The effect of living nearby telecommunication base station: From the residents’ feeling

With advanced technology, the users of cellular phones are increasing, yet the public concern on health issues, particularly to the impacts of exposure to electromagnetic field (EMFs). However, it is unknown that the impacts of EMFs perceived by the adjacent residents. This paper presents the results of a case study to determine residents’ perceptions towards living proximity of telecommunication base station in Malaysia and how they evaluate the impact of these constructions. Using the quantitative survey method, this paper applied the chi-square test and binomial logit model to investigate the perceptions of residents who are living within close proximity to the telecommunication base station in Malaysia. The result shows that demographic (age), types of residence (length of stay and distance), and health symptoms (nausea vomiting and sight problem) were statistically significant to determine whether the residents felt comfortable to live nearby telecommunication base station. The result of logistic regression exhibits that residents who live more than 100 m away from the base station would more likely to feel comfortable, and the longer they live, more likely to choose comfortable compared to those who live there less than 5 years. The implications were also presented.