Over the past few years the increase in popularity of mobile phones has increased dramatically. The public is becoming more and more dependent on these devices as a way of communicating. The local publics’ reliance on these devices is evident through the number of mobile phone shops found at our local shopping centre, the Tea Tree Plaza. There are nine mobile phone shops spread throughout the centre. Some services even have more than two shops in this one shopping centre.
One of the most obvious sources of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) in the environment is from mobile phone base stations. In the several decades since mobile telephony transformed interpersonal communications, thousands of these structures have been erected throughout this country.
In addition to their concerns about the aesthetic impact of base stations, communities have questioned their effects on health. The levels of radiation emitted by base stations are much lower than for a mobile phone and very much lower than those allowed by Australian standards and are therefore considered by some agencies to be safe. However, uncertainty about the long-term impacts of even low levels of radiation and concern about the adequacy of Australian standar
“People have been exposed to RF radiation since the invention of radio and radar without any apparent ill effects”. This was one of the comments written by one of the homes surveyed. This shows that the public may look at health-related issues by examples and history, and not the possibilities of a problem. The public may have a problem when it’s too late and some damage has already been done.