NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION 2185
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 19/08/2011
(INTERNAL QUESTION: 25/2011)
Mr M Waters (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
1) How many (a) public and (b) private schools (i) have cellular phone
masts within their grounds and (ii) are situated within 500 meters
from a cellular phone mast;
2) Whether she has been informed of the adverse health effects of
cellular phone masts due to the transmission of electromagnet
radiation; if so, what action will be taken in this regard;
3) Whether her Department had any meetings with the Department of Health
to discuss these adverse effects of cellular phone masts at or near
schools; if not, why not; if so, (a) when, (b) by whom were these
meetings attended and (c) what were the outcomes of these meetings ?
NW2558E
Reply:
1) The Department currently does not collect data on the number of
schools that have cellular phone masts on the school grounds or within
500 metres from a cellular phone mast.
2) The Department has not been informed by the Department of Health, from
which guidance on school health issues is sought, on the adverse
health effects of cellular phone masts due to the transmission of
electromagnet radiation.
3) The Department of Basic Education has not had any specific meetings
with the Department of Health on the adverse health effects of
cellular phone masts at or near schools as this has not been raised by
the Department of Health as either a significant health barrier to
learning or of significant public health concern.
However, the two Departments are meeting on a weekly basis to develop
an Integrated School Health Programme and the issue of the adverse
health effects of cellular phone masts at or near schools will be
raised at the next meeting. Should the adverse health effects of
cellular phone masts have significant detrimental effects on public
health or the burden of disease profile for school-going children, or
pose a significant health barrier to learning relative to the range of
other health barriers to learning, further investigation will be
undertaken.