Times Of Swaziland: Taiwan had mobile phone masts removed Taiwan had mobile phone masts removed ================================================================================ KWANELE DHLADHLA on 01/08/2012 00:00:00 MBABANE - Taiwanese legislators ordered the removal of 1 500 mobile phone masts stating that homes and schools must not be exposed to the risk of radiation. The radiation emitted by mobile phone base stations could cause cancer, miscarriages, and could even drive people to suicide. The action by the Taiwanese government was one of the major changes implemented by world leaders to protect members of the public from extreme negative health effects caused by electromagnetic fields and cell masts, among other wirelessly connected communication services. In relation to the action by the Taiwanese government’s recent action; Lobamba Lomdzala Member of Parliament, Marwick Khumalo, advised that it would be wise to stop the installation of all cell masts with immediate effect, then conduct relevant research that would determine whether or not the project could continue. "Any government that cares about the welfare of its people would jump at the opportunity availed by the Taiwanese government through their action to discontinue the process," said Khumalo. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), met in Kyiv at Standing Committee level May 27, 2011 calling on European governments to ‘take all reasonable measures’ to reduce exposure to electromagnetic fields, especially to radio frequencies from mobile phones, ‘and particularly the exposure to children and young people who seem to be most at risk from head tumours’. According to parliamentarians, governments should, ‘or children in general, and particularly in schools and classrooms, give preference to wired Internet connections, and strictly regulate the use of mobile phones by schoolchildren on school premises’, and put in place information and awareness-raising campaigns on the risks of potentially harmful long-term biological effects on the environment and on human health, especially ‘targeting children and teenagers. Furthermore, the International Agency Research on Cancer (the foremost cancer research body in the world), the World Health Organisation and European Parliamentary Assembly are finally listening. First, in May 2011, IARC in Lyon issued a press release stating that radio frequency electromagnetic fields have been classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans (group 2B) based on an increased risk of glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer, associated with wireless phone use.   Campaigners saw this as a major breakthrough since it had long been noted that if research paid for by the mobile phone companies themselves, the independent studies left open-minded scientists in little doubt. According to researcher and environmental activist, Eileen O’Connor; "All electromagnetic radiation has a potentially hazardous threat. And that includes masts opposite your home and the poorly researched but ubiquitous Wi-Fi … and it takes 20 years for the brain and the nervous system to form fully (after the cell mast effects)." Lobamba against installation of mast MBABANE - Due to the proven negatively extreme health effects of cell masts and electric magnetic forces, the Lobamba Lomdzala constituency plans to turn down the proposed installation of a cell mast in their area. To ensure their stance will be implemented, the constituency’s leadership has appointed the Indvuna yeNkhundla to represent them and ensure that their position is carried through even at inner council’s level. A proposal has been made to install the cell mast in one of the commercial areas of the constituency. This revelation was made by Lobamba Lomdzala Member of Parliament Marwick Khumalo in an interview yesterday. "The decision to refuse the installation of the cell masts has been made in consideration of the extremely negative health effects and to allow us to have more time for research on where it would be suitable to construct the cell masts, if need be. "However, currently our stance as the leadership of the area is that it should not be installed in the commercial area, as initially proposed," said Khumalo.