GSM WORLD

The noose tightens:

Building Top Floors Closed
After Brain Tumor Alert
By Lisa Macnamara
The Australian - UK
5-13-6

The top floors of a Melbourne office building were closed down yesterday
and 100 people evacuated after a seventh worker in as many years was
diagnosed with a brain tumour.

But Telstra insisted the mobile phone towers on the roof of the 17-storey
RMIT University building were not linked to the cancer cluster.

Five academics - who worked on the top floor - and two general staff have
suffered brain tumours since 1999. Six of the seven staff had worked at
the Bourke Street premises for more than a decade. Two of the cases were
malignant.

We have briefed the staff and suspect further cases will be brought to
our attention, RMIT vice-president of resources Steve Somogyi said
yesterday.

The academics union has demanded that RMIT pay for medical examinations
of all staff working in the building after learning of a number of
suspected new cases late yesterday.

Were starting to get anecdotal reports of one or two other people who
have passed away who have worked in the building, said Matthew McGowan,
Victorian branch president of the National Tertiary Education Union.

RMIT recently called in a Melbourne doctor to assess information from the
staff diagnosed with the tumours but he found no obvious link with any
specific environmental hazard, a university statement said.

Telstra, which along with Optus reportedly has mobile phone equipment on
top of the building, said yesterday it would co-operate with the
universitys investigation. This equipment complies with strict health
and safety standards, and is regularly tested to ensure ongoing
compliance, the phone company said.

While staff were anxious and concerned, the university was initially
reluctant to close the top floors, Mr McGowan said. They were reluctant
at first because they didnt want to create a panic.

The university has started notifying students at the building, many of
whom are from overseas.

However, serious concerns were not held for the students.

RMIT investigated radio frequency and air quality after the first two
cases emerged in 1999 and 2001, but all the results were well below the
recommended Australian standards, a university spokeswoman said.

It was thoroughly tested, she said.

Yesterdays action was prompted after a third case was reported by the
institutions occupational health and safety unit a month ago, when it
emerged that other academics had also fallen ill.

Were looking at everything around the area, the spokeswoman said.

But Mr McGowan said the university must be accountable for health and
safety checks across the board after the initial testing in 2001 was not
followed up.

These cases have only coincidentally come to peoples attention rather
than through some systematic monitoring process, he said.

The results of the RMIT investigation are expected in two weeks.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20 867,19108088
-23289,00.html

Lenny@say.no.to.masts declared for all the world to hear...

And is this really statistically significant? People who have worked in
a building have died, what a suprise.
--
Regards
Jon

On Sun, 14 May 2006 10:24:54 +0100, Jon wrote:


Did you mis or forget the rest of the report?
Your problem.

Lenny wrote:

People who know absolutely nothing about radio propagation posting
stupid reports.

--
Dave C

On Sun, 14 May 2006 12:26:08 +0100, Dave C wrote:


Wrong!
How silly of you. How do you decide that I am unqualified? Do you employ
voodoo or majik of some sort? Typical.

Lenny wrote:

Youre so childish. Youre just a victim seeking sympathy.

(sorry, Im just angry and venting stupid comments. been discussing
something on a genealogy newsgroup. after saying I cant get to the post
office after falling down the stairs at work and rupturing my quads
tendon. Ive been branded all these, as well as being dismissive of
helpful suggestions (such as go to the post office) - so I thought Id
join in with the illogical, non comprehensive, assumptuous, provocative
and just plain wrong flaming- sorry forhijacking the thread)

Lenny wrote in message


I place voodoo and fear of cell phone masts in a similar category.

It has been known for many years that astronauts and civil aircrew (whose
spend a good deal of their lives six or seven miles up and are therefore
exposed to much more IONISING radiation do suffer slightly more risk of
cancer than the general population.

On Sun, 14 May 2006 13:15:02 +0100, Simon Dean wrote:


Welcome to the madhouse where they (not I) make it up as they go along.
;-)