from cell phone towers) has been linked to an increased risk of cancer, particularly in children.

Visiting expert on public health issues Dr. David Carpenter pointed this out during a Press conference at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute.

Dr. Carpenter is visiting Bermuda at the invitation of the Community Against Radiation Emissions organisation which is fighting the existence of a cell phone tower in the Faraway and Dunscombe Road in Warwick.

He cited a report to the US Congress by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences on the possible effects on human health of exposure to power-lines. It concluded that the studies demonstrate "a fairly consistent pattern of a small increased risk...'' The higher the frequency or level of energy emitted from the source, the greater the risk to the health of human beings.

"Radio frequency radiation is higher than that from power-lines,'' he told the Press.

Sources of radio frequency electromagnetic radiation include cell phone towers, radio towers and television towers.

In Australia and the UK, studies have been conducted on the effect of radiation from TV towers on human health.

The 1996 Australia study showed that childhood leukemia was significantly increased in children living close to a TV tower whilst the UK study, in 1997, showed that adult leukemia was highest close to a TV tower and fell off with distance away from the tower.

Dr. Carpenter could not pinpoint how far away from the tower a person would have to be to consider himself "safe'', but one study suggested eight kilometres.

He explained that the height of the tower and the intensity of use of the tower are factors to consider in assessing the level of radiation emitted. The higher the tower, the greater the radiation exposure to people.

In Bermuda there are 38 towers emitting in the radio frequency range. And according to CARE'S Steve Thompson, many of them are, for aesthetic reasons, low.

Dr. Carpenter did point out that there have been studies which show there is no risk or negligible risk to human beings from electromagnetic radiation.

Nevertheless, it is his opinion that "one cannot conclude that they have been proven safe''.

His advice was for governments and individuals as well as the industries building the towers to reduce human exposure as much as possible, especially where children are concerned.