Are mobile phone masts making us ill?

Colin Hutton 1574 - 1574 • Published 28 May 2008 10:00

FEARS have been raised that a community"s health could be at risk because of an 'excessive' amount of phone masts in the area.

With a total of seven masts, many residents are concerned that recent ill-health - including dizzyness and migraines - might be down to the phone towers.

And with two of the masts - which are operated by mobile phone giant O2 - situated just yards apart, people living in Knightswood"s Rotherwood and Baldwin avenues now want assurances that the masts are definitely not affecting their health.

Archie McDowall, who lives right next to the two masts, claims that since they were erected more than two years ago almost everyone who lives in the street has seen their health suffer.

The 70-year-old told the Post: 'There are a lot of people who have been feeling dizzy, lethargic and have no energy.

'And I seem to have got worse since these things have been put there.

'I"m no expert so I can"t say if it"s linked, but I would like to be told one way or the other what the health risks are.

'The majority of people in the street are against them and I really don"t understand why we need to have two so close together - it seems excessive.

'If the deterioration in my health is because of the masts then it certainly concerns me that they are there.

'I would like to see the Scottish Government take this issue seriously and do a proper investigation into the pros and cons of these masts.

'All we want is to be reassured that these masts are totally safe.'

Margaret Cardoo, who also lives on the street, added: 'I"ve never been so ill with migraines and sickness - I need to know what"s causing it.'

A spokesman for O2 said: 'The sites have been there for at least a couple of years and when we first looked to build them we carried out consultation with the residents and had no negative comments.

'There"s been a lot of research carried out in the last ten years into mobile phone technology and there"s absolutely no link between health and the masts.

'We certainly believe the technology is safe.

'This is something we take very seriously and we always make sure that sites comply with all the health and safety measures in place.'

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This article appeared in Clydebank Post 28 May 08

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