Obuasi, May 17, GNA - Communications Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah has asked the Obuasi Municipal Assembly to allay fears that telecommunication masts pose health threats to people in the area.
In a speech, read on his behalf at a day's workshop on electromagnetic fields (EMF) exposure and health at Obuasi, the Minister said: 'We should leave this workshop satisfied that the experts had convinced us with correct and verifiable information on the subject and that public concerns on EMF exposures and its impact on health are addressed'.
The workshop, which is the first of three planned by the Ministry and Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) for municipal and district capitals this year, attracted chiefs, assembly members, security personnel and players from educational institutions.
Dr. Omane Boamah said since 2010, two media seminars and ten regional workshops had been held to help deepen public understanding on electromagnetic fields exposure and health.
'It is my expectation that the various speakers will use this opportunity to assure the public about the safety of non-ionized radio frequency (RF) emissions from communication masts and also address the issue of perceived health effects of emission from mobile phone base stations'.
He said mobile phone subscription as at March this year stood at 26,464,964 with each user having its own electromagnetic field.
Discussions at the workshop centered on radio signals from mobile phone base stations, environmental issues and the communication industry, electromagnetic fields and public health and the role of the National Communications Authority (NCA).
Mr. Kweku Sekyi Addo, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Communications, expressed concern about the manner telecommunication cables were being stolen by unsuspected people and said the situation 'hurts subscribers and telecommunication industry'.
'Cable cuts are making uninterrupted telephone calls difficult. There is frustration when phone calls drop as a result of cable cuts', he stressed.
GNA
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