TETRA: Say no to an unsafe technologyfind out more information about TETRA

Indications for the need of proper investigation

 

Take a careful look

This page is not exclusively about TETRA, and the pictures below are not from TETRA sites. Nonetheless, there is a great similarity in microwave transmissions, and TETRA does not stand outside this family, even though it has its own specifically worrying characteristics. Here we are looking at what could be the results of chronic exposure to pulsed microwave radiation.

What the pictures below represent is quite simple. Clusters of particular diseases such as cancer and motor neurone disease, have been reported and attributed to microwave transmission masts. There are classic cases such as cancers around a T-Mobile mast in Wishaw, or motor neurone disease around a Dolphin (TETRA) mast in Drumcarrow. Not only is there a growing number of these cluster reports, but the diseases are easily linked to the feared biological effects of pulsed microwave radiation, in terms of supressed immune systems, reduced melatonin, calcium efflux.

 On the link to motor neurone disease, see this summary paper, but read also some of our links about these health issues.

You can see how the mobile phone operators responded to the All Party Parliamentary Mobile Group in May 2004, on page 13 ff. in this report (Word doc). Basically, ‘people get cancer everywhere, this is not unexpected and not attributable to mobile masts’. What they fail to answer, for example, is rare forms of cancer in neighbours (such as in Drumcarrow), the coincidence of cancers in younger people, the statistically significant numbers, and, indeed, the patterns revealed here.

We do not presuppose that the picture is simple. Indeed, what is emerging is that environmental factors can have a great effect. Drumcarrow, for example is built on iron-bearing hills, and has houses employing metal in their structures. (See our page on patterns, hotspots etc.) What we do say is that this kind of investigation should be happening formally and fully, and the results discussed openly and dispassionately.

Move your mouse over these pictures for captions:

What these pictures represent

Data on reports of clusters has been brought together with OS maps. These have been superimposed on computer-simulation software maps of beam intensity. The software is used by the mobile industry to map emission coverage onto the topography of an area in order to assess coverage.

Areas of highest intensity are yellow, declining through green to pale blue. The black circle represents a 250 metre radius from the mast in question. Red dots are cases (here) of cancers. There is no attempt to claim that all the dots are due to the presence of the mast. However, it is striking that a distinct pattern emerges.

Implications

Responses to maps like this are either to be dismissive (they don’t show what they appear to show), scared, or in denial (I love, I need, my mobile phone: don’t tell me!). Yes, we are a civilisation in love with communication. There’s nothing wrong with that. But if the technology for doing so is itself dangerous, we need safer ways of communicating than with pulsed microwaves. Are we just dying to talk?
 

back back

TETRA, mixed and shared
TETRA in mast sharing. Government choice and saves planning, but with what combination effect?
 

Home    National    TETRA    Science    Links    Localities    Campaign    Contact us