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Sian Merdith: MY SAFETY FEARS OVER PHONE MAST SITES
United Kingdom	Created: 31 Aug 2005
MY SAFETY FEARS OVER PHONE MAST SITES This week's Question and Answer is with Sian Meredith, Bath campaigner for anti-mobile phone pressure group Mast Sanity 1. Why is Mast Sanity opposed to mobile phone masts and mobile phones? Mast Sanity is opposed to the siting of phone masts close to homes, schools, hospitals, old people's homes and other sensitive locations. The system emits pulsed microwave radiation and there is a long and substantial research history indicating that chronic exposure to low-level microwave radiation leads to cumulative damage. Some people appear to be more vulnerable than others, and the best precautionary advice is to limit exposure as far as possible. Siting masts in residential areas presents no choice to people, and is indiscriminate. Mast Sanity is against the use of mobile phones by children. Sir William Stewart, chairman of the Health Protection Agency, advised in his updated report that children of eight and under shouldn't use mobiles and those under-16 should only use them in emergencies. 2. The vast majority of people now own and use mobile phones and they have become a key part of the communications network. Do not masts now have to be accepted as a necessary consequence? Mast Sanity is calling for development of a safe alternative system. The present system is biologically and environmentally incompatible and until the Government is forced to recognise the ill health the present system is causing, Mast Sanity is demanding that masts be located away from residential areas, schools and hospitals. 3. Despite an ongoing debate about the potential risks posed by mobile phone masts, so long as recognised health and safety regulations are adhered to, concerns about health are not a valid reason in planning law to oppose permission for them to be set up. If the health and safety guidance is right, why shouldn't masts be put near people's homes? This country has adopted the ICNIRP (International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection) guidelines on emissions which are the second highest in the world. Only the USA allows higher emissions. Most other countries set much lower emission levels and wouldn't tolerate the levels this country permits. ICNIRP guidelines deal only with thermal heating effects from the radiation, and not with the biological effects that occur and so do not protect us. Interference with medical and electrical equipment is also occurring and this is of great concern especially to people with cochlear implants, pacemakers, metal joints and implants, and other medical devices. Health fears and perceptions are a material planning consideration, as is interference with electrical and medical equipment. 4. The big mobile phone operators grouped together and produced a voluntary code called the Ten Commitments to involve communities in decisions about masts being sited near them. Does it work? No. Mast Sanity receives about 200 calls a month to its advice line plus many email inquiries, so we are very aware of what is happening at the grassroots level nationally. The operators are ignoring the codes and riding roughshod over the planning system. Residents are not being consulted despite one of the commitments being that communities will be involved in the siting of phone masts. 5. Why single out mobile phone operators and their masts for criticism? What about television and radio transmitters and equipment, military installations, power lines, electricity sub-stations and other common sources of electromagnetic radiation? Mast Sanity campaigns for the sensible siting of mobile phone and TETRA masts. TETRA is the system the police use to communicate with. Mast Sanity is also concerned about digital cordless phones (DECT) and wireless computers because they also operate on pulsed microwave radiation and cause the same ill health effects. Other campaign groups such as Powerwatch raise awareness to the health issues around powerlines and TV and radio transmitters. 6. What led to you personally taking up the cause? I have never had a mobile phone because I have doubts about the safety of this technology. So when Hutchinson (3G) wanted to erect a mast 15 metres from my house I was horrified because they were imposing something on us which emits radiation 24 hours a day. Having read a huge amount of research on the effects, I think there is a serious public health problem. 7. What needs to be done to reassure you and other campaigners that the health and safety questions about mobile phones and masts have been properly addressed? Is there evidence which would satisfy you they are safe? No study has ever proven that mobile phones are safe, despite the claims made by the operators. There is a huge amount of worldwide evidence to prove that the system on which they operate makes some people ill. Eminent scientists around the world are coming out with more and more evidence. Add that to the huge amount of evidence of cancer clusters and ill health emerging around phone and TETRA masts and you have a serious problem. The scale of the problem is of the magnitude of illnesses caused by smoking and asbestos. 