PETALING JAYA: Taman Subang residents want a telecommunications tower near their houses to be removed because they say it is a health hazard.

The residents say since the tower was erected 10 years ago on a plot of land, belonging to Syabas, many of them have fallen sick due to electromagnetic radiation exposure.

They allege that they have suffered frequent headaches and giddiness, fatigue, upper respiratory tract infections and even, cancer.

The residents claim that their numerous complaints lodged with several authorities, including Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission, have been futile.

Speaking on behalf of the residents, Associate Professor Dr Adlina Suleiman said when she first moved into the area two years ago, the tower did not have many antennas.

"However, from early last year, more antennas and parabola dishes were installed at the tower," she said.

She claimed over the past six months, she and her family members, including their maid, had fallen sick due to radiation exposure.

"Last October, my daughter was warded due to Herpes Zoster infection, which I believe was caused by the radiation exposure," said Dr Adlina, whose Jalan SS3/49 house is located some 15 metres from the tower.

Dr Adlina, who works at Universiti Teknologi Mara's Faculty of Medicine, said the illness usually was caused by immunity suppression, which occurred when one was exposed to the radiation.

"We had never suffered from any serious health problems before moving into the housing scheme. But now all of us fall sick easily," she said.

Dr Adlina also claimed that there had been an increase of deaths due to cancer in the area.

"Eight residents died of cancer and another 10 are suffering from some form of cancer. They also believe that their sufferings are due to the radiation from the tower," she said.

She claimed they had written to the telecommunication company, Syabas, Department of Environment and the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission over the matter.

"However, we did not get any response from them," she said.

Dr Adlina said the authorities should have been more sensitive to the residents' plight by sending their officers to measure the electromagnetic radiation.

"They should have also checked whether telecommunication company has violated any laws," she said.

Dr Adlina said two weeks ago, 10 students from her faculty did a survey on the effects of electromagnetic radiation from the tower on the residents, covering 170 respondents.

She said the students found that residents who live within a 40-metre radius from the tower report the highest percentage of family members suffering from fatigue, loss of memory, difficulty in concentration, nausea, headaches, visual and sleep disorder and loss of appetite.

"And those living between 40-metre and 80-metre radius complain of suffering from menstrual irregularities, reduced libido, cardiovascular problems, hearing disorder and fatigue," she said.

Dr Adlina said the symptoms decreased after 80 meters but based on World Health Organisation's guidelines, anyone who lives within 120-meter radius could be affected by the radiation.

Another resident Salleh Ahmad, 60, confirmed that their residents' association had lodged numerous complaints with relevant authorities but there had been no reply.

"The tower should have not have been built too close to the houses.

The company and authorities should have also consulted the residents first. We are now appealing to authorities to remove the tower," he said.

However, a Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission spokesman denied that the residents had written to them over the matter.

"We have not received any complaints from Taman Subang residents. Thus, we would like to urge them to file in their complaint to us so that we can look into their plight," he said.