Written answers
Wednesday, 5 July 2006
Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
Communications Masts
12:00 pm
Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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Question 63: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he has received information indicating health problems arising from the proximity to mobile phone masts or electricity transmission lines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26549/06]
Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)
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The consensus of scientific literature to date regarding possible adverse health effects from exposure to electromagnetic fields from facilities such as power lines, mobile phones and their base stations is that there is no evidence of a causal relationship between such exposure and illhealth.
The Government approved the establishment of an inter-departmental committee on the health effects of electromagnetic fields in September of last year. The committee is chaired by my Department and will provide advice to Government on the appropriate action to be taken on foot of the recommendations contained in the report, "Non-ionising radiation from mobile phone handsets and masts", published in June, 2005 by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications Marine and Natural Resources.
This committee has overseen the establishment of an expert group on the health effects of electromagnetic fields, which has undertaken a thorough review of the latest scientific reports and will report to the committee on the current scientific consensus and science based policy. The inter-departmental committee expects to report to Government by the end of the summer.
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