Cell phone antenna installations to be controlled

11-01-2008 | MARIJULIA PUJOL LLOYD

mpujolstar@laestrella.com.pa

Companies in need of antennas must share structures to hold them

Panama Star PANAMA. The National Authority of Public Services ASEP (Autoridad de Servicios Publicos) has ordered all the companies that install towers to support antennas must share the structures with other enterprises to avoid the proliferation or duplication of installations in the country.

The authority warned that in cases where an agreement cannot be reached over the sharing of towers it will intervene at the request of any of the parties, to guarantee the rights of the communities that feel affected by these structures.

A new decree appointed ASEP as the organism responsible, together with the Health Ministry, for setting up the technical norms and regulations for the installation and inspection of towers which haves antennas for cellular telephones.

Meanwhile, ASEP said that the municipal authorities can continue to grant construction permits for the building of towers until the new regulations are in place.

It added that the antennas approved for installation before the new decree takes effect will be processed as normal.

Recently the ASEP published a report about the measure of the levels of electromagnetic emissions and found that they are below or within the reference limits established by the Protection against non ionizing Radiations International Commission

The limits are 40.53V/m for cellular frequency and 28V/m for FM and TV VHF bands.

The report measured the level of harmful radiation in the provinces of Panama, Cocle, Veraguas, Herrera, Los Santos and Chiriqui and specifically in the towns of Juan Diaz, San Miguelito, Pocri, Nata, Santiago, Chitre, La Villa, Las Tablas, Canajagua, David, Bugaba and Paso Canoas.

There are 1.4 billion of cellular phone towers around the world which are emitting dangerous electromagnetic radiation.

These towers can emit radiation at a distance of up to 2 – 2 ½ miles.

Studies have shown that there is damage to the DNA and cells of the human body even at low levels of radiation exposure, leading to harmful diseases.

Microwave radiation from these cell phone towers can heat up body tissues, the same way that a microwave oven heats up food.

This can lead to brain tumors, most forms of cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, autism, and other serious illnesses.