE MOBILE PHONE COMPANIES USE LEGAL SYSTEM TO TRY TO AVOID RATES.

Mast Sanity is urging a full investigation into whether mobile phone companies who erect masts on both public and private property and land are meeting all their obligations in paying business rates, following a Court of Appeal ruling last year.

Lord Justices Auld, Thomas and Jacob ruled in the Supreme Court of Judicature Court of Appeal (Civil Division) on appeal in February 2004 that the mobile phone operators are commercial companies and must therefore declare and pay business rates on mobile phone masts.

In the light of the ruling, Mast Sanity believes that not only should business rates be paid but also paid at the correct level. This also means that business rates are payable not only on phone masts on highways land but on all masts including those on Government buildings and in parks. This would also include schools, blocks of private flats, churches and sports stadia. The relevant parts of such premises should be reclassified as business use and full business rates would then be payable.

Mast Sanity has been in touch with a number of local authorities about this court judgment. Some authorities are now investigating whether all the money owed is being collected and whether the District Valuer is satisfied that mobile phone companies are meeting all of their business rates obligations.

"The mobile phone companies are presently going through the European Court claiming VAT back on the 3g licence fees they paid, yet may be keeping very quiet about the significant sums of money they could owe in business rates," says Mast Sanity Trustee Yasmin Skelt.

"Mast Sanity believes there are a number of ‘hidden’ masts of which local authorities have no record, that should be subject to business rates. The fact that no proper records and databases have ever been maintained on phone masts, and many masts have slipped through planning loopholes, means that avoidance of business rates by these multinationals could run into millions. A number of hard working small businesses have been struggling to survive because of increases in business rates imposed on them, yet these multinationals could be avoiding business rates. Pensioners are facing the same increases in council tax and are being jailed because they are unable to pay the huge taxes imposed on them."

Mast Sanity also believes that the case also raises the question of whether these companies should be paying rent on highways and public land land in line with the rents they pay to private landowners.

"The Government should be looking at local authority accounts as a matter of urgency," says Mast Sanity Communications Director Karen Barratt. "Phone masts on highway verges are often close to houses and schools. The companies choose these sites because they are a cheap and easy option. If they are forced to pay rent in addition to the business rates they should be paying they might start looking for more appropriate sites."

Mast Sanity believes this matter should be properly scrutinized and clarified by parliament and it should be established if these commercial companies should be paying rent on public land that they are using to increase their profits. If it transpires that they are not legally obliged to pay commercial rent for use of public land to pursue their business interests then the Government should immediately take steps to change the law so that they do have to pay commercial rent in the same way as other businesses. Mast Sanity questions the basis of why free use of public land should be allowed for commercial purposes since this does not seem to be in the public interest. In effect, it means that ordinary people are subsidizing mobile phone masts through their council taxes.

ENDS

Notes for editors The formal title of the relevant case is:
Orange PCS v Bradford (Valuation Officer) [2004] EWCA Civ 155 (17 February 2004) and the Full text of the Judgement is available from: http://www.bailii.org/cgi-bin/markup.cgi?doc=/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2004/155.html

PRESS RELEASE

Eileen O'Connor well known campaigner for the responsible siting of mobile phone masts and a trustee of RRT (Radiation Research Trust) is meeting at Westminster on Wednesday 12th October with a team of representatives from VODAFONE including Dr Rob Matthews at a closed meeting. They will discuss the recent news that people suffering from Electrosensitivity caused by EMF's from mobile phone masts is now being generally accepted. Attendees at this meeting include Andrew Mitchell MP for Sutton Coldfield, Eileen who will be representing a lady who is suffering extreme electrosensitive symptoms, and fellow trustees of RRT. Two members of the Scientific and Technology Committee will also be attending, Dr Ian Gibson MP and Mr Phil Willis MP.

VODAFONE have also agreed to a closed meeting to be held on Friday 14th October at The Belfry Hotel, Sutton Coldfield from 10.00.am. to 12.00.a.m. between 6 stakeholders including residents of Eachelhurst Road, Walmley, Sutton Coldfield, and Vodafone representatives again including Dr Rob Matthews, and a representative from Birmingham City Council Planning Department. This meeting is in response to over 200 objections to a planning application from Vodafone for a mast to be sited close to residential homes and a nature reserve, in spite of the fact that Birmingham City Council turned down a similar application three years ago by another company. Feelings were running so high regarding this application that an action group was formed called EMAG (Eachelhurst Mast Action Group), and a plan of action was formed. This has resulted in VODAFONE agreeing to the closed meeting. It is hoped Vodafone will reconsider the site after reviewing all evidence EMAG will present. Eileen O'Connor has kindly agreed to attend this meeting and will be presenting evidence of her own.

IT IS APPRECIATED THAT VODAFONE ARE AT LEAST LISTENING TO US AND ARE PREPARED TO HAVE A DIALOGUE. CAMPAIGNERS HAVE MADE GREAT STRIDES IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS, SCIENTISTS ARE DISCOVERING MORE EVIDENCE OF HEALTH EFFECTS ACROSS THE WORLD, AND PEOPLE EVERYWHERE ARE NO LONGER PREPARED TO LIVE WITH AN UNACCEPTABLE KNOWN RISK TO THEIR HEALTH.