8. What are the health problems which you believe are associated with mobile phone masts? What problems do you think can be caused by mobile phone handsets? Health effects noted by some doctors in Germany, Finland, Austria, Ireland and the UK include headaches, migraines, exhaustion, agitation, sleeplessness, tinnitus, nose bleeds, susceptibility to infection, nervous and connective tissue pains. learning, concentration, and behavioural disorders, extreme fluctuations in blood pressure, heart rhythm disorders, heart attacks and strokes, thyroid disorders, brain-degenerative diseases, motor neurone disease and epilepsy and cancers, leukaemia and brain tumours. Mobile phones are particularly statistically related to brain tumours, notably acoustic neuroma, as well as to glaucoma and cataracts, and an alarming new trend is the rise in unusual eye cancers, and mouth cancers among children. Mobile phones have also been connected with loss of fertility from wearing phones in pockets or at the waist. 9. Who should be responsible for taking action to make sure masts are safe and the proper planning and health and safety processes are followed when companies want to put them up? All masts should go through the full planning process. Much more stringent emission level guidelines should be implemented. The police should use Tetrapol instead of TETRA because Tetrapol is a safer system requiring fewer masts used in Europe and by the military in Baghdad (via satellite). This is all the responsibility of the Government which received billions in revenue from the 3G licence auction, and receives billions in taxes from the industry. Department of Health leaflets on mobile phones and health should be given out with every mobile phone sale, but they are not. Above all, the Government has always insisted on multiple infrastructures so we have five mobile phone operators, plus O2 Airwave (TETRA). All five of our 3G networks require masts every 1.5km to 5km, a much smaller range than the older GSM. Not least, this creates a substantial energy demand at a time of energy crisis and climate change. Even when masts are not in demand they emit microwaves, and with a prospective additional 130,000 masts to the 45,000 plus already in place, to serve the new 3G networks, the environment is being filled many times over, just so that every user has a choice of five networks to connect to for the same services. 10. Do you think that the dispute between people opposed to and people who support mobile phones and mobile phone masts will ever be settled? How? Most people don't want to live by a mast but will use a mobile. Every time anyone uses a mobile phone to send a text or make a call, someone living by a mast gets a dose of radiation. Masts and mobiles cause the same ill health effects. There are also issues like the accumulation of emissions inside train carriages so when several people are on their phones at the same time other people are getting exposed to a lot of radiation. People who are electro-sensitive will be unable to travel on public transport or go to some cities because of the emission levels. Mobiles are becoming a social problem. Phones are used for pornography and internet gambling and this craze of happy slapping, whereby gangs attack other children and film the attack on phones and then email the pictures among friends, or even place them on internet sites. Phone-bullying and theft of phones is widespread, and is a serious and growing problem that isn't being dealt with. 11:00 - 29 August 2005
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Source: This Is Bath, 29 August 2005

Dr Grahame Blackwell: The case against phone masts
United Kingdom	Created: 28 Aug 2005
The case against phone masts Dr Grahame Blackwell, an independent consultant on mast health issues, says mobile phone masts pose a serious risk to our health. Cambridge Evening News 26.08 05 "I am a serious opponent of phone masts on health grounds. There have been six research studies into the potential ill health effects of masts. Every one of those studies has produced evidence of ill health effects. "Radiation from masts reduces the production of melatonin. "The significance of that is that melatonin regulates sleep patterns and also scavenges away pre-cancerous cells. "If melatonin production is reduced the consequences are a disruption of sleep patterns and increased incidents of cancer. "People living around phone masts are experiencing exactly those symptoms. "Radiation also weakens the blood-brain barrier. Toxins from the blood system can get into brain cells. In the short term, this causes headaches, dizziness and disorientation. In the long-term, we would expect to see an increase in degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinsons and Motor Neurone Disease (MND). "MND is a classic example. We are beginning to see clusters of MND around masts. "All of those effects happen at levels of radiation that our Government says are safe. There is a big problem here."
