From: D Ward
To: http://www.blogger.com/
Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 12:06 PM
Subject: Re: Select Committee consideration of cellphone tower petitions
Please acknowledge receipt of my submission as I am absent but wish to state:-
Cellphone Towers around the world can operate at 10 microwatts per square centimetre, yet New Zealand moved our limit from 200 to 450 microwatts per square centimetre without any scientific evidence showing that 450 units of radiation was safer than 10.
If government is going to completely remove peoples rights to request safer cellsites in communities, then the government should ensure that the safety limits protect the people of New Zealand.
The Environmental Protection for Children trust has continually asked for a review of the safety standard NZ Public Exposure Safety Standard for Fadiofrequency Fields Maximum Exposure 3 kHZ to 300 GHz NZS2772:(99 year made) and to review the standard setting committee. We have asked that health proffessionals set the standard rather than electrical engineers, industry spokespeople and people with a vested interest in the outcome. We were advised that the standard should be reviewed every 10 years, which meant the standard was due for review this year and yet recent correspondence has indicated that the standard will proberly not be reviewed in the near future, if at all, because the review needs industry funding, amoung other funding. What kind of standard do we have?
An indepth concern on the New Zealand standard is on the Safety Standards page at http://www.blogger.com/
The main problem is that the government are continually advised by the same people in MoH, NRL electrical engineers, industry spokes people and those with a vested interst in the outcome, when will people who know about the health effects from radiation be consulted and when will the people of New Zealand be heard?
Denise Ward,
240 Prestons Road,
Christchurch,
New ZealandCheck out http://www.blogger.com/http://www.blogger.com/and http://www.blogger.com/
PS
Dear Denise
Your email to John has just been forwarded on to me, thanks for writing to us about NZS 2772:1999 - Radio-frequency fields - Maximum exposure levels - 3 kHz to 300 GHz
NZS 2772:1999 is cited by the Resource Management (National Environmental Standard for Telecommunication Facilities) Regulations 2008. Usually, in order for Standards New Zealand to initiate a revision on a cited Standard, the government agency concerned would have researched the need for the revision and they would approach us and fund any revision required. Once we have this, Standards New Zealand initiates a call for experts to form a balanced committee that will review the Standard. We discuss committee representation with the funder and with the obvious key stakeholders, and we also ask the committee once formed whether they feel that the group is balanced or whether it needs additional membership. We aim to have balanced representation from all national interests, including central and local government, academics, professionals/practitioners, non profit organisations, consumers, industry associations and business interests.
In terms of a pathway forward, I suggest you could approach Barry Johnson at the Ministry for the Environment to discuss NZS 2772:1999. I have just rung him, and he would be happy to hear from you. Barry is cc'd to this email, and his contact details are: 04 439 7769. http://www.blogger.com/
The other key government agency stakeholders are Ministry of Health (MoH) and the MoH National Radiation Laboratory (NRL). This webpage at NRL has specific mention of NZS 2772:1999 http://www.blogger.com/ Barry tells me he can direct you to the right people to talk to at MoH and NRL.
Standards New Zealand would be most happy to attend any meetings with you to facilitate the conversations. I look forward to staying in touch on this, and please let me know if I can provide you with any further information.
Kind regards
Angela
Angela HendersonBusiness Development Manager - Environment Standards New Zealand