Best Regards

Lesley Mansfield
Secretary - EMAG & SCRAM

Monday 10 October 2005

Bolton evening news

A BATTLE over a mobile phone mast erected on land protected by a historic covenant is to be resolved once and for all.

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott is to consider an appeal by the telecommunications firm Hutchinson 3G after Bolton Council ordered them to remove the mast erected earlier this year at Holland's Nurseries in Darwen Road, Bromley Cross.

The covenant stated that nothing should be built on the land - and that it should be used only for agricultural purposes.

Councillors had rejected the application on planning grounds, but that decision was later overturned on appeal by a government inspector.

Bolton Council then ordered the mast to be taken down after deciding that the terms of a covenant should remain in place.

Hutchinson 3G - which is the parent company of 3 Mobile - has now taken its fight to the highest planning authority possible - the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Cllr Alan Wilkinson, a Conservative councillor for Bromley Cross, said the removal of the covenant would open the floodgates to the development of the land.

He added: "This covenant was put in place to protect this land and it is important that people stand by it."

Mr Prescott will look at the representations before deciding whether to allow the appeal to take place. Interested parties have until Friday, October 21, to make their views known.

Residents won a victory in the 1980s when a High Court judge ruled that the covenant - made by the land's former owners, the Ashworth brothers, in 1934 - should be upheld.

Although it had been broken when housing developer Barratts built on 35 acres of land, the judge decided it was too late to stop that development.

Since then residents have opposed a number of plans on the site, including Bromley Cross Football Club's scheme to have 10 football pitches on the land for its junior teams.

Under that plan -- which has yet to be considered by planning chiefs - also includes a new building for the nursery and changing rooms, a cafe and 185 parking spaces.

A spokesman for Hutchison 3G said: "Our licence to operate carries the obligation to provide coverage and maintain an emergency service coverage.

"The telegraph pole-type installation blends in with existing telegraph poles and other structures that are established on the land in question."

I recently sent another batch of material to George Young. I enclosed a personal letter yet again covering issues of health, energy resources, ICNIRP and the responsibilities of local / national government. I also wrote about Agnes' dilemma (she has a copy of that). I didn't expect much by way of a reply, so was pleased to receive the following :

Letter begins -

Thank you for your letter, enclosing the literature from Mast Sanity.

It makes a powerful case for a review of the planning regulations, and I have sent a copy of your letter to Yvette Cooper, the Minister for Planning, to see whether the Government has any plans to review their guidance in the light of the evidence that you refer to.

I will let you know how I get on.

I am not sure whether we have a debate at the main Party Conference on this, but I am pretty sure it will be raised at one of the many fringe meetings.

Best wishes ....

I don't know how it is in the Netherlands or other countries, but I do know that at least in one of Haifa's hospitals, people with neurological problems are sent to other departments because the neurological department is completely exloding with people complaints on symptoms, this has never been in the past, as I was told by one of the nurses.

In one hospital in Tel Aviv there are 4 floors of parking lot only for people going to chemotherapy, and oncologists informed to the public through newspapers (two months ago) that if there wouldn't be additional radiations equipments in hospitals soon, then they would have to send people abroad to do the radiations.

Iris Atzmon.

--------

This sounds a really good development. The information circulated in terms of a cloud with very different signal structures is a very sound reminder that it isn't just the amount that matters, and that it is different from all the other sources. We are constantly told that mobile phone masts can't be bad because so much other radiation is TV, radio, taxis etc. (Operators here delight in taking measurements and showing phones as a few spikes in a very wide spectrum.)

More important is the reminder on responsibility. I still press the argument on "the ethics of doubt": in so many other matters, even slight doubts with such potential consequences drive greater response. But now I gather in the UK the argument is "cost per life", a principle governing the WHO "precautionary approach". It's all OK so long as not too many people die as a result.

And who decides the price of life, the acceptable number? Today our Parliament debated the issue of assisted suicide for people dying in the greatest distress and pain. One of our leading bishops argues forcefully that no life can be taken in any circumstance, and that even the person themselves cannot decide on life. Yet here we have church steeples with masts and antennae transmitting this slow killer, and it is OK so long as too many people do not die.

Yes, an international European group with the same message, the senior scientists with their collective doubts, and real pressure on ethics and responsibility. Maybe more as-yet uninformed people would respond to the force of a European movement. Maybe economies of scale would enable our resources to achieve more.

Andy

All the white boards I have seen use pulsed microwave technology simliar to DECT cordless phones to communicate between the pupils and teacher's pads and the projector control computer. They fill the classroom with pulsing microwaves. Terrible technology.

Alasdair
(Powerwatch)

"Another possible culprit could be a classroom whiteboard. There is anecdotal evidence that these new gadgets are giving both teachers and pupils headaches, particularly if health and safety guidelines aren't observed and people find themselves staring straight into the projector beam. Check that this is not happening."

--------

It seem there are white boards and white boards.

Ones which just have a ceiling mounted projector driven from a wired in laptop (or PC) on the teacher's desk seem to be OK.

The problem apparently come with the ones that have interactive input drawing and typing pads that can be passed around to various pupils for them to add drawing, comments, etc, to also be shown on the white board. These always weems to be wLAN connected (maybe some are Bluetooth) using ulsing microwaves to and from the pupil's pads to the main system. It was one of those that I measure a few years ago on the DfES stand at an exhibition.

Alasdair