Sir,
Whenever something new fangled is opposed, then those in favour remind those against that after a few teething problems called 'hiccups', there was nothing to fear.
Any hand held remote control (which saves the user from getting out of his/her chair to change TV channels or operate hi-fi equipment) uses microwaves, yet no health warning is printed about using that device being a health hazard! So, in worrying about microwaves, which is what the Tetra mast controversy is about, could be viewed as a storm in a tea cup. But to compare that type of domestic microwave source with any Tetra mast is very unwise. It is like claiming that the claw swipes of a playful kitten can be used to predict the outcome of anyone becoming exposed to a hungry tiger when it is leaping to make contact with its next meal!
Why can't a domestic microwave oven never be switched on to cook when its door is still open? The only answer to that question is that certain microwaves and live human meat do not mix safely!
So, if national organisations are going to set up centres of microwave radiation from Tetra masts, then it will be obvious that safety is not being put first in a list of priorities. Yet, the press assures us that speed traps in restricted built-up areas are not designed to bring in cash by fines imposed upon drivers, but to make our roads safe and to save lives.
One leaflet about the proposed Tetra mast in Penally mentioned that harmful radiation travels at least one mile as the crow flies, in a 'doming' effect. That's it! Such masts are a secret technique to kill off any fowl suffering from avian influenza and to save Tenby and area from a pandemic!
Seriously, only if a masonic hall or the home of the Lord Lieutenant of Pembrokeshire were to be sited at Strawberry Lane hilltop and then the mast proposal went through unopposed, then, and only then, would it become crystal clear that there was nothing to worry about. As it is, sick/disabled children staying at the Harriet Davis Trust House are hardly going to benefit from Tetra mast radiation therapy.
Gerald Duffett,
The Forge, New Hedges.