Derek Main, National Alliance Against Cell Masts
In many cases, procedures to put up cell masts are deeply flawed, and in some cases the process is entirely illegal. Citizens concerned with cell masts popping up overnight on their doorsteps are faced with apathetic and ignorant public officials, a rapacious cellular company and inevitably expensive court cases.
However, the South African public is now getting organised to fight back. The National Alliance Against Cell Masts is a group of concerned citizens who have banded together to prevent this free-for-all.
The organisation will launch itself officially on Monday June 11, which is International Electromagnetic Frequency (EMF) Awareness Day.
This day is the anniversary of the suicide of a 15-year-old British schoolgirl who took her own life because her school refused to switch off its wi-fi network. She claimed that the wi-fi was causing anxiety, depression and loss of concentration.
World-wide, concern is growing about the effects of untested EMF radiation on humans and the environment. EMF limits were set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) in 1998 and have not been revised since.
Over the last 10 years, the telecommunications industry has introduced wireless technology in the form of smartphones, wi-fi, smart meters, baby monitors, portable phones and an ever-increasing number of cell masts.
The electromagnetic frequency of these emissions has gone from 300MHz (the same as your radio or television set) to 2.4GHz (the same as your microwave oven). Regulations have not kept up with increased, long-term exposure at higher frequencies.
A growing number of people are reporting symptoms of Electromagnetic Frequency Intolerance Syndrome (EMFIS), otherwise known as microwave sickness. Symptoms include headaches, muscle pain, tinnitus, depression, anxiety, brain fog, loss of memory, neurological disturbances and skin rashes. In some cases, these symptoms are debilitating.
The wireless communications industry has a vested interest in suppressing all information that might indicate that long-term exposure to the high frequencies from 4G and 5G radiation could be harmful to health. The multi-billion-dollar telecommunications industry has the enthusiastic support of certain scientists and journalists, who routinely rubbish reports of ill-effects from wireless radiation as ‘the nocebo effect’.
Unfortunately for these scientists and journalists, more and more medical evidence is emerging that EMF radiation does affect people negatively, and even the cellular companies are beginning to take note. As British Telecomm warned shareholders in their 2017 annual report, “We cannot provide absolute assurance that research in the future won’t establish links between radio frequency emissions and health risks.”
Please visit the NAACM website at www.naacm.co.za for more information and access to a network designed to assist people who wish to combat unnecessary cell masts. Queries can be directed to niki@naacm.co.za or derek@naacm.co.za
