CONCERNED residents packed into LissÕs Triangle Centre on Sunday evening to voice their fears about the health effects of Tetra masts.

Tetra, or terrestrial trunked radio, is the new communications system being installed for the police.

Liss residents Duncan and Fiona Petty organised the meeting after fears were voiced about the safety of Tetra masts being erected across the country.

East Hampshire District Council this month asked residents to report Tetra masts which had been put up illegally in the area.

The council has also written to the government seeking guidance on how to handle applications to erect the controversial masts. It has also asked for a moratorium on erecting the masts until further research into their possible effects on health has been carried out.

Chaired by the leader of East Hampshire District Council and Liss parish councillor Elizabeth Cartwright, the meeting heard presentations from Dr Michael Clarke of the National Radiological Protection Board, medical scientist Ian Sharp and Pc Trevor Winterbottom from Hampshire ConstabularyÕs Tetra Airwave project team.

Dr Clarke told the audience of concerned residents that he didnÕt know whether Tetra was harmful.

ÒI donÕt know - no one can know. I canÕt tell you what I might learn tomorrow,Ó he said.

He spoke to the audience on the established scientific and medical consensus about radio frequency waves in general, and also on the special study of Tetra which was carried out after the Stewart Inquiry raised questions about the system.

ÒWe have all been exposed to low level frequency waves, they are all around you now,Ó he said.

ÒWhat is new is millions of us holding small transmitters next to our heads. ThatÕs where the scientific uncertainty is because we have never done that before. But one or two seconds on a phone is a whole dayÕs exposure to a mast.Ó

Mr Sharp, who lives in sight of a proposed Tetra transmitter in Sidlesham, is a physicist specialising in the research and development of medical electronics. He spoke about both Tetra and the 3G mobile phone system.

ÒCurrent government safety limits for electromagnetic radiation only take into account the heating effect on people,Ó he said.

But there was a huge amount of scientific literature on the biological effects of microwave radiation which identified serious health consequences for the human body. These problems occurred at levels far below the levels which cause heating.

The Tetra system pulses at 17.6 hertz, which is near the frequency of the human beta brain wave.

The systemÕs carrier had a wave length of 75 cm, which is about the height of children between the ages of three and six. This, said Mr Sharp, meant children could act as aerials and absorb more of the radiation than adults.

He was equally concerned about the effect the system would have on the police officers who would be using it.

ÒI have not given my consent to Airwave or any other company for me or my children to be irradiated by a Tetra mast. I cannot allow that because I canÕt be sure that they will not be chronically ill in 10 or 20 years,Ó he told the audience.

Pc Winterbottom then spoke about the way the police would be using the new system.

He pointed out they had little choice as to whether or not the force would adopt it as the communication frequencies currently being used would be taken away.

ÒWith this system we should be able to keep officers on the street but also make them more accessible to the public,Ó he said.

The presentations were followed by half an hour of questions from the 200-strong audience, many of whom had come from outside the area, including the New Forest and the Isle of Wight.

Mrs Cartwright said: ÒIt was an interesting and informative meeting and we all came away with a better understanding of the issues involved.Ó

Duncan Petty said: ÒIt keeps coming out that more research is needed.Ó

A CDRom of the speakers is available from Mr Petty on 01730 8903102.