public services

Safety of cell antennas questioned

The Chiriquí Chamber of Commerce is pressuring authorities to be more open with the public as new cell towers go up.

sandra alicia rivera/la prensa

disclosure: Chamber members are petitioning authorities to inform citizens about the potential health effects of cell towers.1137026

In response to the widespread public outcry over the installation of cellular communications towers near residential areas across the country, authorities with the Chamber of Commerce and Industries in Chiriquí have proposed a campaign aimed at adopting safety standards for the placement of cellular antennas.

Chamber President Enoch Rodríguez said that many of the recent protests over the towers stem from the fact that the government has not disclosed much information about the workings of the structure and its potential effects.

Additionally, Rodríguez commented that public debate over the issue has brought to light the government’s negligence in establishing safety measures concerning the towers’ placement and use.

That’s why chamber members have submitted a petition requesting that the public receives accurate and timely information, especially now since the arrival of two new cellular communications providers to the market, Digicel and Claro.

Rodríguez explained that without transparency on the part of authorities, citizens feel left out of the picture, even though the new technology has the potential to affect their health and that of the environment.

“There has never been coordination between the institutions responsible for the affair,” he said, referring to agencies such as the Ministry of Health, municipal officials, environmental authority and the the Ministry of Public Works.

The National Authority of Public Services did issue a press release on Oct. 14 entitled “cellular antennas are not dangerous,” but Rodríguez indicated that it’s not simply a case of measuring the intensity of radiation, but public safety. For example, the standard six meters should be repealed and increased to 100 meters from houses, he added.