By Wilfred Pilo
KUCHING, June 14: The radiation emitted by the radio frequency (RF) wave through telecommunication towers nationwide is safe to the public, assures Malaysian Nuclear Agency (MNA) director-general Dr Mohd Abd Wahap Yusof.
“This is because the radiation generated by RF is non-ionizing, and it is just a radio frequency wave and not radioactive at all, except that it only produced a small amount of heat that is harmless to human cells,” he told reporters after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to regulate telecommunication RF in the state with Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA).
The signing ceremony was witnessed by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg in his office at Wisma Bapa Malaysia here.
Abdul Wahap explained that only ionizing radiation could pass through human bodies, and its ionizing effect could cause damage to human cells.
Citing global research on telecommunication tower RF in the last 10 years, he said researchers found no conclusive evidence that it is hazardous to humans and could cause cancer.
There is also a limitation on its usage, and we have guidelines that we must follow.
“RF is safe, but we must ensure it is really safe. That is our job. We have done research nationwide, and there is no finding that it is hazardous,” he reiterated.
According to the Malaysia Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC ), the RF is limited to one milliwatt per sq centimetre.
Abdul Wahap also disclosed each telecommunication tower would be given a certificate once its RF radiation level had been measured, and it could be scanned by QR code with mobile phones to get more detail.
On the MoU with SMA, he explained it was also to assist and to ensure that the RF being emitted by telecommunication towers here is safe to the public.
He said the agreement entailed conducting research, to monitor and to measure RF for SMA and the state government and to disseminate information to the public so that people understood what is RF and telecommunication problems.
The MoU is the second one inked in the country, after the one with the Malacca government.
Meanwhile, SMA general manager Dr Zaidi Razak said there were 2,600 telecommunication towers in Sarawak and that SMA would be working with MCMC and MNA on its regulatory control of the RF emitted from these structures. — DayakDaily
