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Why phone masts are deemed dangerous
 A brief history
Mobiles phones have transformed peoples lives since they first appeared in 1985. For mobile phones to operate correctly they need to transmit and receive signals via what are known as 'base-stations' . A typical 'free-standing' base-station mast is shown on the left.
Every mobile phone network needs an infrastructure of masts, antennas and base stations to transmit and receive calls. Nobody knows exactly how many there are - but probably more than 35,000, supporting around 25 million mobiles, in the UK.
The sheer number of people subscribing to mobile phone companies (such as Orange or Vodafone) are far outweighing the number of existing base-stations. To accomodate the increase in network traffic, phone operators need to add MORE base-stations. Hence, there is now a spreading forest of base-station masts and transmitters spoiling the countryside and towns we live in. The masts and antennas are appearing everywhere; on or near schools, hospitals, farmland, residential areas. If there isn't one in or close to your back garden then it may be only a matter or time! |
Phone masts, the real danger
 Base-station masts however are not just an eyesore and affront to your local amenity, the real problem is that these transmitters of radiowaves (microwaves) have the potential to cause adverse health effects in animals and in HUMANS!
Furthermore, the majority of planning applications by operators to erect mobile phone masts do not even need local council approval! This is why we see so many, residents feel helpless due to the huge loophole in the planning legislation regarding 'permitted development rights' for telecommunication operators.
The problem get's worse: The current mobile phone technologies use what's called second generation (or 2G). This enables phones to transmit voice and text messages using pulsed signals in the lower frequency band of the microwave spectrum. Each 2G mast has a signal carrier distance of around 35 kilometres (22 miles).
However, the latest technology (UMTS or 3G) can transmit much more data more quickly so that users can play games or download from the internet. This means that a HIGHER MICROWAVE CARRIER FREQUENCY is needed and hence MORE RADIATION emitted from the base-station masts. Coupled with this, mobile phone operators can share masts with other operators thus adding to the problem.
The REAL DANGER with 3G technology is that a 3G mast needs to be in very close proximity to the phone handset to reach the download speeds anticipated. This means that in a 3G network there needs to be a 3G mast at least every 1000 metres!
Consequently, 3G masts need to be very close to densely populated areas to enable the radiation carrier signal to penetrate buildings and other obstacles and reach the handset at the download speed required.
We now have a potentially very dangerous situation.
Unlike 2G masts that can comfortably sit 22 miles apart in rural areas, 3G masts with their higher radiative output are brought into urban communities at much lower height and in greater numbers.
"You can turn off a mobile phone, but you can't switch off a base-station mast, people who live in close proximity to a mast are subjected to 'pulsed Radiation' 24 hours a day every day".
The new UMTS technology uses pulsed microwave signals which are known to have an adverse effect on human cell division leading to symptoms such as nausea, lethargy, sleeplessness, and cancers. All Humans are susceptible to 'Electro-Magnetic Fields (EMF's) to some extent.
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