Chief expresses concern about increases in Telecommunication Masts

Essienimpong (Ash), Sept. 2, GNA - Nana Kwaku Bio, Chief of Essienimpong in the Ejisu Juaben Municipality in the Ashanti Region, has expressed concern about the increasing rate at which telecommunication mast were being erected across the country.

He was of the opinion that these masts had some health risk pose by electromagnetic radiation, hence the need to check its spread. Nana Kwaku Bio expressed the concern in an interview with Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Essienimpong on Friday.

He explained that telecommunication masts, which were supposed to be far from human settlement were now been built in the mist of human settlement and this was posing serious health threat to those who stayed closed to the masts.

He said diseases such as cancers, especially brain tumor and leukaemia, cardiovascular problem, fluctuations in blood pressure, neurological effects, including sleeping disturbance, learning difficulties, depression, frequent headache and viral and infectious diseases as some of the health problems posed by the telecommunication masts build close to human settlements. Nana Bio said findings by health researchers have revealed that the masts could also cause reproductive effects like miscarriage among women.

He urged government, the national Communication Authority and the Media Commission to be up and doing by bringing the telecommunication companies and radio operators to book to save Ghanaians from the health problems posed by the masts. He appealed to district assemblies to monitor the building of masts in their communities in order to control the health risk posed by the masts.

He was quick to add that even though Ghanaians need the services of those companies to develop, "their health conditions should not be played with".

Nana Bio, entreated the companies that put up masts in the country to desist from building their masts at the mist of human settlement, to prevent people from being infected with diseases whose spread has been associated with the masts. He suggested that the transmitters be built over a wide area from three to nine miles away from human settlement. He called on the Parliament to enact laws to regulate the building of masts in the country, "but if there is one it should be enforcement". 2 Sept. 08