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."

Comments

Correlation != Causation

[iamacat]

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.

Re:Correlation != Causation

[CdBee]

The world is also full of hypochondriacs

Re:Correlation != Causation

[Chris Burke]

There can well be something else that causes symptoms of area residents which is not related to microwave radiation.

Sure, sure. The symptoms could be "real" (as in caused by a real external factor rather than hypochondria), and caused by something in the environment.

This is what the end result of the long-time theories that high tension transmission lines were causing cancer. The EM radiation was harmless as always, but the herbicides they used to clear the ground under the towers was not.

The question in my mind which TFA doesn't answer and could point out whether or not this is the case: When the company announced that they were turning off the tower, did the residents symptoms abate? If so, they're clearly mental in origin. If not, well, maybe they didn't believe the cell company, or maybe there's something in the environment that is actually harming them.

If their symptoms are real, an actual chemical being their cause makes so much more sense that it just boggles me that this isn't the first thing people choose to blame. But no, their insistence on it being due to EM actually gets in the way of the more straightforward investigation.

Re:Correlation != Causation

[Citizen of Earth]

caused by something in the environment.

They could also be caused by wanting to get money for nothing.

Perhaps

[ircmaxell]

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...

Why is this in Idle?

[boojum.cat]

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.

Re:Ha.

[MaskedSlacker]

Wtiches. That's al these lunatics are, the modern day equivalent of people who think they're being cursed by witches.

Re:"The case will continue...."

[v1]

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.

Re:Hey, the placebo effect is very real!

[rev_sanchez]

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.