The hidden cost of wireless communication

For the last few weeks some Maltese mobile users have enjoyed 3G mobile communication, the new service that allows video telephony, faster internet access and interactive service on mobile phones. After the launch of Vodafone's network in mid-August, Go Mobile is expected to follow in the coming weeks.

Behind the glitter and glamour of 3G hides the never-ending dilemma of mobile phone use: it's handy, we can't live without it but to get it working the mobile companies need to install large base stations on roofs and we don't want any of them near our homes, our children's schools and other important buildings because we fear the potential negative effects on our health.

To launch the 3G network, both mobile operators are installing new base stations to handle the new voice, video and data traffic, adding to the 350 base stations already in use for the "older" 2.5G network.

I-Tech spoke to both operators about the roll-out of the new 3G network. While Go Mobile said it has "an extensive network of base stations and is not finding any significant difficulties to enhance and maintain this network", a Vodafone spokesman said it was finding it difficult to acquire new sites for its 3G base stations.

I-Tech tried to get the views from Mepa but there was no response to our e-mails and phone calls to the authority's media relations officer. We wanted to check whether there were problems in issuing permits for 3G base stations, especially in the light of the protests against the installation of base stations in the past.

The Malta Communication Authority (MCA) periodically collects data from the mobile operators regarding their base station deployments so more information on 3G base stations should be available soon.

"Both mobile operators have requested a fast track process to obtain planning permission to install 3G base station antennas. This is being considered by Mepa," revealed an MCA spokesman.

The MCA has been conducting EMF (electromagnetic field) audits on mobile base stations since 2002 and each year it audits around 50 base stations. From April 2005, the remit of these audits was extended to cover other sources of EMF used in the area of communications such as broadcasting transmitters. By the end of this year over 250 sites would have been tested.

"To date, all sites were found to be compliant with the ICNIRP public exposure limits (PEL)," said Joanna Formosa Borg, senior technical specialist at the MCA.

"A quick run through the results shows that emissions from most base stations are below five per cent of the ICNIRP PEL".

ICNIRP, the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection, is a body of independent scientific experts with the principal aim of disseminating information and advice on the potential health hazards of exposure to non-ionising radiation.

All the results are published in a user-friendly interface on our website http://www.mca.org.mt/emfaudit/. Detailed results are also uploaded annually.

With the introduction of the new EU-wide communications regulatory framework in September 2004, compliance with the ICNIRP guidelines is a requirement for all electronic communication operators in Malta.

The audits are a means to ensure that this clause is actually being adhered to. Moreover, some sites are re-audited a couple of years later to confirm that the levels have remained more or less constant over time.

Despite the good results from these audits, the Maltese public is still wary of mobile base stations too close to home. Are Maltese citizens being over anxious?

"Yes, but this has also been the case abroad," according to Charles Sammut, EMF consultant and senior lecturer at the University of Malta. "The state of one's mind is a health concern just like any other physical health issue but is one to be tackled primarily through education."

Dr Sammut goes on to explain that there are no specific studies on the biological effects of EMF on the Maltese population but many studies were conducted abroad.

The only proven effect of radio frequency (RF) EMF is tissue heating. For tissue temperature to increase by 1°C, an individual would have to be exposed to radiation that is at least 50 times as intense as that provided in the ICNIRP guideline levels for public exposure for a minimum period of 30 minutes. In that event, the effect would be temporary and similar to that felt on a warm day.

"Studies on humans have been predominantly epidemiological (dealing with the study of the causes, distribution, and control of disease in populations). Not one single study reporting any marginally significant result has been replicated. Replication is essential for a scientific conclusion

"In the case of very low frequency radiation (ELF from power lines at 50/60 Hz), some epidemiological studies have revealed a very small increased incidence of childhood leukaemia among people living in the proximity of high voltage transmission lines. However, more studies are under way and it is not known whether the results indicated a genuine effect or an artefact of the sampling," stressed Dr Sammut.

The number of equipment using EMF is increasing: we now have 3G mobile communications, wireless networks at home, wireless networks across cities and countries etc. Are we using too much EMF? Will studies tell us one day that all this man-made EMF is having a negative effect on humans?

"The benefits of using wireless communication technology are immeasurable. If we assume there is some sort of unknown risk, does that justify giving up progress?" replied Dr Sammut. "The probability of ever finding an adverse effect of EMF from the communication devices available now and in the foreseeable future is to date immeasurably small, unlike the probability of being hurt in a car accident, at home or while walking a dog. Ultimately, it boils down to risk management and the risk of someone ever proving an adverse health effect from EMF exposure is extremely small and shrinks progressively as more negative research results are published."

In the meantime, Maltese mobile users are waiting for the launch of Go Mobile's 3G network and maybe in a not too-distant future we may have the third mobile operator, and early next year Vodafone, Go Mobile and Cellcom will roll-out their broadband wireless internet access, meaning yet more antennas will be installed.

http://technology.timesofmalta.com/article.php?id=2376