Hong Kong residents urge government to tighten rules on electromagnetic radiation

Dozens of residents have called on the government to tighten regulations and standards for electromagnetic radiation, claiming to be adversely affected by such radiation from rooftop telecommunications transmitters.

Pastor Mike Liu was shocked when his younger sister was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour at the age of 30 in 2012. She died just a year later as the cancer was aggressive. He was dealt two furtherblows – his father was diagnosed and later died of oesophageal cancer in 2015, and his mother was diagnosed with early stage lung cancer a year later.

Liu, 38, claimed this was no coincidence. He blamed it on transmitters, which reside on the roof of the family home, a Tenants Purchase Scheme estate in Sheung Shui. Half of the 24 sets installed at the estate are above their unit on the 27th floor, the top level.

“The government says no studies have been able to prove there is any link to human health but no one has been able to prove there is no effect either,” Liu said.

He is not alone in his views. Democratic Party lawmaker Andrew Wan Siu-kin, who is assisting Liu and 31 other residents concerned or affected by rooftop base stations, said the government was “gambling with lives” by doing nothing to address such concerns. Some residents complain of chronic headaches and poor sleep, while others highlight weaker immune systems and irregular blood pressure after the stations were installed.