Military antennas blamed for high cancer rate at kibbutz near Rehovot

"Hundreds of residents of Kibbutz Na'an and surrounding moshavim called yesterday for the relocation of an Israel Defense Forces Communications Corps antenna installation that is situated close to their homes. At a protest rally, the demonstrators charged that the installation, comprising dozens of antennas, was to blame for the high rate of cancer among area residents.

Kibbutz Na'an, near Rehovot, is home to some 1,000 people, 56 of whom have contracted cancer in recent years. Toward the end of last year, area residents began to suspect that the reason for the high incidence of cancer was the antenna installation. They approached the Defense Ministry with questions about the level of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the antennas, and were told the site posed no danger to them.The residents, however, were not satisfied, and called in two experts to check radiation levels emitted from the site. The experts found that the radiation levels were 50 times higher than the accepted standard. Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, who visited the area last month and was questioned on the matter, said a radiation expert would conduct further tests at the site in conjunction with defense and local officials. "

Source: Yuval Azoulay. Military antennas blamed for high cancer rate at kibbutz. Haaretz.com (11 March 2005) [FullText]