THE council has made a stark declaration: “Our technology is no threat to kids’ health”.

Experts have moved to quash fears about microwave antennaes once-and-for-all, as the council installs them at 12 schools across the town.

In the past fortnight, the Adver has reported concerns from some campaigners about the health risks of the equipment.

The antennae use wireless internet technology to connect to the council’s intranet system, via a transmitter on the David Murray John tower.

But some claim invisible waves from the equipment harm health – with one mum even contacting the Adver to say she wants to pull her son out of school.

Now, in a bid to put worries to rest, the council’s head of communication technology David Titcombe has said there is “no convincing evidence” of any risk.

“The buildings they’re going on are usually two storeys high, and they’re on a pole,” he said.

“You’re usually one metre if not two away from the antenna.

“The antenna doesn’t point in the direction of the roof or other roofs.

“Both the World Health Organisation and Health Protection Agency say there is no convincing scientific evidence that exposure to radio signals causes any ill effects.

“It’s not much different from a home wi-fi router or mobile phone. The difference is that this is pointed away from you, whereas a mobile phone is right next to your ear.”

He said that the technology is widespread across the town. It is already in use at secondary schools, and the council is planning to install it at 12 children’s centres.

Called WiMAX, the technology uses radio signals within the microwave frequency range - similar to the kind used in wi-fi wireless internet, mobile phones, television aerials or radars.

The council’s report on the scheme states: “To be exposed to the maximum power output of less than one watt, you would need to stand against the radio antenna in the direction it is pointing.”

Dr Mike Clark from the Health Protection Agency’s Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, said such an exposure is “really trivial”.

He told the Adver: “Radio waves above a certain level cause heat – that’s what a microwave does.

“But in your kitchen you’ve got a kilowatt (1,000 watts).

“These are what? Maybe one watt?

“People claim to be made ill by them in other ways. There isn’t any evidence, but people still believe it and worry about their children’s health.”

Told that one parent is considering taking her child out of school, he said: “I think they need to consider the disruptive effect of that on the child, which is real” - compared to what he called a “phantom risk” from microwaves.