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Source: Dr. Graham Blackwell

Mobiles aimed at under-8s set for return to high street, but under a new name
United Kingdom	Created: 27 Aug 2005
MYMO Mobiles aimed at under-8s set for return to high street A mobile telephone aimed at primary schoolchildren but withdrawn by the main distributor eight months ago because of health fears continues to be sold in Britain. Health campaigners say they are disgusted that the telephone is still on the market, describing its sale to children as "a disgrace". The telephone, previously also known as MyMo, is marketed by Eazytrack, a Worcestershire-based company, under the brand name the Owl. It is aimed at four- to eight-year-olds as an "SOS pay-as-you-go mobile telephone", which allows parents to know the location of their child to within 500 yards. The Owl can call only five numbers, as chosen by a parent for use in emergencies. The telephone, which costs £99, is available online but from next month a new model will be sold in shops. In January, Communic8, the distributors of MyMo, removed it from the market after the Government's chief adviser on radiation safety warned that under-nines should not have them. Prof Sir William Stewart, the chairman of the Radiation Protection Division of the Health Protection Agency, said: "I don't think we can put our hands on our hearts and say mobile phones are safe. If there are risks - and we think there may be risks - the people who are going to be most affected are children, and the younger the child, the greater the danger." Sir William, who has banned his grandchildren from using mobiles, added: "If mobile phones are available to three- to eight-year-olds, I can't believe for a moment that can be justified." At the time, Communic8 said: "It would be foolish, ignorant even, if we were to simply ignore these findings … Even the remotest possibility of our product becoming a health risk to any child is unacceptable." The distributor of the Owl, which is identical to the MyMo except for its packaging, has taken a different stance. Nicholas Seller, 44, a manager for Eazytrack, said the Owl had the lowest emission levels of any mobile, with a rating less than half that recommended by the Government's safety guidelines, and had been approved for sale in Australia. "We totally agree with the Stewart report, that mobiles for children should be for emergencies," he said. "Our phone doesn't have features that encourage heavy use - no texts, downloads of music or ringtones. It's a fine line: parents don't want health worries about their children, but at the same time they want peace of mind. It's their choice at the end of the day." Karen Barratt, a spokesman for the campaign group Mast Sanity, which is concerned about the effect of mobile telephones on children, said she was disgusted that the Owl was being sold in Britain. "Quite rightly, after the Stewart report, MyMo was withdrawn from the market - but we knew that another company would put them on the shelves as soon as the publicity had died down," she said. "It's a disgrace. Parents are being told by companies that mobiles will keep their children safe - yet half of street crime involves theft of a mobile phone." Mrs Baratt added: "These companies targeting children have a cleverly worked-out strategy - not only are they expanding their market now but they're securing their market for the future." The Owl is part of a multi-million-pound industry targeting children in Britain. According to MobileYouth Report 2005, the most authoritative industry research, more than a million children aged five to nine have mobile telephones. That figure is predicted to rise to 1.5 million by 2007. The report forecasts that this year the number of under-16s with a mobile will rise by 500,000 to 5.5 million. Eric Huber, a radiologist at Vienna's Doctors' Research Chamber, which has conducted its own research, last week warned against children using mobiles. "If medications delivered the same test results as mobile phone radiation, one would immediately have to remove them from the market," he said. "We must assume that children are more sensitive to high-frequency radiation than adults. Their skull bones are thinner and their cells show an increased rate of division, making them more sensitive to genotoxic effects."
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Source: Sunday Telegraph. By Nina Goswami (Filed: 14/08/2005)

Jobs shock for mast firm. So let us all rejoice!
United Kingdom	Created: 16 Aug 2005
Pioneering phone mast firm Alan Dick is to axe jobs at its UK offices after a sharp decline in business. The Cheltenham firm, which has scooped awards for fast growth in recent years, announced the shock move to staff last week. Following talks with union Amicus, the firm is calling for voluntary redundancies across its bases in Newbury, Scunthorpe and Warrington as well as its Cheltenham head office. A spokesman said the job cuts were needed to return the UK business to profitability following increased competition and a slowdown in spending by major customers. Alan Dick was formed in 1971, initially erecting television antennae for the BBC. It has grown into a major international group employing 2,800 staff in 22 countries working with major phone firms and broadcasters. But its UK workload has tumbled as most phone networks are now completed. It is renowned for producing antennae disguised to blend in with their natural surroundings such as palm trees. Last month it emerged that it had hired investment bank Close Brothers to assess whether to float or sell the business - a move likely to net a £120million-plus windfall for the controlling Dick family. In June it secured a £46million finance package to continue its overseas expansion. Group turnover, which last year reached £110milllion, is forecast to pass £186million this year. Last year's pre-tax profit of £3.31million is expected to rise to £9.75million.
