A BAHRAINI professor has sought to ease public fears related to mobile phone masts, arguing that more masts actually decreased the risk from radiation.
He made the statement during a seminar organised by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), which heard there was still no evidence to show electromagnetic radiation from base station antennas was dangerous.
Bahrain University physics professor Dr Waheeb Alnaser accused unqualified scaremongers of spreading unnecessary panic about the masts.
"How is it that people can believe unqualified individuals and rumours rather than the hard evidence of science and research?" he asked, according to a statement released by the TRA.
"The more masts used by any one operator, the lower the power levels required to reach the mobile handsets and the lower power needed by the handsets themselves.
"More masts only decrease radiation levels."
Dr Alnaser, who is chairman of the Arabic section of the International Solar Energy Society and president of the International Energy Foundation of the Middle East, reportedly made the statement during a seminar attended by representatives of the Municipalities and Agriculture Ministry, BDF, Interior Ministry, telecom companies and the Public Commission for the Protection of Marine Resources, Environment and Wildlife.
Efforts to increase the number of phone masts in Bahrain have come up against stiff opposition, particularly in Muharraq where municipal councillors banned their construction.
They have since lifted the ban, but imposed strict criteria on telecom companies.
However, the TRA event heard that international research worth $300 million (BD113.4m) had indicated signals emitted by mobile masts were not dangerous.
During the event it was also claimed that more than 10,000 papers had been published on the subject, but there was no credible evidence to suggest masts that adhered to internationally-agreed standards were dangerous to health.
However, opponents argue there is no evidence to prove they are safe.
"The limit for radio frequency signal levels adopted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has been set 50 times lower than a level at which there is no evidence of any danger to human health," claimed Professor Michael Repacholi from Rome University, former co-ordinator of the Radiation and Environmental Health Unit at the WHO.
Officials at the event stated Bahrain was the first country in the region to issue a standard for radiation emitted from electromagnetic fields, in line with the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection standard and WHO recommendations.
Meanwhile, TRA general director Alan Horne claimed equipment for monitoring signal levels was now being used.
"The reports will be regularly updated on the TRA website," he said.
"(The) TRA, in co-operation with the (Public) Commission, will closely monitor signal levels to ensure that mobile masts stay well below the maximum level specified in the published standard."
He added the TRA was hoping a regulation on mast sharing would mean they would appear less visible to the public.
"We wish to see that masts on rooftops and freestanding masts should progressively better blend into their surroundings," he said.
