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Major study into phone emissions
Chris Jones, national political reporter
07jul03
TAXPAYERS will fund a five-year research project to determine if emissions from
mobile phone towers damage the health of residents.
Federal Health Minister Kay Patterson yesterday announced the establishment of a
$2.5 million electromagnetic energy research centre in Victoria to examine the
health risks posed by the towers in built-up areas.
The move follows years of community anger at the construction of the towers,
with fears about the potential health effects of exposure to radio emissions.
"Although no one has conclusively established a health risk through the use of
mobile phones, we need to broaden and strengthen Australia's research effort in
this area," Senator Patterson said.
The centre will be funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council
and based at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Researchers from five
institutions will contribute to the work which will be led by Professor Irena
Cosic.
The centre also will provide career development programs for researchers
studying the effects of electromagnetic energy.
The Australian Communications Authority late last year signed a new code of
practice aimed at improving the consultation process when phone companies
install facilities like the towers.
Under the code, phone companies face fines of up to $250,000 for not complying
with the ACA's tough new standards. The standards were designed to ease
community concerns by giving local councils and the public greater participation
in decisions made by phone carriers.
The code sets guidelines for the siting, design and operation of
telecommunications facilities, lists obligatory steps for planning, installing
and operating the facilities and requires carriers to develop a
complaint-handling process.
National Health and Medical Research Council chief executive Alan Pettigrew said
the issue of electromagnetic emissions from mobile phone towers was a matter of
great community concern, particularly considering there were about 13 million
mobile phones in Australia.
"There is a large amount of research looking at the possible health risks around
the world but there has been no conclusive evidence," he said.
"There is a high level of public interest in this field within Australia and the
centre will be able to contribute to the world-wide research from an Australian
perspective."
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