"Suicides linked to phone masts." A headline announced that a spate of recent tragic suicides in Britain's suicide capital could, and I emphasize the word could, be attributed to the high density of cell phone transmitters which were near the victims homes.
Apparently, the individual making these claims is a 'Dr.' Coghill (pictured), who sits on a government advisory committee on radiation. His team have discovered that 22 youngsters who had taken their own lives recently, all killed themselves in Bridgend, South Wales during the past 18 months. The report states the area that has a higher density of cell-masts than the national average. According to government statistics masts are placed an average of 900 yards away from residences whereas in Bridgend they are only 400 yards away.
These are serious allegations, we already have the possible links with power lines and cancer in the past and though countless tests have been done on these links nothing has been categorically proven. True, since mobile phones are a recent phenomena some still think that only time will tell if these claims regarding microwaves have any credence in the long term.
These claims are serious and cause for public concern, especially when on the front pages of a nation's Sunday paper. According to the Guardian newspaper, Dr. Roger Coghill had no evidence to back up these outlandish claims, no data, as apparently he had lost it and he could not substantiate any of his claims!
It turns out he does sit on a government body, but it is to do with power lines and not mobile phone masts, as to the 'label' adviser, his group specialize in meditation and conflict resolution... so I would take that claim with a large pinch of sodium chloride. There is also no record of his doctorate, so Dr. becomes plain old Mr.
His website, which is devoid of any hard facts other than the sad and perturbing statistic regarding the dark suicide cloud that hangs over South Wales, but while you are there he can sell you an electromagnetic field protection device called the "Acousticom" for $300. It will apparently indicate the level of exposure to microwaves, in the consumers house, from cell phone masts.
There are other interesting things for sale: A magnet to improve the taste of wine and there's a special $44 a magnet called the "Mood Maker," which, when discretely placed in your underpants can cure impotence, that's according to Mr Coghill, apparently it increases circulation! Sounds a bit silly, though I am quite sure if your partner has a pelvic region made of iron it might work quite well.
Failing that, if the date doesn't work out as planed, it might help with finding treasure on the beach, except you might get arrested for waving it around in public. Still, if it really works, I think that the subsequent electromagnetic erection should cease to be known as a 'woody' and henceforth be referred to as a 'steely.'
Mr Coghill certainly seems like he has a couple cogs loose that is for sure. Anyone buying into this nonsense deserves to be had. Perhaps even more unbelievably he also states that AIDS is caused by electromagnetic waves and not by a highly contagious blood virus. Something about density of population and exposure to the number of VHF, RF, and UHF signals in the vicinity, and then without a study group he correlates this with the number of AIDS cases. Quite bizarre.
Surly this is a case of someone being blinded by bad science? Still, better be safe than sorry. I suggest using a hands free cell phone, especially while driving—it's the law—otherwise, not only will you cop a $20 ticket in California, you just might end up throwing yourself off a bridge before you make it home for dinner.