[Opinion] Save our children
by Farhat Ullah Baig
The extensive installation of mobile phone Base Stations near schools, hospitals and residential areas has been accompanied by public debate about possible adverse effects on human health. The concerns relate to the emissions of radiofrequency (RF) radiation from the base stations that receive and transmit the signals.
Parents are especially concerned with the possibility that children might develop cancer after exposure to the RF emissions from mobile telephone base stations erected in or near schools.
There are two direct ways by which health could be affected as a result of exposure to RF radiation. These are by thermal (heating) effects caused mainly by holding mobile phones close to the body, and as a result of possible non-thermal effects from both phones and base stations. Also some people’s well-being may be adversely affected by the environmental impact of mobile phone base stations sited near their homes, schools or other buildings, as well as by their fear of perceived direct effects.
For base station emissions, exposures of the general population will be to the whole body. Base stations communicate with mobile phones within a defined area or “cell”. These can be of three types: macrocells, microcells and picocells depending upon their size and the power output of the antenna.
Whilst the increase in certain illnesses has been steady for about four decades – most figures indicate that for the last 15 years there has been a steep increase worldwide in illnesses such as cancers, cardiac illness, diabetes, asthma, allergies in children, and neurological conditions such as short term memory problems, Alzheimer’s disease and sleeplessness.
The currently acknowledged causes of these illnesses are chemical pollution, artificial environmental hormones and the pace of modern living, however a marked spike suggest a major new environmental factor is involved. Arguably, the only new factor is the sudden explosion in wireless communications technology, The major cause of these illnesses is the effects of low level microwave radiation on human health, and many scientists agree that such illnesses are a likely outcome of exposure to the such microwave signals transmitted and received by cell phone base stations.
the late New Zealand physicist and meta-analyst Dr Neil Cherry, studied the work of over 600 researchers worldwide. He found that EMR caused DNA breakages, chromosome aberrations, increased oncogene activity in cells, altered brain activity, altered blood pressure and increased brain cancer at very low levels – much lower than those allowed by the Australian standard. He also found that it impacts on the pineal gland in the brain, resulting in a reduction of melatonin. Melatonin is vital to the body’s biochemical systems, including the mediation of many hormone functions (including the control of weight) and is a major scavenger of damaging free radicals, leading to increased DNA strand breaks and chromosome aberrations. These observed biological changes can in turn lead to cancer and reproductive damage. The rise in high blood pressure is also linked to melatonin production.
In Australia in 2007 the Baker Heart Research Institute found that 42 per cent of Australians now have high blood pressure, which is reflected in the research of Dr Stephan Braune of the University of Freiberg in Germany, who found in 1998 that raised blood pressure occurred as a result of exposure to electromagnetic radiation. Other studies have produced similar results.
The pulsed high frequency electro magnetic fields from mobile phone base stations led to a new, previously unknown pattern of illnesses with a characteristic symptom complex. People suffer from one, several or many of the following symptoms: Sleep disturbances, tiredness, disturbance, in concentration, forgetfulness, problem with finding words, depressive mood, ear noises, sudden loss of hearing, hearing loss, giddiness, nose bleeds, visual disturbances, frequent infections, sinusitis, joint and limb pains, nerve and soft tissue pains, feeling of numbness, heart rhythm disturbances, increased blood pressure episodes, hormonal disturbances, night-time sweats, nausea. Even at 10μW/m2 (only 0.06 V/m average) many people are becoming ill.
The symptoms occur in temporal and spatial relationship to exposure. It is no way only a subjective sensitivity disturbance. Disturbances of rhythm, hearing problems, sudden deafness, hearing loss, loss of vision, increased blood pressure, hormonal disturbances, concentration impairments, and others can be proved using scientific objective measures. Some of the health disturbance disappears immediately the exposure ceases (temporary moving away from home, permanently moving away, using shielding).
Therefore, the expansion must be stopped immediately. Mobile phone base stations, in whose fields people are exposed to more than 10μW/m2 must be turned off.
Evaluation of symptoms of 356 people under long time home exposure to high frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields ( mobile phone base Stations)
The symptom groups are defined as follows:
Group 1: Sleep disturbance, tiredness, depressive mood
Group 2: Headaches, restlessness, dazed state, irritability, disturbance of Concentration, forgetfulness, learning difficulties, difficulty finding words.
