South African “electrosensitive” activists who claimed to have experienced terrible symptoms caused by their local packet-data radio tower seem to have ended up with a little egg on their faces.
The tower that allegedly triggered their symptoms was actually switched off during the time that they experienced them, suggesting that their sensitivity is all in the mind.
Despite the seemingly irrefutable proof that their symptoms are psychosomatic, the group is still attempting to force iBurst, the owner of the tower, to keep it switched off.
Craigavon Task Force member, Tracey-Lee Dorny describes the symptoms of those “affected” in an email:
…several rash cases were presented in person and by photos from people who could not attend [a meeting with iBurst]. Headaches, nausea, tinnitus, dry burning itchy skins, gastric imbalances and totally disrupted sleep patterns, especially with some of the children, were some of the issues presented by the residents.
In an interview with The Star Dorny explained how staying at her mother’s house gave her relief from her symptoms.
At a meeting with the Craigavon Task Force, members told iBurst CEO Jannie Van Zyl that it would take six weeks with the tower turned off for their symptoms to subside. What they did not know was at that point the tower had already been switched off for more than six weeks.
Van Zyl explained:
At the meeting in mid-November residents claimed that full recovery of skin conditions could take as long as 6 weeks. Yet, the tower was switched off for more than 6 weeks by this time. At this point it became apparent that the tower can, in no way, be the cause of the symptoms, as it was already switched off for many weeks, yet the residents still saw symptoms that come and go according to their proximity to the area.
[ad#3_social_compact]
[BoingBoing; Image: Source]
The tower was never off and now has been removed
[…] Despite the seemingly irrefutable proof that their symptoms are psychosomatic, the group is still attempting to force iBurst, the owner of the tower, to keep it switched off. we interrupt […]