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07 November 2009

Answer to Question #3480 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Cell Phones

The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:

My office is in a leased space in a building owned by a major telephone company which has phone equipment/telephone line systems on one floor. I want to know if this type of equipment is radioactive/harmful. There are many of us in this building who are not as healthy as we were when we started here several years ago. We seem to have low grade "flu" symtoms constantly. Someone told us that the phone equipment on the floor below is probably causing this.

You don't describe the equipment, which could be used for several purposes including support of a cell base station. On face value, it would seem highly unlikely that any telephone communications equipment that would be located in a building might cause health problems. Telephone equipment of various sorts is located in many places, and I am not aware of any allegations of health problems caused by such equipment.

By all means, if you have health problems you should consult your physician. Your problems might be related to specific conditions in your workplace, or they might not. If they were associated with your workplace they might have causes entirely unrelated to the equipment, for example, air-quality problems. Your physician, and perhaps an occupational health specialist (if your problems seemed to be associated with your workplace), would in the best positions to help you.

Kenneth R. Foster, PhD

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