Sir, - Mr Liam Nolan's question (November 10th) about what assurances on the health question can be given to people exposed to microwave radiation from mobile phone base-stations near their homes prompted a response from Prof Walton (December 15th). Contrary to the impression given in Prof Walton's letter, the only assurance that can be given about compliance with the present guidelines of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) is that people will not suffer acute affects, which at microwave frequencies is tissue heating. The ICNIRP guidelines should prevent mannequins filled with salt water from being cooked, but humans are far more complex than this and can suffer biological effects from microwave exposure at much lower levels.
These low-intensity bio-effects resulting from chronic exposure to coherent microwaves may include disruption of communication between healthy cells in our bodies, influence of the lifetime of free radicals and apoptosis (programmed cell death) as well as the blocking of the hormone melatonin's protective action against the growth of cancer cells. Much research is now commencing into these low-intensity effects and the main areas of concern focus on cancer promotion, effects on the foetus and on the central nervous system (e.g. sleep disruption, headaches and short-term memory problems).
Significantly, nearly all the scientists attending a conference in Vienna at the end of October on the health effects of exposure to non-ionising radiation signed a resolution agreeing that biological effects from low-intensity exposure are "scientifically established".
Mr Liam Nolan's suggestion (December 29th) about health indemnification for the microwave emissions from mobile phone base stations was a recommendation of the recent report from the Dail Joint Committee on Public Enterprise and Transport.
A compulsory health indemnification policy with Lloyd's of London for all transmitters (TV, radio, mobile phones, pagers, MMDS, deflectors, etc.) might solve the issue of siting masts close to people, as a policy from Lloyd's for base-stations near homes and schools would, I believe, either be unobtainable or the premium would be prohibitively expensive. -Yours, etc., John Royds,
Newcastle, Greystones, Co Wicklow.