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Mobiles aimed at under-8s set for return to high street
United Kingdom	Created: 16 Aug 2005
A mobile telephone aimed at primary schoolchildren but withdrawn by the main distributor eight months ago because of health fears continues to be sold in Britain. Health campaigners say they are disgusted that the telephone is still on the market, describing its sale to children as "a disgrace". The telephone, previously also known as MyMo, is marketed by Eazytrack, a Worcestershire-based company, under the brand name the Owl. It is aimed at four- to eight-year-olds as an "SOS pay-as-you-go mobile telephone", which allows parents to know the location of their child to within 500 yards. The Owl can call only five numbers, as chosen by a parent for use in emergencies. The telephone, which costs £99, is available online but from next month a new model will be sold in shops. In January, Communic8, the distributors of MyMo, removed it from the market after the Government's chief adviser on radiation safety warned that under-nines should not have them. Prof Sir William Stewart, the chairman of the Radiation Protection Division of the Health Protection Agency, said: "I don't think we can put our hands on our hearts and say mobile phones are safe. If there are risks - and we think there may be risks - the people who are going to be most affected are children, and the younger the child, the greater the danger." Sir William, who has banned his grandchildren from using mobiles, added: "If mobile phones are available to three- to eight-year-olds, I can't believe for a moment that can be justified." At the time, Communic8 said: "It would be foolish, ignorant even, if we were to simply ignore these findings. Even the remotest possibility of our product becoming a health risk to any child is unacceptable." The distributor of the Owl, which is identical to the MyMo except for its packaging, has taken a different stance. Nicholas Seller, 44, a manager for Eazytrack, said the Owl had the lowest emission levels of any mobile, with a rating less than half that recommended by the Government's safety guidelines, and had been approved for sale in Australia. "We totally agree with the Stewart report, that mobiles for children should be for emergencies," he said. "Our phone doesn't have features that encourage heavy use - no texts, downloads of music or ringtones. It's a fine line: parents don't want health worries about their children, but at the same time they want peace of mind. It's their choice at the end of the day." Karen Barratt, a spokesman for the campaign group Mast Sanity, which is concerned about the effect of mobile telephones on children, said she was disgusted that the Owl was being sold in Britain. "Quite rightly, after the Stewart report, MyMo was withdrawn from the market - but we knew that another company would put them on the shelves as soon as the publicity had died down," she said. "It's a disgrace. Parents are being told by companies that mobiles will keep their children safe - yet half of street crime involves theft of a mobile phone." Mrs Baratt added: "These companies targeting children have a cleverly worked-out strategy - not only are they expanding their market now but they're securing their market for the future." The Owl is part of a multi-million-pound industry targeting children in Britain. According to MobileYouth Report 2005, the most authoritative industry research, more than a million children aged five to nine have mobile telephones. That figure is predicted to rise to 1.5 million by 2007. The report forecasts that this year the number of under-16s with a mobile will rise by 500,000 to 5.5 million. Eric Huber, a radiologist at Vienna's Doctors' Research Chamber, which has conducted its own research, last week warned against children using mobiles. "If medications delivered the same test results as mobile phone radiation, one would immediately have to remove them from the market," he said. "We must assume that children are more sensitive to high-frequency radiation than adults. Their skull bones are thinner and their cells show an increased rate of division, making them more sensitive to genotoxic effects." (Filed: 14/08/2005)
Source: By Nina Goswami

It is easy to see why the only radiation symptoms possible are "THE SMELL OF MONEY"
United Kingdom	Created: 16 Aug 2005
Vodafone chief leads pay stakes with £5m Vodafone chief executive Arun Sarin collected £ 2,7m last year by exercising share options and received a pay and benefits package potentially worth £ 4,9m. The sums confirm the status of Mr Sarin, an American who became chief executive in July 2003, as one of the highest remunerated bosses of a British company. Share option windfalls have been a rarity at Vodafone in recent years because the group's share price has never regained the heights achieved during the technology boom of the late 1990s. However, Mr Sarin still held options from 1993 when he was running US firm AirTouch, which became a Vodafone subsidiary. These converted into 5m options over Vodafone shares at 95p and the time-limit for exercising them was about to expire. Mr Sarin appears to have netted a gain of £.2.7m from selling the shares at 148p. On top, he enjoyed a salary of £.1.17m, representing