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Tower Switch-Off Embarrasses Electrosensitives
Sockatume writes "Residents in Craigavon, South Africa complained of '[h]eadaches, nausea, tinnitus, dry burning itchy skins, gastric imbalances and totally disrupted sleep patterns' after an iBurst communications tower was put up in a local park. Symptoms subsided when the residents left the area, often to stay with family and thus evade their suffering. At a public meeting with the afflicted locals, the tower's owners pledged to switch off the mast immediately to assess whether it was responsible for their ailments. One problem: the mast had already been switched off for six weeks. Lawyers representing the locals say their case against iBurst will continue on other grounds."
There can well be something else that causes symptoms of area residents which is not related to microwave radiation. This may or may not be related to iBurst. For example, construction of the tower could have used toxic materials responsible for rashes, headaches and so on. The fact that symptoms appeared at the same time as the tower still bears investigation, but the world is full of coincidences.
Perhaps this proves that "electrosensitivity" is more mental than tangible....
The issue that remains is if a company can be held responsible for the mental anguish that it indirectly caused. (I mention indirectly, because the act of constructing a tower isn't directly changing peoples mental condition, it's simply "turning on" something that may have been there)... Either way, it should be interesting to see how this pans out...
If a man isn't willing to take some risk for his opinions, either his opinions are no good or he's no good
Why is this in Idle? It's a real issue, not because the electrosensitives are right, but because they cause real trouble. Good evidence against them is valuable.
Lost: one sig, witty, 120 chars, sentimental value. Reward offered.
Wtiches. That's al these lunatics are, the modern day equivalent of people who think they're being cursed by witches.
Of course grounded wire mesh wouldn't do much to reduce the very low frequency magnetic fields coming from power lines. I bet he knew that. I also bet he didn't tell his wife that.
This limits the construction of any EMF emitting source including things like cell phone towers and power lines. There is enough belief in the idea that EMF causes medical problems that companies are pretty much unable to push construction projects ahead in the face of opposition.
The result of this is that building a new transmission line in a new area is pretty much off limits unless it winds around to avoid existing structures by miles and miles. If someone can see it, they can use this as an argument to prevent (or at least delay) construction. I have seen this happen in Illinois.
Anyone thinking that we are going to get all sorts of new "green" superconducting transmission lines for wind and solar power needs to understand the seriously wacked out nature of these protesters. Until these issues are really put to rest, they will prevent progress on many fronts.
Think the cell phone brain cancer rumors are over? This is the same people, and it keeps coming up every few years.
They really really don't want this tower anywhere near them and now that the electrosensitivity excuse didn't work they're trying other approaches.
Sigs are too short to say anything truly profound so read the above post instead.
I suspect that at least some of them are fully sincere. Hysterical and incorrect; but sincere. It wouldn't totally surprise me, though, if there is also a set of people who just think that the tower is an eyesore, or that some part of the planning process wasn't correctly followed, or otherwise just want the tower scrapped, who are happy to tell the first group "Oh gosh, yes. The terrible headaches, you should sue..." and use them as the useful idiots.
The worst part was that he freely admitted that his wife was a loon.
It's not the worst part - to be honest that is just how it is - if it made her happy and comfortable living there then he did what he needed to.
the worst part is - he isn't alone - the rest of us poor suckers would do it too.
'...if only "Jumping to a Conclusion" was an event in the Olympics.'
I doubt they'd get anything for frivolity, as hypochondria is real and people may have sincerely believed they were being affected by the tower. Frivolous lawsuit laws are to protect against malicious litigation, and I doubt that's the case here.
That said, they're still a bunch of nutheads. To not have said "oh... it was OFF for the last month? hummm maybe it's just ME". But no, to persist saying the tower is causing their problems, indicates they have "other unresolved issues" besides hypochondria.
I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
How about a better lie? I say that the technical crowd starts telling people that towers that give off electromagnetic signals cause increased libido in laboratory mice. Then your biggest problem is people tresspassing to screw under the towers but you can also sell wireless routers in sexed-up packaging in adult novelty stores for a tidy profit.
If you didn't come to party don't bother knocking on my door. Prince '1999'
iBurst appointed an independent and accredited EIA consultant and that the correct procedures were followed - including notifying the adjacent property owners and publishing notices in the press and on the site itself. He added that he is confident that all processes and procedures were followed to the letter.
I figure that this is more like what happened. "Damn cell phones. The service sucks out here! I pay good money every month and I can hardly ever get a signal. I've been calling those lazy bastard to do something every week but those corporate fat cats are too busy counting their money. I swear some day I'm gona... what the. What are all those trucks and people doing there? Building a cell tower? I don't want a cell tower in our town. Those things cause cancer and other things. I don't want to look at an ugly tower. Go build that thing in another town. What the hell made you guys thing that we wanted a tower here?"