Here are some useful paragraphs that you may wish to include in any TETRA objection letters to District Councils and other bodies. These comments are not reactionary or emotional. They are based on good scientific facts and evidence.



· Emissions from mobile phones and phone masts are subject to limits defined in guidelines issued by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). Any mast which conforms to those limits is deemed by the government to be safe. The government does all it can to make it very difficult for local authorities to even consider the possible hazards to health that might be posed by a mast which conforms to ICNIRP guidelines.



· There are huge doubts over the ICNIRP and NRPB guidelines. For one type of microwave system (for example) 900 units (in micro Watts per square cm) are allowed by ICNIRP and 3300 units by the NRPB. As a contrast Toronto allows 6 units and the recent Salzburg argreement only allows one-tenth of one unit. The Salzburg agreement was signed by 19 scientists representing 9 countries. Thus there is a discrepancy of nearly 10,000 times between the ICNIRP guidelines and the Salzburg agreement.



· Only one effect is taken into consideration by ICNIRP and the NRPB, that is the effect of heating on human tissues. This is a very important point because there is an enormous amount of peer-reviewed scientific literature showing often replicable biological effects that are likely to have serious health consequences, occurring at levels far below that which causes heating.



· In ignoring non-heating effects, the proponents of these microwave-based communication systems are ignoring good science, carried out by thousands of individuals over thousands of man-years of research. This research has led us to understand that the human organism is an electromagnetic (em) instrument of great and exquisite sensitivity that has evolved on a planet where levels of em fields of this type were almost non-existent. Additionally, it has been established that tiny em fields are used down at a cellular and sub-cellular level in our bodies and are responsible for driving the very processes that make us alive and well. By swamping, and polluting our environment with this radiation, we will be upsetting these processes at the very core level.



· There is now much evidence to suggest that long-term exposure to low-level electromagnetic radiation FAR BELOW THAT WHICH CAUSES HEATING can have an ACCUMULATIVE effect causing extremely deleterious effects on our bodies. Some illnesses found by research to be related to this exposure are:



blood problems, heart problems, interference with bone marrow, tumours, calcium interference, reduction in night time melatonin, skin problems, ear problems, increased risk of leukaemia, childhood cancer, sleep problems, depression, memory loss and loss of concentration, neurological illnesses, fatigue, miscarriage and infertility.



· TETRA has a carrier frequency of 400 MHz. This translates to a wavelength of 0.75m (75cm). This means that children make very good aerials to this signal because of their small size and, correspondingly will absorb more of this radiation than adults.



· The NRPB and the government insist that the base station masts do not ‘pulse’ at the 17.6Hz frequency known to affect the beta-waves in the brain. This is absolutely incorrect, and their insistence is all down to the definition of the term ‘pulsing’. In fact the base station masts DO pulse at both 17.6Hz and 70.4Hz. This is clearly seen in the NRPB’s own documents (Possible Health Effects ftom TETRA. Volume 12 No 2, 2001). More details on pulsing are available at www.powerwatch.org.uk. Pulsed microwave signals, as employed by the TETRA system have a much more aggressive effect on the body as they interfere with several well defined frequencies used by the body.



· Regardless of the science, there are now many reports of illness around existing TETRA masts. For example, in Durley, Glos whole families are reporting migraines, hallucinations and disturbed sleep patterns.



· Over 300 police officers have reported illnesses related to TETRA.