Base stations' emissions 'well within safety limits'

A survey of mobile phone base stations has shown emission levels of electromagnetic frequencies to be well within the internationally accepted limits.

A Malta Communications Authority audit of about 60 locations carried out between June and October showed low to very low emissions.

With the exception of one site, all masts had average readings below four per cent of the maximum safe level for public exposure as per health guidelines. The areas covered span from Marsascala to Mellieha.

A site in Tower Road, Sliema had a reading of 15.2 per cent of the permissible exposure limit but according to the MCA there is absolutely no cause for alarm because this value is still only one-sixth that of the minimum acceptable level.

Base stations on rooftops close to homes frequently spark inquiries from people concerned about the potential health hazards.

The audits focused on approximately 60 sites, some of which are "co-located", meaning both Go Mobile and Vodafone have an antenna placed at the same location. This means the number of mobile phone base stations inspected was closer to 80.

MCA chief technology officer Colin Camilleri said the results reflect those carried out last year where, in the great majority of cases, the level of emissions were found to be a fraction of the level recommended by the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection. These levels have been adopted by the European Union and by the government.

The MCA has so far audited about 150 of the estimated 350 mobile phone base stations dotted around Malta and Gozo. In about 80 per cent of all cases, emission levels were under one per cent of the internationally accepted limits.

Mr Camilleri said the average readings were taken over a multitude of test points at each location, many not typically accessible to the public. The bulk of the testing took place in the immediate vicinity of an antenna.

The inverse square rule obeyed by electromagnetic radiation means that levels fall exponentially with distance rather than linearly. This means that the intensity at two metres from the source is one-fourth, and at three metres away one-ninth, of the intensity at one metre. This year the tests were derived from a mix of scheduled, random and on-demand tests. Such a system countered previous accusations that the testing was carried out in cahoots with the operators in some form of "cover up", Mr Camilleri said.

The audit will continue along similar lines this year but it is hoped that the scope can be extended to cover different sources of electromagnetic frequencies and not just those emanating from mobile phone base stations.