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Thursday December 31, 2009

Expert: Telecom towers safer than handphones


MUAR: Residents living near telecommunication towers have no need to fear as the electromagnetic radiation from these towers is lower than those from cellular phones.

Malaysian Nuclear Agency radiation safety and health division manager Dr Wan Saffiey Wan Abdullah said there was no proof that emission from the towers could cause illness to people nearby.

“We did not carry out studies on the effect of electromagnetic radiation on people but we adopted data used in the United States, Europe and China.” he said during a dialogue with residents of Jalan Said Tahir near here on Tuesday night.

“These nations and the World Health Organisation accepted the fact that radiation from telecommunication towers is a lot lower than those emitted by handsets,” he said.

Dr Wan Saffiey said people who were “electro-sensitive” to radiation from mobile phones, towers and wi-fi could become ill but their number was very small.

Relatively safe: Dr Wan Saffiey (second from right) telling the residents that electromagnetic radiation from telco towers is a lot lower than those from their mobiles

The people, he said, should also realise that certain sacrifices had to be made to achieve progress and telecommunication towers were needed for technology advancement.

He said the tower on a shophouse along Jalan Said Tahir was for the P1 WiMax mobile broadband service to serve residents in and around the town.

Residents had protested against the installation of the tower.

Earlier, Jalan Said Tahir resident association chairman Zaitun Lamat said the locals were worried that such a tower could emit electromagnetic radiation, causing them to suffer from the ill-effects.

She said the company involved in setting up the tower also did not meet the people to discuss the project.

Muar municipal council president Wahab Ridwan said the council had no problem with the construction of the tower as long as it followed all safety guides and requirements.

“The tower is necessary for high-speed mobile Internet connection service. We may not need such technology because we are old and do not understand what it is about but our children and grandchildren need new technology,” he said.

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