The organisation tasked with advising the Government on radiation safety says there is no evidence cellphone towers, such as the one 2degrees is putting up in Brighton, cause cancer or other health effects.
This comes as the Brighton Residents v 2degrees group continues to oppose 2degrees' plan to place a tower close to homes in Scroggs Hill Rd. Glenn Stirling, a scientist at Environmental Science and Research's (ESR) National Centre for Radiation Science, said there was no evidence such towers had an adverse effect on people's health.
''There are various international independent bodies, such as the World Health Organisation ... that routinely review all the studies that investigate possible health effects.
''From all evidence accumulated so far, no adverse short or long-term health effects have been shown to occur from the radiation at the levels you find around cell sites,'' he said.
Mr Stirling also said the highest levels of radiation from towers was not found at ground level close to them.
''The highest levels are found only by the antennas at the top of the tower. This is because cell site antennas act like lighthouses.
''A lighthouse will cast a horizontal beam to communicate with ships that are far from it.
''Similarly, cell tower antennas cast a horizontal beam to communicate with cellphones that are around the tower,'' he said.
This meant the point on the ground which had the highest exposure could be up to 100m away from the tower.
Brighton Residents v 2degrees spokeswoman Karen Hanna disagreed with ESR, saying there was research linking cellphone towers with cancer and other health effects for people living within 500m of a tower.
There could be ''no guarantee'' it was safe having towers so close to residential homes, especially given the science was relatively new, she said.
