By Juliet Capper, Gleaner WriterTELECOMMUNICATION COMPANIES are free to erect cell sites in both residential and commercial locations, as long as they adhere to the policy of the Office of Utility Regulations (OUR).
According to David Geddes, public relations manager at the OUR, the local parish council and the planning authority are the agencies that decide the location of cell sites.
"Approval is sought from the planning committee and the National Environment Planning Agency (NEPA), which meets with residents before passing on the recommendations to the committee," he explained.
Before permission is granted to erect a cell site, a company must fulfil the requirements of the development order set by NEPA.
"The development order outlines what areas are zoned for cell sites, and the companies have the responsibility to conduct surveys in communities and give feedback to NEPA," said Leonard Francis, manager of the Development Control branch at NEPA.
DEVELOPMENT ORDER
Mr. Francis pointed out that the development order also sought to protect the citizens, who can voice their concerns and have them addressed. "We have recommended refusal of a number of cell sites in the past and the companies concerned are also willing to address the concerns of citizens," he said.
In response to citizens' concerns about the possible health risk posed by cell sites across the island, Professor Gerald Lalor, director of the International Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Sciences at the University of the West Indies, said that the health risks are unlikely because the quantity of energy emitted from the sites are minute.
"There is always a risk in everything but in this case it is so small, it cannot be measured," he said.
According to Professor Lalor, high-risk radiation is dependent on the amount of energy one is exposed to from a cell site and how often a cellular phone is used. Unlike X-rays, which usually emit enormous quantities of energy at a time, the energy from both cellular phones and their sites are so small, it would take a longer time to identify any possible effects, Professor Lalor said.
