Is your Property in a Strong Radio Frequency Field?

 

HaShem looks after our health, He also commanded us to look after it ourselves: VeNishmarted Me'od LeNafshosechem - ונשמרתם מאד לנפשותכם. One of the areas that has been frequently debated is the issue of radiation, whether there is a tangible risk and what can be done to prevent its effects.

 

Every day we are bombarded by radio waves. It matters not whether we are at home, at work or out in the open air, each of us comes into contact with a veritable tangle of radio transmission sources, both natural and manmade, as we go about our daily routines. On the list of radiation 'emitters' are items like mobile 'phones and Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) PC monitors (LCD or LED screens emit much less radiation). According to a recent study by US and Swedish scientists, radiation from mobile 'phones may in fact be enough to interrupt our sleep patterns - even when no calls are coming through.

 

Outside we have to contend with radiation from power and wireless telephone masts and, increasingly, from the electronic 'smog' of WiFi communications. WiFi is a mode of wireless communication that allows remote connectivity between a network and wireless laptop computers, PDAs (=Personal Digital Assistants) and mobile 'phones. Many UK towns and cities are now setting up public access WiFi technology across the urban area. Known as WiFi hotspots or clouds, they provide the ability to connect at many different locations - hotels, cafes, airports, parks etc. - without the need for equipment to be physically plugged into a cable or 'phone line.

 

Radio emissions from WiFi technology are likely to be of great concern in the future. But right now the focus for those worried about the affects of radio waves on human health is on the means by which mobile phone signals are transmitted and received. I am of course talking about mobile telephone masts. 

 

Mobile telephone masts

Questions were first raised in the 1990s as to the health impact of mobile phone masts on those living close by to them. A concentration of radio waves in the vicinity of the masts, it was feared, could have harmful effects. Indeed, there seemed a clear case to answer when studies in the late 90's and early 2000's revealed a higher than normal rate of cancer being reported in areas clustered close to mobile phone masts.

More recent studies however seem to have discredited the link. They have cited other external and environmental factors as the cause. That said, there is still no definitive proof, one way or the other. Given that many hundreds of thousands of homes across the UK reside in the radiation 'smog' surrounding mobile phone masts, should homeowners be concerned?

Living in a strong radio frequency field

'Yes', homeowners should be concerned claim Mast Sanity -- the UK's leading opposition organisation to the siting of mobile phone masts near homes and schools. They point to expert opinion and studies independent of telephone operators that cast doubt on research findings which claim to categorically deny that health risks exist from mobile phone mast radiation. The body of evidence they point to is substantial and shows that not only can radiation from mobile phone masts increase cancer risk, but exposure to the radiation can cause a wide variety of illnesses including headaches, skin rashes, nausea and epilepsy.

A petition to the Prime Minister has been organised by the group that calls on the government to put safeguards in place to ensure no persons will be harmed through radiation exposure from mobile phone handsets, masts and WiFi technology.

On the other side of the fence, the Mobile Operators Association (MOA), which represents the UK's five mobile phone networks, takes the opposite viewpoint. They cite the thirty or so studies that underline an absence of risk to the public from mobile phone radiation / mast radiation, so long as radio frequency (RF) fields are at or below the international guidelines on exposure limits -- which they are for the UK's network of base stations and masts.

But who do you believe? If you're like the majority then you're probably of the opinion that the jury's still out on making a decision! Caution on both arguments could well be the best policy - especially when powerful conglomerates have a vested interest of keeping the public in the dark, as they stand to lose potentially billions as a result of negative reports about this issue.  

Protecting your property against RF emissions

If you live in close proximity to a mobile phone mast and feel the need to act against the unit's potentially harmful RF emissions, your best course of action is to form a campaign to lobby the council or local government with a view to having the mast removed or relocated. In terms of protecting your property you can reduce trespass of emissions into your rooms by lining walls with aluminium foil. Failing that you can apply a carbon paint to your walls, one variety of which claims to deflect 98% of incoming radiation from mobile phone masts. Magnetic paint may also be used to absorb radio waves and prevent them from entering your property.

 

 

So far, with the link between mobile phone mast radiation and illnesses in those living nearby still unproven by mainstream science, no real knock-on effect has been observed in the value of property in affected areas. The question is, do you gamble on staying where you are or do you move? The choice is yours.