Group 3: Frequent infections, sinusitis, lymph node swellings, joint and limb pains nerve and soft tissue pains, numbness or tingling, allergies
Group 4: Tinnitus, hearing loss, sudden hearing loss, giddiness, impaired balance, visual disturbances, eye inflammation, dry eyes
Group 5: Tachycardia, episodic hypertension, collapse
Group 6: Other symptoms (Hormonal disturbances, thyroid disease, night sweats, frequent urge to urinate, weight increase, nausea, loss of appetite, nose bleeds, skin complaints, tumors, diabetes)
So it is time to raise our voice against the installation of mobile phone towers near residential areas and schools. There r some 5 towers in Karimabad Hunza very much near to the Royal Academy School where half of the children from karimabad study. Do we want half of karimabad’s new generation to be paralyzed to benefit one person in terms of rent for the towers?
Time to raise the voice to save our new generation.
Thanks Noor for publishing the article. We need to stop this genocide by the greedy people who want to paralyze our new generation for a small amount of money. We all should stand against this crime and force them to move the towers from lands near schools and residential area.
I think mobile phones have now become necessary and indispensable for our daily activities. We have now almost become dependent on these new devices. Technology of all kinds is an important pre-requisite for human progress. Having said this public policy makers now need to pay attention to issues of sustainable technology use, be that biotechnology, be that mobile phones, be that electric power or simple the use and consumption of crud oil.
Farhad sahip has however raised a pertinent question as to the harmful effects of installing phone boosters, towers and other hazards uses of technology. In Baltit these phone towers are erected amidst residential areas and near school buildings and they emit radiofrequency (RF) radiation, and hence there is a growth in such disease as blood cancer, disease which were unknown only two decades ago.
To add salt to injury these mobile phone boosters are erected in Gazani’s fields and he gets royalty and other rents. This guy is so selfish that he has not allowed this meager income to go to even a poor farmer, and unfortunately there are those of his supporters who cannot see all this kind of violation of rights of poor peasants.
ali al-Hakim
It is a very good effort by Pamir Times to make us aware of the adverse effect of technologies in our environment.
But i am really worried after reading this article because a huge telecom tower has been placed adjacent to my previous school Al-Amyn in Gojal.I would humbly request the concerned leaders to check the status of the above referred tower as well, and when required for the betterment of our future generation, shift that tower to some other place where relevant.
One thing I would also like to mention on this scenario is that why in this modern world of knowledge and information we are moving with investments without research about their future usability and impact.
Sher Khan
Rawalpindi
I agree the opinion of Farhad Baig. The youth of Hunza are with you in this cause.
This is an important responsibility of Mr. Ghaznafar Ali , who is representing the people of Hunza, to know the side effects of the towers installation and do necessary measures to take us out from it. But unfortunately he is the person who encouraged the installation of these towers on HIS LAND.
Our effort should be on the transference of these towers from the living area and place them far away.
…LETS SEE HOW OUR REPRESENTATIVE CAN WORK ON IT..
Come on People RAISE your VOICE and protect OUR future generations …
THIS IS THE TIME or it will be TOO LATE !!
There are several reports done on mobile phone towers. They all pretty much say the same thing that they may cause sickness to humans specially to kids so despite who is making money off of it. Our concern and movement should be directed towards the phone companies first. Why are they picking spots like these in residential area to place their towers. There are actions available without naming names and getting personal. We should BOYCOTT these phone companies. We should ask these phone companies to remove their CRAP to should be given an area away from the local population.
Our focus should be the phone companies not the person who is making money. I guarantee you that everyone of us will have a tower on our property to get that 25000 rupees rent every month. We are all greedy but Mr. Ghazanfar Ali Khan is more greedy than a normal HUMAN that is besides the fact.
Ali was talking about mobile phones have become such an important part of our daily life, I am sorry but I don’t agree with that. I can understand the working people need a mobile phone to run the business but we the school children who we are fighting for right here. I have seen these children with better mobile phones than you and I have. Has anyone ask why does a school kid needs a phone. You want grass root activisim then we should have the guts to look at ourself in the mirror and confront ourselves.
Here is how you close down a business. STOP BUYING THE PRODUCT THEN THE PLACE CLOSES DOWN BETTER YET TELL THE BUSINESS WHY YOU ARE NOT BUYING THE PRODUCT THE BUSINESS WILL EITHER STOP THAT PRACTICE OR BE OUT OF BUSINESS.
GUYS, let’s call a spade, spade. We are corrupt. I remember the days when our parents use to get on top of the roof of the house and yell out our names and we responded to it. The distance has not changed in the last 25 years so did we need so many phone companies in Hunza to begin with?
Why were we sleeping at that moment and not got together and stop them.
I am all for the cause but let’s fight it on a bigger platform. Get these phone companies to move the towers by boycotting the companies and the rest will take care of it self. YOU KNOW WE COULD DO IT. PEOPLE CAN DO ANYTHING IF THEY WORK TOGETHER.