Hip
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This poll asks: at the time your ME/CFS first appeared, how far was the home you were then living in from the nearest mobile phone base station mast?
This poll is really only open to people whose ME/CFS first appeared within the last 10 or 15 years, simply because for those whose ME/CFS started before that, you will likely not be able to clearly remember whether or not there was a mobile phone base station near your home (but if you do clearly remember, then you can vote).
In order to vote in this poll, you need to work out the distance between the home you lived in when you first developed ME/CFS and the nearest base station. You can easily work out this distance using the base station online maps given below.
Living closer than 500 meters from a mobile phone base station mast has been tentatively linked to an increased incidence in cancer (though there is contradictory evidence for this), and to an increase in headaches, irritability, impaired concentration and lower cognitive performance.
However, according to the WHO, apart from cancer studies, no research has yet examined the possible links between mobile phone base station proximity to the home, and the incidence of other chronic diseases, such as ME/CFS.
So I thought it would be interesting to run a poll to see how close people were living to a mobile phone base station when their ME/CFS first appeared, to see if this might be a contributory factor in the development of ME/CFS. I personally doubt that the microwave electromagnetic radiation from mobile phone base stations will be a contributory factor in ME/CFS, but let's see what the poll uncovers.
Working Out the Distance From Your Home to the Nearest Base Station
Given below are various online maps which show the locations of the mobile phone base stations in different countries. You can easily use these online maps to find the distance between the home you were living in when you first developed ME/CFS, and the nearest mobile phone base station mast.
For those in the UK, you can use this map, which shows all the base stations in the UK (except Northern Ireland).
On the map, zoom in to where you were living when your ME/CFS first appeared, and you should be able to see all the base stations around your home. There is a meter scale at the bottom right of the map, so using this scale and a piece of string to measure distance on your computer screen, you should be able to work out exactly how far the nearest base station was from the home you were living in when you developed ME/CFS.
Another easy (and probably more accurate) way to measure distance from your home to the base station is using a regular Google map, and right clicking on this map at the location of your home, selecting "Measure distance" from the pop-up menu, and then left clicking on the map at the location where the base station would be. This will then tell you the exact distance between these two points.
Once you have measured the distance in meters between your home and the base station, you can answer the poll accordingly.
Those in the UK can also use this map of mobile phone base station locations (enter your postcode to see the map). Note that there is no scale on this map, but if you click on each base station shown, it will tell you its distance (in km) from the postcode area you entered. You may have to zoom in a bit if the base station is very close to your postcode area. This map seems slightly more up to date that the above UK base station map. Note: 1 kilometer = 1,000 meters. So for example: 0.300 km = 300 meters.
For those in the United States, you can use this map, which shows all the mobile phone base station (cell tower) locations (you need to enter your street and city, and then select "View Tower Results").
When you have found the nearest base station to your home, in order to measure the distance between this base station and your home, you need to go to a regular Google map, and right click on this Google map at the location of your home, selecting "Measure distance" from the pop-up menu, and then left click on the map at the location where the base station would be. This will then tell you the exact distance between these two points.
For those in Canada, you can use this map, which shows all the base station locations. Please follow the above instructions for the UK (in italics) to work out the distance to your nearest mobile phone base station.
For those in Australia, you can use this map, which shows all the base station locations (you need to enter your postcode or suburb name). Please follow the above instructions for the UK (in italics) to work out the distance to your nearest mobile phone base station.
For those in New Zealand, you can use this map, which shows all the base station locations. Please follow the above instructions for the UK (in italics) to work out the distance to your nearest mobile phone base station.
For those in Ireland: unfortunately I could not find an online map detailing the base station locations.
Important Point: Please Read Before Answering the Poll
Note that if your ME/CFS first appeared many years ago (eg, over a decade ago), make sure that any base station that you see close to your home on any online map was actually in existence at the time your ME/CFS first developed, as some base stations have only been erected in more recent years.
In other words, if you see a base station near your home on the online map, please try to remember whether this base station was actually there at the time you first developed ME/CFS. If you are sure that the base station was existence at that time, then you can use the online map to measure how far away it was from the home you lived in when you developed ME/CFS, and then answer to poll accordingly.
By contrast, if the online map shows that no base station is within a 500 meter proximity to the home you lived in when you first developed ME/CFS, then we can assume that was always the case, so you can without further ado select the poll answer option: "500 meters or further from the nearest base station".
