Mobiles Bad for Birds, People 
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Tech Biz  :  Media    
Mobiles Bad for Birds, People
Elisa Batista  09.05.01 | 2:00 AM 
A British pigeon fancier who believes that cell phone emissions damage a bird's 
sense of direction is about to sue mobile phone companies for shooing away his 
beloved birds, The Times reported on Monday. 
David Blain, a farmer from West Lothian, is blaming a cell phone antenna next to 
his farm for scaring away 50 of his racing pigeons. 
Since a radio antenna was built there, he has lost two-thirds of the birds that 
have frequented his family farm for the past 40 years, he claims. 
Blain and hundreds of other pigeon lovers are reportedly close to taking legal 
action against mobile phone companies. 
The legal action has the backing of Britain's Royal Pigeon Racing Association, 
The Times reported. 
An association for cell phone manufacturers adamantly denied emissions from the 
antenna are hurting the birds. 
A representative of the Mobile and Telecoms Advisory Group told The Times there 
was no evidence that emissions from mobile phone antennas have an adverse effect 
on animals, although the group plans to research the matter in the future. 
However, recent research by the Swiss Bird Study Organization found that racing 
pigeons get confused near mobile antennas, and fly much lower than normal around 
such equipment. 

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