a £.75,000 pay rise, and was awarded shares worth £.1.15m under a short-term bonus plan. He also received benefits of £.183,000, the bulk of which covered the costs of his move to the UK from the US. The remaining £.2.4m of his £.4.9m package last year comprised shares awarded dependent on performance. To receive the maximum award, Vodafone will have to rank among the 20% of telecoms companies in terms of shareholder returns over a three-year period. A company spokesman argued the performance conditions were "very stringent". Man Group also confirmed its place among Britain's biggest payers yesterday as the hedge fund manager's annual report revealed its four executive directors shared £.11.3m in pay and bonuses last year. It still represented a fall for chief executive Stanley Fink, whose £.3.81m was down from £.4.52m a year ago - the bulk of the sum comprised a £.3.3m bonus. On top, he received shares worth almost £.400,000 under a share-matching bonus scheme. But the bulk of Mr Fink's personal fortune is still his direct shareholding in the firm - his 4.5m shares are worth£.63m. Other members of the management team, which led Man's transformation over the last 15 years from commodity broker to hedge fund manager, have even larger stakes. Chairman Harvey McGrath, who was paid £362,000 last year as part-time chairman, has shares worth £. 83m and fellow non-executive Stephen Nesbitt has £.76m worth. Kevin Davis, head of Man's brokerage division, was the only executive to exercise share options during the year. He netted £.280,000 that was on top of his basic package of £.2.96m, of which £.2.5m was a bonus. Man's traditional high level of bonuses was maintained even though the group described its year only as "robust" compared to the spectacular growth it has seen in the recent past. Most hedge fund managers have struggled in the face of increased competition and a seemingly tougher investment climate. However, Man ended the year with $43bn (£.23.6bn) under management despite a fall of 5.4% in the return from AHL Diversified, the key trend-following computer programme which is at the heart of the group's product portfolio.
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Source: Nils Pratley. The Guardian. Friday June 10 2005

Mother-of-two Barbara Potter tied herself to the base station of the mast
United Kingdom	Created: 16 Aug 2005
BARBARA'S BOUND PROTEST HALTS PHONE MAST WORK A one-woman campaign forced a mobile phone company to stop work to put up a 33ft mast on her estate. Mother-of-two Barbara Potter tied herself to the base station of the mast in Nether Hall Road, Leicester, minutes before workmen arrived with the mast on the back of a truck. Her David and Goliath battle with the phone giant 3 stopped the firm in its tracks - and won a temporary reprieve. Ms Potter, 39, chairwoman of Netherhall Tenants and Residents' Association, said: "I'll be here every time they bring this mast here to stop it going up, and if I break the law and they take me away, I'll get someone else to stand here against it." More than 25 residents cheered and clapped as she tied herself with telephone cord yesterday and refused to move until the mast was taken away. Police inspector Chris Barratt spoke to workmen and they agreed to a temporary halt. However, a 3 spokesman said they will return to put it up "within a few weeks". Ms Potter, who is a grandmother of two, said residents had been fighting the plan for more than three years. She said: "We're tired of having our views trampled over. We tried to make ourselves heard to the city council, but they wouldn't listen. This is the only way that we can be heard. "We gave in a petition of 78 signatures to our councillors, but they did not take it into the full cabinet meeting where they approved planning permission." City councillors today said there was little that they could do to stop phone masts going up. Ward councillor John Mugglestone said he opposed the mobile phone mast from the original application in October last year. He said: "We opposed it the mast as far as possible. Councillors are frustrated by legislation that always favours the phone companies. "They can put up masts wherever they want, there is nothing we can do to stop them. "If we had taken it any further, it would have gone to appeal and we would have lost, and it would have cost the city a lot of money." Coun Mugglestone said councillors had not received any petitions from residents. Mike Dobson, a spokesman for 3, said: "Ultimately, the mast will go up. We have planning permission for that site. If there are continual protests stopping lawful work we will get the police involved. "We will try to speak to Ms Potter and discover her concerns, but we will be coming back to complete the job within the next few weeks." Many residents in Netherhall praised Ms Potter's actions. Former Oadby and Wigston borough councillor David Allen, 66, who lives on Nether Hall Road, said: "We have had petitions signed by everyone around here saying we don't want it." Evelyn Webster, 63, said: "Barbara Potter knows what she's doing. We feel that enough is enough."
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Source: BY TOM BENNETT AND JAMIE HORTON. 12 August 2005

Chester: WE HAVE TO TAKE A STAND -- A CALL TO ARMS!!!!
