`Cottage industry' in anti-mast campaigns claimed

Campaigns against the erection of mobile phone masts are fast developing into a "cottage industry", an Oireachtas committee was told yesterday. The claim by the chief executive of Esat Digifone, Mr Barry Maloney, was angrily denied by residents' groups who said there were genuine health fears arising from the "proliferation" of masts. Mr Maloney told the Committee on Public Enterprise and Transport that a number of self-appointed experts had stoked up genuine fears in local communities by spreading "spurious claims" about the ill-effects of radio-based technologies.

"It is my belief that these so-called experts invariably charge for their services, to the extent that a mini-cottage industry is fast developing on a national scale in this area, which I strongly condemn," he said.

A number of residents' groups representatives who were at the meeting said they resented suggestions they were "cranks" or were stoking up concern. They also condemned the lack of consultation with local communities about the erection of masts in their areas.

"Studies and reports from around the world, including Ireland, by doctors and scientists may differ on some points, but all have one thing in common, and that is that more research has to be done before 100 per cent safety can be guaranteed," said Mr John Doyle of Cavan-Monaghan Anti-Mast Action Group. Ms Gerardine Delorey of Carrick-on-Shannon Concerned Residents said the consent of local communities should always be sought and granted before any base station was erected. The chief executive of Eircell, Mr Stephen Brewer, said the company took the concerns of residents seriously, but there was no conclusive evidence that radio frequency exposure would result in ill health.

The committee, which is preparing a report on planning and health issues arising from the rapid development of the mobile phone industry, was also told the results of a major audit of radiation emission levels from masts would be published this summer. The audit, to ensure radio frequency operators are adhering to international guides on radiation exposure limits, is being carried out by the State agency Forbairt.

The director of telecommunications regulation, Ms Etain Doyle - whose office commissioned the study - said preliminary results from two sites showed that maximum exposure levels of non-ionising radiation were at least 1,000 times below guideline limits.

Ms Doyle, whose office was recently established to regulate the telecommunications industry, said she had written to the major licensed operators - Telecom Eireann, RTE, Eircell, Esat Digifone and the MMDS operators - to advise them of the comprehensive audit.