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While the debate rages on whether microwaves used/generated by mobile phones are a health hazard, I am in a predicament.

Without consulting me, my uncle had GSM antennas installed on my four storeyed building. Sure, I get monthly rent.

I am not staying in that building, but my tenants are.

Should I have the antennae removed ?

I don't think this antenna would cause any harm to you tennants!

Microwaves are no longer an issue for pacemaker patients, I do know that!

1.Sue your uncle for criminal trespass and damage to your building !! Even uncles can`t do that !!

2.Leave the aerials in place until there is any evidence that they are dangerous.

3.If one of your tenants complains about them,smile sweetly and say they`re harmless.

Smile sweetly, I shall. As for my Uncle, I am as yet undecided

1. yes - all radiation is dangerous if your are too close and the frequency,power, and exposures levels are dangerous.
2. In general microwaves don't travel far and are easily blocked by structures.
3. Unless you're standing right next to the antenna for prolonged periods I wouldn't worry about.
4. Grabbing the antenna with your hands is not advised either and could lead to RF burns.
5. Directional microwave antennas concentrate the energy in a narrow path. Do not stand in front of such antennas. Directional anetennas are often found on radars and cell phone towers. While normally they are placed so people can't stand in front of them, it is possible. I have seen episodes of people getting cooked with military radars. In fact there is a new weapon system being developed by the Army that uses concentrated microwaves for riot control.

All I know is when I use my microwave I try to stay out of in front of it, and preferably on the other side of a big object like the fridge or another room Don't want my boys fried.

Yes man !

I don't want anthing nasty happening to any tenant or neighbour.

I read somewhere (can't place it right now, will have to google), that the whole top floor was cleared, some where in Australiaa, because of the large incidence of brain cancer !

I know that, it was on top of RMIT.

That took quite a few years to develop tho, but those are huge antennas.

Microwave ovens are shielded, you shouldn't need to worry about them.

Contrary to what Tedster says, not all radiation is harmful. Everyone's exposed to a small amount of background radiation at all times, so that immediately contradicts that statement

Besides, if they're all harmful, nobody should be using handphones, because those emit radiation as well. However, this radiation is much lower than the background radiation previously mentioned, so its probably not a problem. Only time can tell for sure (and billions of dollars into safety research :wink

Thank you CMH.

To begin with my first statement began with.

And, one thing I do know for sure : all radiation (even those occuring naturally) are not necessarily safe.

microwave oven radiation is safe and its travel distance is very short. It's energy excites water and fat atoms. No need to be paranoid about it.

Fundamentals of Physics (Halliday/Resnick/Walker) explains nicely how the microwave oven works.

Wasn't there something on the news about a 'heat gun' or something similar ?

This is my take on it.

With almost 3 billion mobiles phones in use around the world(see HERE), if there was a health problem, I would`ve thought it`d have shown up big time by now.

It seems to me the media love scaring the hell out of us with sensationalist stories. Facts seem very thin on the ground at the moment.

I`m not too sure what the situation is regarding the Mobile phone masts(antennae) themselves, and probably more research is needed in order to determine any health risks that may or may not be present.

When it comes to microwave ovens, again I can`t find any conclusive evidence one way or the other as to any possible health risks. Again, with the vast number of these appliances in use, I would think any health problems would be well documented.

All I know, is the life expectancy in the western world keeps rising. I sometimes wonder if that in itself ties in with the increase in cancer etc. In other words, the longer we live, the more likely it is that we will develop health issues that wouldn`t be so prevalent in a younger population.

Regards Howard

Strength in numbers, I guess.

Actually, it seems to me that there has been scant coverage on the topic of health hazards/safety in the media.

The media, can of course blow things way out of proportion, and can even hound people literally to death (Diana for example ?).

Well, thanks for trying to allay my fears.

I still feel a little queasy, though.

Regards,

Ravi Banthia

Think, if microwaves were really as dangerous as people worry, would we be alive right now? Microwaves are used from microwaves () to antenaes; they wouldn't make something and distribute it if were potentially dangerous as well (I hope ).

there have been some very long and serious scientific studies on cell phone antennas and they have come to the conclusion that they do not hurt the brain.
We have been using handheld radios since the 1940s.

Ok. I feel better now.

But how about frequency, intensity & radiation pressure ?

Mobiles are basically very high frequency two way radios.

Everything is harmful. Need proof? We all die in the end, don't we?

The question is, whether this one thing contributes meaningfully to our chances of developing some nasty condition or just going belly up.

I have to agree with Howard here. If there was anything to panic about, we'd already be panicking

You contribute more to your health (and to the health of others) by not smoking, drinking sensibly, eating less than a hippo and driving carefully.

High frequency doesn't really mean a thing if it emits only 1 microWatt. Its the amount of energy that'll make frequency something to worry about.

Also, I'm sure many Techspot users use wireless mice/keayboards/network... If frequency (or radiation) was going to be a health issue, these 2.4ghz devices would've fried their brains by now.

[quote=ravisunny2]Without consulting me...[quote]
I think this is just a lack of respect on your uncle's part, and you need to put your foot up his ***. NOW!!