Installing antenna towers and BTS stations: Ensuring the safety of the public.

(Baonghean) - An antenna tower and mobile communication base station (BTS) owned by Viettel Nghe An Branch - Military Telecommunications Group, is currently being constructed on the second-floor roof of Mr. Nguyen Quang Thang's house in Trung Do Ward, Vinh City. However, this is being strongly opposed by 20 households in the area who argue that the house's structure is not safe enough to accommodate the BTS and that electromagnetic waves could affect their health.

The BTS tower is erected at Mr. Thang's house (house number 104, Nguyen Thiep Street, Trung Do Ward, Vinh City).

People are worried.

In late 2016, Nghe An Newspaper received a petition from 20 households in Blocks 13 and 14 (Trung Do Ward, Vinh City) regarding the construction of a satellite antenna on the roof of Mr. Nguyen Quang Thang's house (house number 104, Nguyen Thiep Street, Trung Do Ward, Vinh City). The residents argued that "The antenna erected on Mr. Thang's house is a danger to the villagers because it is built on a house whose first floor was constructed 30 years ago with bricks and mortar, without any supporting pillars, and the foundation lacks steel reinforcement; it's a makeshift structure. The house was built without a construction permit from the authorities," and "Erecting a 25-meter-high antenna on the roof like that poses a very high risk of collapse, not to mention during strong winds and storms."

In their petition, 20 households also reported that the residential area has "houses built close together, a dense population, concrete roads, and no trees..."; therefore, they are worried that climate change combined with electromagnetic waves will affect people's health.

After receiving the petition, the reporter investigated the matter. It was learned that on the same day, December 27, 2016, 20 households also submitted a petition to the Trung Do Ward People's Committee with the same content.

The following day, December 28, 2016, the urban management department of Trung Do ward, in coordination with the Vinh City Urban Order Management Team, inspected the construction of the antenna tower at Mr. Thang's house. During the inspection, Mr. Thang's family presented construction permit No. 367/GPXD-UBND issued by the Vinh City People's Committee on December 12, 2016, which stated: the height of the building housing the BTS station (excluding the roof) is 7.0m; the construction area of ​​the station is 108 m².²Antenna type: guyed; antenna height: 18.0 m; total height of the structure (measured from natural ground level): 25.55 m. This BTS station's location was also approved by the Department of Information and Communications in Official Letter No. 1641/STTTT-QLVT dated November 21, 2014.

After inspection, the People's Committee of Trung Do Ward issued Document No. 433/UBND-DT dated December 28, 2016, responding to the citizens' petition and requesting Viettel Nghe An - Military Telecommunications Group to ensure the safety of lives and property for neighboring households when constructing the antenna tower. However, 20 households still disagreed and continued to demand the removal of the structure.

In light of this situation, on January 6, 2017, the People's Committee of Trung Do Ward sent a document requesting the Viettel Nghe An Branch - Military Telecommunications Group to provide relevant documents and arrange a meeting so that the People's Committee of the ward could invite the residents of blocks 13 and 14. A meeting between the three parties, including representatives from the People's Committee of the ward, Viettel Nghe An, and the residents, took place on January 10, 2017.

According to the meeting minutes, Mr. Le Van Tinh, representing Viettel Nghe An, explained that the BTS base station did not affect human health and had all the necessary documents and procedures for installation. Despite this, the residents disagreed and demanded a "temporary halt to construction and cessation of BTS station operation." The matter was reported by the Trung Do Ward People's Committee to the Nghe An Department of Construction and the Vinh City People's Committee in Document No. 08/BC-UBND dated January 11, 2017.

Leaders of Trung Do ward (Vinh City) inspect the current condition of Mr. Nguyen Quang Thang's house.

Safety factors must be ensured.

Mr. Vuong Tien Hung, Head of Technical Department at Viettel Nghe An branch, confirmed that the BTS station at Mr. Thang's house is currently under installation and construction and is not yet operational. However, residents remain uneasy and worried about the structural integrity of their houses and the potential health risks from electromagnetic waves. To clarify these two issues, a reporter from Nghe An Newspaper investigated the safety assessment of the structure by relevant authorities.

Regarding the structural integrity of the house, Mr. Thang's house was inspected by HCA Consulting and Construction Co., Ltd. (Ha Tinh) on December 2, 2016. The inspection report clearly stated, "The house is solidly built, with secure foundations, pillars, and concrete beams, and walls constructed with solid bricks."

The conclusion of the inspection report also affirmed that "The structure meets the safety requirements for structural integrity when the antenna mast and auxiliary equipment are installed; it complies with the requirements for grounding, lightning protection, and fire prevention as stipulated for the installed structure, ensuring safety during storms, fire prevention, structural integrity, safety and stability."

The document clearly states: "The appraisal unit will be responsible for the appraisal results mentioned above." Viettel Nghe An Branch approved the design verification report for the construction drawings in Decision No. 1120/QD-NAN-XDHT dated December 2, 2016. The Vinh City People's Committee issued Construction Permit No. 367/GPXD-UBND dated December 12, 2016. Thus, the construction of the antenna tower and BTS station mentioned above has been approved, verified, and licensed by the competent authority in accordance with regulations.

Secondly, regarding the public's concerns about the impact of BTS stations on people's health, on January 27, 2016, in the "People Ask, Authorities Answer" section of Nghe An Newspaper, Mr. Bui Dinh Long - former Director of the Nghe An Department of Health - stated: "Many studies have been conducted both globally and in Vietnam, but to date, there is no scientific evidence to confirm that electromagnetic waves affect human health. Many studies have even confirmed that there are no such effects."

However, based on the results of scientific studies, the Ministry of Science and Technology has set certain standards to ensure the health of the people. The installation of BTS stations will not exceed those prescribed limits.”

Therefore, before being put into operation, BTS stations must be inspected to ensure full compliance with safety standards regarding electromagnetic field exposure and be issued a certificate of eligibility to operate, guaranteeing the safety of people living in the surrounding area.

Residents can check and identify inspected BTS stations because, according to regulations, within 30 days of receiving the Inspection Certificate, organizations and businesses must display a copy of the Inspection Certificate at the BTS station installation location. As for the BTS station installed at Mr. Thang's house, it is not yet in use, so no inspection has been conducted.

Based on calculations according to TCVN 3718-1:2005 on the management of radio frequency radiation safety issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology and QCVN 8:2010/BTTTT on the National Technical Standard on electromagnetic field exposure of public terrestrial telephone base stations issued by the Ministry of Information and Communications, it shows that outside the horizontal range of 2-5 meters from the BTS antenna tower, the level of electromagnetic exposure from the BTS has decreased below the prescribed safety level, ensuring the long-term health of people living nearby. Therefore, people can rest assured about the safety of the inspected BTS stations.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Truong, Deputy Head of the Urban Management Department of Vinh City, stated: “Although granted a permit, the investor, Viettel Nghe An, is responsible for organizing quality inspections of the construction, structural safety, and health safety for people before putting the building into use and periodically according to regulations.” Currently, the building is under construction; after completion, Viettel Nghe An must conduct the required inspections before it can be used.

Therefore, the antenna tower and BTS station of Viettel Nghe An installed at Mr. Thang's house must undergo quality inspection and compliance with all safety standards regarding electromagnetic field exposure before being put into use. Thus, to gain public consensus, relevant authorities need to thoroughly check these two factors, prioritizing the safety of the people above all else.

Phuong Thao