Residents of a West Dublin housing estate, which lies
next to a phone mast, are calling on the HSE to conduct
a full health assessment in the area after an apparently
large number of cancer diagnoses.
Neighbours in St Ronan's Gardens, Neilstown, and leaders
of Mast Action Clondalkin (MAC) are continuing to voice
their concerns about the mobile phone mast which stands
in their local garda station.
"We did a survey of 150 houses and 38 people in those
houses had cancer," says Gino Kelly, a member of MAC.
"It's a very preliminary study but we went around and
asked questions."
Nosebleeds
"Now we're asking the HSE to do a proper health study.
The amount of people here with cancer cannot be normal."
Earlier this month, the group expressed their outrage to
the Herald when it was discovered that An Garda
Siochana failed to investigate the link between the mast
and the fact that nine officers in the area have
suffered brain cancer.
Residents are now calling for an investigation by the
health authorities into the matter.
"Eight women in a pocket area of houses had
cervical cancer and for them to all have the
same type of cancer is very strange," says Gino. "It
could be a coincidence but what we're saying is 'go and
find out'," he added.
"My two children are attending Tallaght hospital with
nosebleeds," says Caroline Kinsella.
"We did door-to-doors and we found that the number of
nosebleeds is very bad. We've been given no explanation.
People are going to the hospital and doctors, but we've
had no explanation. It's not just a nosebleed. It's
buckets.
"My son Dylan gets really bad headaches every two or
three days, and he can't look at the light or the
television or anything," says Elizabeth Bell. Imelda
Russell's brother, Brian, slept at the back of their
house in St Ronan's Gardens, one of the houses closest
to the mast.
Rare
"Two-and-a-half years ago he got a brain tumour. He's
had chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and every six months
he has to have a brain scan.
"The doctors say there's no way of removing it, and if
they did he'd be paralysed. The type of tumour he has is
a very rare tumour, and one garda also has it. Imelda's
house is literally 35 meters away from the high tension
wire," says Gino, "so it's extremely near people's
living space."
Pat Keating, whose wife Teresa died last March of a
brain haemorrhage, was also present at the outdoor
meeting.
"My wife was never sick in her life," said Pat, "but she
just collapsed one day and by the time she was brought
to hospital, it was too late. We're having a protest
this Thursday at 7.30pm outside Ronanstown Garda
Station, and we want to get as many local people as
possible here."
The Office of Public Works, which decided to put the
mast in the station, has insisted that it is within EU
guidelines and they have refuted the idea that the mast
is responsible for cancer cases in the area.
[back] Death Towers
West Dublin: Phone mast fears grow as more locals suffer cancer
Geraldine Gittens
Herald.ie
Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:43 UTC