carried out tests on some of Bermuda's transmission towers.

He has been brought to the Island by the Ministry of Telecommunications to ensure the emissions from communication towers are within safe limits, and to check that recommendations have been followed up from his previous visit.

Yesterday, he spent time in Southampton, before travelling east to monitor the emissions from the towers outside Bermuda Harbour Radio at Fort George. And while there he also checked the radiation levels at nearby homes after residents had raised concerns over their proximity to the multi-functional tower. He will spend another week or so touring the Island and monitoring a range of sites, particularly outside schools, before submitting his findings to Minister Renee Webb.

But he told The Royal Gazette that from his work so far, Bermuda had nothing to worry about when it came to tower emissions.

He said: "So far, we have done Dockyard and the Southampton area and we have taken measurements of different sites. "We have essentially confirmed that we have had the same readings we had the last time I was here. The readings so far suggest they are well below the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) standards. I am doing two things here. I am looking at the sites where certain recommendations were made last time to see that they have been followed up, and I am also looking at sites where there has been a change in the number of active channels or equipment.'' A check of the radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields around the tower at Fort George, which is used by a number organisations, showed no dangerous or abnormal readings, said Mr.

Choquette. And recommendations he made to Harbour Radio two years ago, which entailed putting up warning signs and floor markings around one very small area near to the entrance of the radio centre, had been carried out. Just a few feet down the hill, resident Jonathan Farrow was at home waiting to greet Mr. Choquette after inviting him to read the emission levels around his home.

Mr. Farrow and his wife have two children and have been concerned about the fall-out from the transmission tower, so he joined the Government's towers committee, which investigates where there may be problems and how safety can be improved.

But yesterday, Mr. Choquette said the readings around the home were very minimal. The highest point read just three percent of the FCC standard.

Mr. Choquette said the radiation fall-out from the transmission towers did not immediately fall downwards, but instead left the antennae and travelled out in a straight line.

Afterwards, Mr. Farrow said he was very glad Ms Webb had recalled the services of Mr. Choquette and said he was grateful to have had the reading done. But, he said with two small children, he would continue to have some concerns about the health risks of the towers.