POLL RESULTS: Calculating the Risk Factor That Base Station Radiation Might Pose for the Triggering of ME/CFS
If you are just voting in this poll, you don't need read this section.
The null hypothesis in this poll is that proximity to mobile phone base stations does not play role in the triggering of ME/CFS, and is not a risk factor for ME/CFS.
For the null hypothesis to be true, you would have to have both side of the following equation being equal (see here for why):
(Number of people in 500-300m annulus zone) X 1.2 = (Number of people in 300-150m annulus zone) + (Number of people in 150-0m circle zone).
If on the other hand the right side of that equation turns out to be larger than the left side, it would suggest that mobile phone base station radiation is a risk factor for ME/CFS.
The equation to calculate the increased risk of triggering ME/CFS for those living within 300 meters of a base station, compared to the risk for those living in the 500 meter to 300 meter zone, is the following:
Increased risk = ((ME incidence in 0m to <150m zone) + (ME incidence in 150m to <300m zone)) / (1.2 X (ME incidence in 300m to <500m zone))
The current poll results (as of 15 Nov 2017) are:
ME incidence in the 300m to <500m zone = 6
ME incidence in the 150m to <300m zone = 6
ME incidence in the 0m to <150m zone = 4
So using the above equation, the increased risk is currently calculated at:
Increased risk = (4 + 6) / (1.2 X 6) = 1.4
The current 1.4x apparent effect is probably small enough to be explained purely by methodological error. So I would say that this poll shows no evidence of any increased risk of triggering ME/CFS from base stations.
Bear in mind that is just a rough and ready forum poll, so even at best, the results will only give you an inkling of what the risk might be.
However, I do think this poll is telling us something useful: in the thread detailing the 5- to 8-fold increase in ME/CFS incidence that apparently occurred in several countries during the 1980s (when cell phone networks were introduced), someone suggested that cellular base station might have been responsible for the increase. Which is a reasonable suggestion.
Now if base station radiation had been responsible for such a large 5- to 8-fold increase in ME/CFS, I feel that this poll (with its control group), would have likely picked up such a large influence.
Thus the fact that the poll has not detected any such large influence does in my view does tell us something: it tells us that the 5- to 8-fold increase in incidence observed in the 1980s was most likely not down to the introduction of mobile phone base stations that occurred in that decade.
This poll is really only open to people whose ME/CFS first appeared within the last 10 or 15 years, simply because for those whose ME/CFS started before that, you will likely not be able to clearly remember whether or not there was a mobile phone base station near your home (but if you do clearly remember, then you can vote).
In order to vote in this poll, you need to work out the distance between the home you lived in when you first developed ME/CFS and the nearest base station. You can easily work out this distance using the base station online maps given below.
Cellular Mobile Phone Base Station Masts
Living closer than 500 meters from a mobile phone base station mast has been tentatively linked to an increased incidence in cancer (though there is contradictory evidence for this), and to an increase in headaches, irritability, impaired concentration and lower cognitive performance.
However, according to the WHO, apart from cancer studies, no research has yet examined the possible links between mobile phone base station proximity to the home, and the incidence of other chronic diseases, such as ME/CFS.
So I thought it would be interesting to run a poll to see how close people were living to a mobile phone base station when their ME/CFS first appeared, to see if this might be a contributory factor in the development of ME/CFS. I personally doubt that the microwave electromagnetic radiation from mobile phone base stations will be a contributory factor in ME/CFS, but let's see what the poll uncovers.
Working Out the Distance From Your Home to the Nearest Base Station
Given below are various online maps which show the locations of the mobile phone base stations in different countries. You can easily use these online maps to find the distance between the home you were living in when you first developed ME/CFS, and the nearest mobile phone base station mast.
For those in the UK, you can use this map, which shows all the base stations in the UK (except Northern Ireland).
On the map, zoom in to where you were living when your ME/CFS first appeared, and you should be able to see all the base stations around your home. There is a meter scale at the bottom right of the map, so using this scale and a piece of string to measure distance on your computer screen, you should be able to work out exactly how far the nearest base station was from the home you were living in when you developed ME/CFS.
Another easy (and probably more accurate) way to measure distance from your home to the base station is using a regular Google map, and right clicking on this map at the location of your home, selecting "Measure distance" from the pop-up menu, and then left clicking on the map at the location where the base station would be. This will then tell you the exact distance between these two points.
Once you have measured the distance in meters between your home and the base station, you can answer the poll accordingly.
