Mobile Phone Mast Forum Report

Friday, March 31, 2006

Mobile Phone Mast Forum Report

Lembit Opik MP and Dr Ian Gibson MP Chaired a ‘highly charged' Telecommunications Mobile Phone Mast Forum held at Westminster on 19th July 2005.

Over 100 MP's, campaigners and Industry representatives heard presentations from Dr Gerd Oberfeld, Salzburg Leading Public Health Specialist and Eileen O'Connor of the EM Radiation Research Trust challenged Dr Michael Clark of The Health Protection Agency and Stuart Eke of The Mobile Phone Operators Association on the total inadequacy of the present planning policy in England and Wales for mast siting and the lack of independent research into the possible adverse health effects of over exposure to microwave radiation from some 40,000 masts in the UK.

Amanda Westley of Mast Sanity and Andy Davidson of Tetra Watch put a strong argument forward on the panel debate against the Tetra system for the Police Force.

The end of a spirited but constructive debate, Dr Ian Gibson said -:

"This is an important public health issue following the advice of Sir William Stewart the meeting has supported the proposal that all masts should be subject to full planning applications with proper, not just token, local consultation, including a review of health concerns. The Government should fund peer reviewed independent research into areas where cancer clusters have arisen round GSM masts, with the office of National Statistics providing for information on actual cases of cancer and motor neurone disease. The Police Tetra system needs to be revisited on safety issues ahead of its rollout.