United Kingdom	Created: 15 Aug 2005
Chester. I represent a group of mast protesters in Westminster Park, Chester. We have just lost an appeal by Hutchison to the Planning Inspectorate for a 3G mast which is to be located near a children’s nursery and houses. There was an alternative site which was supported by the majority of residents and local politicians. This was not allowed on appeal by Hutchison to the Planning Inspectorate as it was in green belt. A large Business Park has been built nearby in green belt which makes the whole thing quite ridiculous. We have come to the conclusion that the only way to tackle the whole issue of mobile phone masts (3G in particular) is to change the law (as have others) – masts have to be 350m, say, from schools/residential areas/hospitals. The only way we will get that is to peacefully demonstrate. We are trying to organise a demonstration in Chester for all groups throughout the whole of Cheshire. It has to be the whole of Cheshire to maintain support as groups come and go with masts being pushed into someone else’s ‘back-yard’ (as happened with us). We will also have to go back every 6 weeks as one demonstration will be ignored by this government. Hopefully we will be able to spread the demonstrations to all other counties throughout the UK. Will you be able to help with organisation, publicity or with establishing our policy? Regards Malcolm Harle 14 Manor Road, Westminster Park, Chester CH4 7QW. Tel.: 01244 682613 harle@harle.eclipse.co.uk ********************************************' We have to take a stand CAMPAIGNERS incensed by decisions to allow mobile phone masts near family homes have issued a call to arms. Residents in Westminster Park and Vicars Cross have joined forces to demand a change in the law amid health fears. They are calling on campaigners throughout Cheshire to join their new group and participate in a series of large-scale protest marches in Chester. It is hoped the demonstrations will have a domino-effect, spreading nationwide. The group, yet to be named, met on Wednesday and will also fight individual masts across the county. Its call to arms comes after Hutchison 3G was granted permission on appeal to erect a mast on Wrexham Road, just 100m north of Ash Grove Farm Nursery. Chester City Council had refused the scheme. With their hands tied by the appeal inspector's decision, planners have now allowed a mast near Bunnies Nursery School on land at Chester Rugby Club on Hare Lane. Livid locals in both areas say enough is enough and are fighting to overturn the decisions. Chairman of the Westminster Park residents' group and father-of-three Malcolm Harle said: 'The only way to tackle the issue is to change the law so masts have to be, say, 350m from schools, residential areas and hospitals. 'We are trying to organise a demonstration in Chester for all groups throughout the whole of Cheshire.' This week's meeting was attended by 26 residents, with others on holiday, and sub-committees were formed to co-ordinate the campaign. The first protest is planned for early September Chester MP Christine Russell said she favoured a change in the law whereby local authorities decided on suitable locations for masts. She said: 'Local authorities already identify sites for things like houses and open spaces so why not phone masts? 'The phone companies would then say how many masts they needed and ask where they could put them. 'If a mast is on Green Belt land to me that's preferable to a site that is upsetting a lot of people.' Chester City Council planning officer Richard Gore said full planning applications were required for masts taller than 15m. He said: 'Our criteria is the impact on the residential amenity which is quite subjective. 'Authorities have refused masts because of their proximity to homes before and sometimes it has been upheld. 'But the Government says we cannot refuse permission on health grounds because there is no hard evidence masts are harmful.'
