LettersOpinion

No basis for hysteria over cell mast

The hysteria surrounding the subject of a new cellphone mast is equivalent to that raging about global warming and fracking. It is based on dubious ‘science’, it is sickeningly emotional (the children attending the nearby nursery school have now been involved), and it is basically dishonest,  just as are the arguments for global warming and …

The hysteria surrounding the subject of a new cellphone mast is equivalent to that raging about global warming and fracking.

It is based on dubious ‘science’, it is sickeningly emotional (the children attending the nearby nursery school have now been involved), and it is basically dishonest,  just as are the arguments for global warming and against fracking.

Most people nowadays have cellphones, even Ms Roselea, and cellphone masts are necessary for the (excessive) use of these phones. Try taking away our cellphones and see what ructions that would bring.

As far as the scientific proof is concerned, at least Ms Roselea admits there is none. All of us live in a permanent ‘soup’ of electromagnetic radiation coming from outer space, from power lines, from transformer stations, from TV and radio broadcasts and from talking on cellphones. It is not desirable, but is a fact of life. There has been concern expressed, internationally, about certain power frequencies causing cancers but it has never been conclusively proven.

It is actually just a case of NIMBYism (Not In My Back Yard) – Ms Roselea would probably not care less if the mast was planned for another residential area. In the meantime, the modern way of dealing with this type of situation seems to not be fully honest about it, to generate as much hysteria as possible, and hope it will go away.

Wouldn’t it be more constructive to lobby MTN to put a decorative cellphone mast (shaped like a palm tree, or such) when they come to erect the mast?

DAVID PAGAN

Ballito

PS I live within 100 metres of the proposed new mast.

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