Those in the UK can also use this map of mobile phone base station locations (enter your postcode to see the map). Note that there is no scale on this map, but if you click on each base station shown, it will tell you its distance (in km) from the postcode area you entered. You may have to zoom in a bit if the base station is very close to your postcode area. This map seems slightly more up to date that the above UK base station map. Note: 1 kilometer = 1,000 meters. So for example: 0.300 km = 300 meters.
For those in the United States, you can use this map, which shows all the mobile phone base station (cell tower) locations (you need to enter your street and city, and then select "View Tower Results").
When you have found the nearest base station to your home, in order to measure the distance between this base station and your home, you need to go to a regular Google map, and right click on this Google map at the location of your home, selecting "Measure distance" from the pop-up menu, and then left click on the map at the location where the base station would be. This will then tell you the exact distance between these two points.
For those in Canada, you can use this map, which shows all the base station locations. Please follow the above instructions for the UK (in italics) to work out the distance to your nearest mobile phone base station.
For those in Australia, you can use this map, which shows all the base station locations (you need to enter your postcode or suburb name). Please follow the above instructions for the UK (in italics) to work out the distance to your nearest mobile phone base station.
For those in New Zealand, you can use this map, which shows all the base station locations. Please follow the above instructions for the UK (in italics) to work out the distance to your nearest mobile phone base station.
For those in Ireland: unfortunately I could not find an online map detailing the base station locations.
Important Point: Please Read Before Answering the Poll
Note that if your ME/CFS first appeared many years ago (eg, over a decade ago), make sure that any base station that you see close to your home on any online map was actually in existence at the time your ME/CFS first developed, as some base stations have only been erected in more recent years.
In other words, if you see a base station near your home on the online map, please try to remember whether this base station was actually there at the time you first developed ME/CFS. If you are sure that the base station was existence at that time, then you can use the online map to measure how far away it was from the home you lived in when you developed ME/CFS, and then answer to poll accordingly.
By contrast, if the online map shows that no base station is within a 500 meter proximity to the home you lived in when you first developed ME/CFS, then we can assume that was always the case, so you can without further ado select the poll answer option: "500 meters or further from the nearest base station".
POLL RESULTS: Calculating the Risk Factor That Base Station Radiation Might Pose for the Triggering of ME/CFS
If you are just voting in this poll, you don't need read this section.
The null hypothesis in this poll is that proximity to mobile phone base stations does not play role in the triggering of ME/CFS, and is not a risk factor for ME/CFS.
For the null hypothesis to be true, you would have to have both side of the following equation being equal (see here for why):
(Number of people in 500-300m annulus zone) X 1.2 = (Number of people in 300-150m annulus zone) + (Number of people in 150-0m circle zone).
If on the other hand the right side of that equation turns out to be larger than the left side, it would suggest that mobile phone base station radiation is a risk factor for ME/CFS.
The equation to calculate the increased risk of triggering ME/CFS for those living within 300 meters of a base station, compared to the risk for those living in the 500 meter to 300 meter zone, is the following:
Increased risk = ((ME incidence in 0m to <150m zone) + (ME incidence in 150m to <300m zone)) / (1.2 X (ME incidence in 300m to <500m zone))
The current poll results (as of 15 Nov 2017) are:
ME incidence in the 300m to <500m zone = 6
ME incidence in the 150m to <300m zone = 6
ME incidence in the 0m to <150m zone = 4
So using the above equation, the increased risk is currently calculated at:
Increased risk = (4 + 6) / (1.2 X 6) = 1.4
The current 1.4x apparent effect is probably small enough to be explained purely by methodological error. So I would say that this poll shows no evidence of any increased risk of triggering ME/CFS from base stations.
Bear in mind that is just a rough and ready forum poll, so even at best, the results will only give you an inkling of what the risk might be.
However, I do think this poll is telling us something useful: in the thread detailing the 5- to 8-fold increase in ME/CFS incidence that apparently occurred in several countries during the 1980s (when cell phone networks were introduced), someone suggested that cellular base station might have been responsible for the increase. Which is a reasonable suggestion.
Now if base station radiation had been responsible for such a large 5- to 8-fold increase in ME/CFS, I feel that this poll (with its control group), would have likely picked up such a large influence.
Thus the fact that the poll has not detected any such large influence does in my view does tell us something: it tells us that the 5- to 8-fold increase in incidence observed in the 1980s was most likely not down to the introduction of mobile phone base stations that occurred in that decade.
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