Source: By Rob Devey, Chester Chronicle .Jul 29 2005

Officer’s radio survey reveals health fears
United Kingdom	Created: 14 Aug 2005
POLICE: EXPERTS SAY SYSTEM MEETS SAFETY STANDARDS A policeman has revealed a catalogue of illnesses his colleagues claim they have suffered since they started using a controversial radio system. PC Guy Hubbard launched a survey of officers' health following the death of his friend, PC Neil Dring, last year. PC Dring's family blamed the new Airwave radio system he used day to day for triggering the cancer that killed him. PC Hubbard's survey asked officers to fill in an anonymous questionnaire detailing any health problems they had developed since starting to use the handsets. He stressed the survey was not scientifically rigorous because, although he sent out hundreds of questionnaires, he only received about 100 replies. However, he said numerous complaints of symptoms such as high blood pressure, nosebleeds and inability to sleep properly included in the replies were cause for concern. Officers also told him they had suffered headaches, nausea and even non-cancerous growths since the Airwave system was brought in. Concerns have been raised that pulsed microwave radiation beamed out by the handheld sets may damage cells in the body, but Government scientists have dismissed the claims. PC Hubbard said: "I don't know whether Neil died as a result of using Airwave, but I'm worried. "I'd like to not have to use it, but that's not going to happen." Neil's brother Ian Dring said some of the symptoms de scribed by police matched those his brother had complained about before he died. He said: "It confirms Neil was not an isolated incident and it's great cause for concern. " PC Hubbard and other campaigners nationwide are considering mounting a legal challenge to allow officers to choose whether they use the system. Tetra - short for Terrestrial Trunked Radio - is the name for a certain type of digital radio technology. Airwave is the Tetra-based system used by UK police. A spokesperson for Leicestershire police said: "If Leicestershire Constabulary thought that Airwave posed a health risk to officers, the force would withdraw the equipment as soon as possible. "The force has sought advice from the foremost experts on Tetra technology in the world and the scientific and medical evidence obtained states that Airwave meets all national, European and international health and safety standards. "Disappointingly, despite being invited to work with the constabulary on this matter, PC Hubbard has not shared the findings of his questionnaire with the force. "We understand only 100 people responded and unless the questionnaire was conducted to scientific principles, and with strong control measures, the findings could be open to question. "We would invite PC Hubbard to share his findings with us, so that the results can be examined by experts." Dr Grahame Blackwell, who campaigns for greater openness over mobile phones and health issues, said the findings of the unofficial survey were worrying and mirrored illnesses seen in people living near masts set up for Airwave. He said: "What the police need to do is seriously, openly and objectively investigate this." A spokesperson for 02 Airwave declined to comment on the survey as the company. not seen the results. Earlier this year, the Mercury put in a Freedom of Information request which asked to reveal the locations of the Tetra masts. It was declined on the grounds of policing purposes. Symptom More Frequent % Much More Frequent % Now Constant % Shallow non-restful sleep 24 30 Keep Waking during the night 26 26 Trouble getting to sleep 30 14 Excessive Inexplicable fatigue 38 26 2 Lethargy 34 24 2 Headaches 31 39 Migraine 12 14 Feeling as if you are about to get the flu but dont 23 21 1 Increased tendency to receive or give electric shocks 9 12 Metallic taste in mouth 6 7 Very dry flaky or itch skin 15 18 1 Inexplicable rashes or blothy skin 11 9 2 Dry, itchy red eyes 9 23 1 Sensitivity to light 12 10 Hearing Sounds other dont 14 22 1 Short term memory problems,trouble concentrating 32 28 2 Irritability, tension, nervousness, can't relax 26 19 Nausea 11 11 1 Dizziness/Vertigo, loss of balance 13 16 Mouth Ulcers 10 5 Nosebleeds 4 3 Colds/Infections/prone to infections that won't go away 18 8 Thrush/Candida 1 1 Symptom % reporting this illness since Airwave inception Erratic or High blood pressure 7 Elipespy 1 Arthritic/rheumatism problems 2 Non-cancerous lumps or growths 8 Allergies 3 Other illnesses 12
Source: Leicester Mercury 19th May 2005. By Jon DI PAOLO

1 in 7 mobile phone handsets develop faults within a year
United Kingdom	Created: 12 Aug 2005
If a survey of some 5000 mobile phone users is anywhere near accurate, it means that at least two million of the 18 million phones sold in the UK last year could have developed faults. And the worst offender, according to consumer watchdog magazine "Which?", is 3G network operator "3" with one in three of its handsets developing a fault within 12 months. Hitting back, a spokewoman for "3" rubbished the survey saying that it just wasn't representative. "Which? only spoke to 50 of our customers out of a customer base of three million," she told us. The survey also found that Motorola and Sony Ericsson handsets were most likely to go wrong with around a fifth of owners reporting faults. Nokia and Samsung were the most reliable, although one in ten users still had faulty phones, said the survey. To compund matters, Which? found that consumers found it difficult to get the faults fixed. "A one-in-seven chance your phone's going to develop a fault is way too high," said Which? editor Malcolm Coles. "Not only that, but retailers who should be bending over backwards to help customers who've already suffered the inconvenience of a fault aren't giving people the help they need when they complain."
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Source: The Register

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