Radiation Walks

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Radiation Walks

• Dave Miller
• http//davemiller.org
• dave.miller.uk_at_gmail.com

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What was the project about 1st September 07 --
two public exploratory 'Radiation Walks' around
Crystal Palace, measuring mobile phone radiation
levels. 'Day of Intimacy' event curated by
Caroline Smith, within the CP annual Signals
art festival. I described this as a performance,
entitled Tense nervous headaches? Website for
the event http//davemiller.org/performance_proje
cts/tense_nervous_headaches
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What was the project about Each walk approx 3
miles, 1.5 hours duration. As we walked the
story of each mast was told, along with technical
data and possible medical effects of the
radiation. Participants measured radiation
levels, GPS positions and marked levels on a
large map of the area. Together creating a
collaborative artwork - poster sized map of local
radiation -- intention to print and sell
locally. The data collected combined into a layer
for Google Maps -- zoom in and out of a map of
the area and view local radiation levels.
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• What were the aims of the project?
• My stated aims
• To enjoy sunny walks around the area, to walk
  and talk together, touring the local area as a
  group
• To engage with the community
• To measure and mark the mobile phone radiation
  levels near masts and schools, and
  collaboratively make a map
• To talk about the history of each mast
• To find out what types of radiation we are being
  exposed to, and how much
• To explore a parallel world in CP, a hidden
  world, to tell a different story of the area
• Do all this in an informed objective manner
• To create a local online facility showing local
  radiation levels, using Google maps.

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• What were the aims of the project?
• My ulterior motives
• Raise awareness about local radiation
• Act as a catalyst for further investigations
• Explore a taboo subject in the area that most
  people
• would "rather not know" about (a study in1999 by
  Professor Gordon Stewart, found a history of
  local leucemia clusters along main beam of the TV
  transmitter)
• Subvert the Signals festival, and CP's move
  towards trendy gentrification aided unwittingly
  by local artists
• Scrape below the surface of the glittering art
  displays
• I like the idea of spoiling the party
• Upset property investors. My brother-in-law who
  owns a number of buy-to-lets begged me not to do
  the project.

