Penang rep likens telco tower naysayers to anti-vaxxers

The Malaysian Nuclear Agency has stated that none of the towers in Malaysia has exceeded the exposure limit set by the MCMC and there’s no conclusive evidence that RF radiation causes cancer or is unsafe.

GEORGE TOWN: A Penang rep today compared those against telco towers to those who oppose vaccination (anti-vaxxers) following several residents’ groups and political parties joining in the protests to have towers placed far away from their homes.

Pulau Tikus assemblyman Chris Lee Chun Kit said it was disappointing to see those objecting being blind to research which confirmed that radio frequency (RF) or electromagnetic frequency (EMF) emissions were safe.

In a statement, he also accused “certain opposition politicians” of trying to strike fear among the populace with reports citing sources that were not credible.

“The leaders of the anti-telco campaign are using fear tactics, akin to those used by anti-vaxxers, who claim that vaccinations are linked to problems such as autism.

“Similarly, if the health ministry suddenly adheres to the wishes of anti-vaxxers, imagine the consequences when hundreds of thousands of Malaysian children begin to succumb to diseases that should not even exist in our country,” he said.

Today, the Socialist Progressive Front (SPF) challenged a Penang official to live close to a telco tower, after he said there were no negative effects to health.

This was after state Utilities Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari told a protesting residents’ group that telco towers are safe.

He also told them to show evidence from government departments or a medical doctor if they had suffered from illness due to their presence.

Zairil was responding to a group of 20 residents from Sungai Pinang and Tanjung Bungah who picketed against the state government for placing telco towers as close as 30m to 60m from their homes.

Some of them claimed the city council did not ask for their feedback before placing pilot 5G antennas in the vicinity of their apartments.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had also weighed in on their concerns, saying there were no problems with telco tower emissions.

It said the placement and radiation levels were constantly monitored by them, with the Malaysian Nuclear Agency determining that the radiation levels close to the transmitters are very low.

The agency’s director-general Mohd Abd Wahab Yusof was recently reported as saying that there has been no conclusive evidence that RF radiation caused cancer or was unsafe, based on more than 10 years of research worldwide.

He also said none of the towers in Malaysia exceeded the exposure limit set by the MCMC. - FMT