I have tried to raise the issue of legislation on mobile telephone masts with the Taoiseach on many occasions on the Order of Business. His response up to yesterday has been muted. In my constituency, Dublin South-East, I have assisted residents in successfully opposing proposals to erect masts in the Sandymount area made by Eircell and Esat Digifone. I oppose such masts mainly because of the potential health hazards and this is an aspect I wish to address in my contribution.
There is a more disquieting aspect to the agreement between Esat Digifone and the Garda Síochána. It sets an important precedent. Essentially, those charged with upholding the law have entered into a sponsorship deal with Esat Digifone. According to a spokesman for Esat Digifone this is a "win win" situation and I am sure it is from Esat Digifone's business perspective. However, from an ethical point of view there are serious questions to be asked. Will the Garda uniforms made by Dunnes Stores display the St. Bernard logo? Will certain car companies sponsor the Garda fleet or will the Garda cars display advertising? How long will it be before Coca-Cola and Nike get in on the act? In short, are we seeing the commercialisation of the Garda?
Apparently, senior gardaí will do well out of the deal through the provision of free mobile 'phones and they will be able to communicate free of charge within the system. A letter from Assistant Commissioner T.P. Fitzgerald of Garda headquarters in the Phoenix Park to the chief superintendent of the Laoighis-Offaly district, dated 30 December 1997, contained the following implied threat:
I wish to make it clear that the Commissioner, under the SMI bottom-up review, will have difficulty recommending the continued existence of a rural station where efforts to make the necessary improvements in the communications system is being thwarted.
A Garda spokesperson has since denied that this letter was a threat. It was said that it was sent to divisional officers for information and education purposes only. The Assistant Commissioner makes a direct reference in his letter to a Garda station in Offaly where the erection of an Esat Digifone mast has been objected to by Mrs. Teresa Direen, the wife of a local garda. I compliment Mrs. Direen on her stance. We live in a democracy and she has a right to object to any structure which she believes will cause potential health hazards for her family and her locality. Hers is a prudent approach, as is that of Mr. Kieran McDermott of the Garda Representative Association in Laoighis-Offaly who has pointed out that there is concern among gardaí about the health effects of radio masts.
More evidence is coming to light of the effects of non-ionising radiation. There are some who claim that the jury is still out on the issue and if that is the case we should employ the precautionary principle. As used among environmentalists the precautionary principle is "If in doubt, leave it out"— if there is any potential danger we should not proceed. There is circumstantial evidence to give cause for concern. An Australian study carried out last year found a doubling of cancers of the lymphoid tissue in mice after exposure to electromagnetic fields emitted by mobile 'phones. A study by Washington State University has shown increased DNA damage to rats exposed to radio frequency microwaves. There are those who argue that such studies cannot be applied to humans. However, they indicate that we must be cautious.
The standards of the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection are adhered to in this country, but a recent study discredits its standards. It shows that they are not adequate and do not offer protection. The study, carried out by Professor Kruger, noted sleep disturbance at levels 100,000 times lower than these standards.
He should be invited to this country for the conference on 6 March which will consider this very important subject. It was discussed this morning at the meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children.
We have had much experience on the issue of negligence. We have seen what happened during the blood transfusion scandal and what has happened on the issue of hearing loss claims by soldiers. We cannot afford to be negligent in this case. I support the Garda Representative Association. It is right to be prudent and its members and their families have a right to object to these masts. Esat Digifone is seeking to bypass the planning process by piggybacking on the sites in Garda stations.