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Crystal Palace Crystal Palace -- highest point
in south London -- probably for this reason has
a high density of masts. Many masts with a
staggering array of different types of dishes and
aerials.
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How we made measurements For this project I used
an Electrosmog Detector
This detector exposes and converts the
electromagnetic impulses it encounters into a
collection of sounds (buzzing, screeching,
pulsing) that is far more varied and illuminating
than the click of a Geiger Counter. You can
hear the amount, type, amplitude, and quality of
the pulsed electronic pollution created by local
transmitters/emitters operating between 50MHz
and 3000 MHz, and enjoy the silence when the
environment is clear.
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How we made measurements
This detector measures mobile phone and wireless
radiation, but the sounds are very different.
For the Radiation Walks I was only concerned
with mobile phone radiation. When the Detector
is making any noise at all, someone, somewhere
will be feeling a health effect. The best
science today tells us that 3 of the population
will have some health effects from this kind of
exposure.
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How we made measurements
How accurate is it? The louder the sound the more
intense the radiation. I separated the
intensities into 4 categories none (hardly
any), low, medium, high. This is obviously
subjective, but the purpose of this project was
to give an indication of the levels, not make
exact scientific measurements. In fact the
intensities we measure also depend on the amount
of call-traffic at different times of the day.
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How we made measurements
Can we work out what sort of transmitter it is
just from the sound emitted by the detector? Not
easy to differentiate between GSM and 3G,
although GSM from a mast is a very high-pitched
screeching sound. All GSM's will be the same,
whether Vodafone at 900MHz or Orange at 1800
MHz. Beyond this, if we identify a TETRA mast
and stand next to it well definitely hear
it! Frequencies are Tetra 410 - 430 MHz GSM-
Vodaphone and O2 900MHz GSM - Orange T-mobile
1800MHz 3G 2100-2400 MHz
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The walks
The walks followed two routes. The area covered
centred around CP Triangle, a small triangle of
streets at the centre of CP, but also two major
masts included at the edges of CP, and detours
were made to cover two local primary schools.
We carried a large map of the route -- sticking
coloured dots on the map to show the intensities
at each point we measured red (very high), blue
(high), yellow (medium), green (low). We would
also stick Radiation Danger warning stickers on
walls at the places where the radiation was very
high. The idea was to get people thinking.
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The walks - the route
I planned out each route beforehand. The route
was based around mobile masts shown in the
government/ Ofcom website http//www.sitefinder.of
com.org.uk/ I made sure each walk
included local schools.
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The sites I researched the local Council
planning websites and documented the history and
details (dishes, transmitters) of each mast
beforehand. There are GSM, 3G and Tetra
transmitters in the area.
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Results We did 2 walks on the day, around 20-25
people came. Generally the radiation levels were
high all the time, some places extremely high,
with only very rarely a drop off in level,
particularly around a small park. We found Ofcom
sitefinder website to be very out of date (hasn't
been updated due to a legal dispute between
Ofcom and the Telecom companies). We found some
transmitters not listed by Ofcom or
Council planning. On top of a hotel we found a
GSM mast - and there seem to be no planning
records for this.
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Results
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Results
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Results
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Results The local Police station appears to have
a Tetra mast on it - looks and sounds like one -
yet denied by the Council and the Police when I
enquired. This makes 3 Tetra transmitters in the
area which is very alarming when I read about the
reported health effects on the Tetrawatch
website (http//www.tetrawatch.net/). TETRA is a
mobile radio technology - being used for a new
emergency services comms system, for police,
fire, ambulance, installed throughout the UK by
the Home Office. TETRA is a microwave system,
like ordinary mobile phones, but the masts talk
to each other directly. Unlike mobile phone
masts, they transmit constantly, 24 hours a day.
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Results
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Results
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Some conclusions I tried to deal with the
subject in an informed and objective/ balanced
manner -- but many were alarmed,
particularly local residents who've lived here
for years. People kept asking me "Is it as bad
as we fear? Should we move?". "My children went
to school here. I stated before that I only
wanted to inform and educate, and not cause
alarm. However - not quite honest. I wanted to
stir things up a bit. In fact - I think I held
back a bit, scared of upsetting people too much.
E.g. I haven't yet had the local radiation
maps printed - could cause lot of upset.
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Some conclusions Lots of money being made by
Telco's and landlords, yet the health of local
people not considered - all transmitters work
within UK safety guidelines. UK guidelines based
on thermal effects - but considered irrelevant -
as the microwave radiation has biological
effects. Sir William Stewart - Chairman of the
UK's Health Protection Agency - says he "doesn't
think the UK safety guidelines are an accurate
refection of the science - and he's
worried. The UK govt has a vested interest in
protecting the interests of the Telcos - it
raised 22.5 billion in April 2000 selling the 3G
licenses to the Telcos.
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Some health studies on mobile radiation Very
little research into the health effects of
microwave exposure. Most research has been to
do with mobile phones. Frequent phone use is
being increasingly linked to brain tumours and
other cancers. The sort of radiation you get
from mobile phone masts or base stations has not
been scientifically investigated, but nearby
residents are increasingly reporting a variety of
health effects, including serious illnesses.
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Some health studies on mobile radiation How far
away do you need to be from a mobile phone mast
(base station) to be safe? Base stations are
very variable, in height and equipment, as is
local geography. Hot spots of radiation near
the mast, as well as the main beam pointing
outwards. Microwaves are absorbed by and reflect
off buildings, and metal objects. The new 3G
systems (with photos and videos) and the TETRA
system (used by the police) seem to be
more biologically active than the old 2G
networks, and more people experience symptoms of
ill health,sleep disturbance, headaches,
tiredness, etc.
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Some health studies on mobile radiation "A
European cancer researcher has warned that we may
not know whether there are any health risks in
GSM mobile comms before the technology is
obsolete mobile phones are subjecting human
beings daily to radiation that they have never
been exposed to before Headaches, blackouts,
short memory and sleep disruption continue to
feature among the claims of worried GSM
users. The radiation exposure from these
antennas, while generally low level, is
continuous. Some scientists believe that chronic,
low-level radiation exposure may, over time, be
as harmful as higher-level, acute radiation
exposures.
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Some health studies on mobile radiation Electrica
l Hypersensitivity (ES) is an illness that is
both highly controversial and little understood.
The symptoms are varied between sufferers, but
normally include sleep disturbance, tiredness,
depression, headaches, restlessness,
irritability, concentration problems, forgetfulnes
s, learning difficulties, frequent infections,
limb and joint pains, numbness or tingling
sensations, tinnitus, hearing loss, impaired
balance, giddiness and eye problems.
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Next steps Although my main interest was in the
local effects, I'd like to see the whole country
mapped, and local Radiation Walks organised all
over the UK. I've been approached by some
anti-mast groups to do Radiation Walks.
Alexandra Palace is the next walk - probably Mar
2008. Please tell me if youd like to do one. To
put data onto Google maps - put together a pack
so people can do their own Radiation Walks and
add the data themselves onto Google
maps. Enable schools to do their own Radiation
Walks, possibly part of the curriculum.
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• Some thoughts and questions
• This project shows the invisible, it reveals new
  stories.
• Every place has a hidden story of radiation/
  health effects.
• People would rather not know - is this a strange
  reaction?
• Should Art hold back if it causes too much
  trouble?
• If Art damages businesses or worries local people
  should it hold back? Should Art show
  responsibility? Or should Art not care?
  Particularly when local artists fund the Signals
  festival themselves - and unwittingly gentrify
  the area, then cant afford to live there
  anymore?
• Is this project Art? Or political/ environmental
  activism masquerading as Art?

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About my work Dave Miller tells stories through
images and text-based works, mixing topical
social and political real-life issues, news and
events, with his own experiences, views
and observations. His practice spans several art
forms, from net art exploring collaboration,
networks and generative forms, to live mapping
events and printed booklets and prints. He often
deals with contentious issues, researched in
depth, told with integrity, in an accessible
manner. Often he is motivated by a desire to
campaign against injustice. A big thankyou This
was the first time Ive used live performance in
my work, and I'd like to thank Caroline Smith who
encouraged me to take this approach.