EU Official Declines Meeting with EMF Mast Sufferers

national | eu | press release Tuesday June 16, 2009 19:34 by getouttamyhead - various anti-mast groups

The head of the EU’s department of health has failed to respond to a request by concerned residents of Ireland, both North and South, for a meeting to discuss the proliferation of communications masts and the proposed installation of the Tetra system currently being rolled out by An Garda Shiocha and WiMax in use at NUI Maynooth.

The head of the EU’s department of health has failed to respond to a request by concerned residents of Ireland, both North and South, for a meeting to discuss the proliferation of communications masts and the proposed installation of the Tetra system currently being rolled out by An Garda Shiocha.

There are currently 10,000 masts across Ireland with health complaints relating to the proximity of masts causing concerns that are termed “clusters” around the masts. The experiences of individuals and the existence of these clusters suggests that the extremely low frequencies (ELF) radiation is the cause of the persistence health complaints.

In March Prof. Olle Johansson of the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, a world expert in the effects of ELF radiation addressed a public meeting in Leixlip, Co. Kildare warning of the dangers of the signals from communications masts. In one study in mice, resultant damage to DNA rendered the fifth generation infertile. In another study where individuals were exposed to an hour of radiation on their back, changes were detected to the subjects’ skin.

Mr. Robert Madelin, Director-General, Directorate General for Health and Consumer Protection, is in Dublin for a €500-a-ticket talk at Croke Park as part of the 6th National Healthcare Summit sponsored by the Sunday Business Post and Eircom.

John Weigel, a Leixlip resident and member of the citizen group wrote to Madelin on March 18, saying, “Of immediate concern is the use by An Garda Shiochana, the police force of Ireland, of the Tetra signal on communication masts adjacent schools where it is known that children absorb seventy-five percent of the radiation in their brains, prompting childhood brain tumours, cancers and leukaemia.”

Weigel’s concern is backed up by statistics from the National Cancer Registry which notes that Leixlip already has a 12 percent higher than the national average of breast cancer, 13 percent higher lung cancer and a 23 percent higher than average incidence of prostate cancer. As a result of the Leixlip meeting, The Hon. Desmond Guinness announced that he would not be renewing the lease for the mast on the grounds of Leixlip castle.

On April 2 The EU passed a non-binding report sponsored by Belgian MEP Frédérique Ries, which states, "ensuring that at least schools, kindergartens, nursing homes and health centers are located at a specific distance, determined in accordance with scientific criteria, this type of equipment ‘and advocate’ solutions dialogue between industry, government and military and neighborhood associations on the criteria for the installation of new antennas or telephone lines high voltage because they consider that it ‘is in the public interest’."

Commenting on Madelin’s failure to meet with citizens, Walter Graham, chairman of Northern Ireland Opposing Masts, said “This is typical of a distant huge unaccountable EU commission refusing to meet with local people. It is the reason why Ireland and France have said no to EU treaties and is further evidence of how the EU has failed to work for the citizens. Brussels allows us all to be irradiated against our will 24 hours a day and when victims ask for a chance to meet these unaccountable bureaucrats the answer is NO - it's time to pull out of Europe and deal locally with this issue...”