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A municipal government section in southern China’s Hainan province has built a base station in its own compound in an effort to assuage public concern that base stations are damaging to people's health. The move is intended to convince the public that electromagnetic emissions (EME) are not, in fact, dangerous at the level in which they are present near base stations.

According to a report published on Sept. 11 by the public WeChat account Iron Tower Micro-News, an additional base station was already installed in March in the Municipal Party Committee compound in Sanya.

Protests against the installation of base stations have taken place in China, as many citizens believe that base stations generate radiation, which harms people’s health. Violent attacks against base stations and telecom operators have even occurred, hindering the country’s telecom development, the report stated.

“The national standard for EME intensity is 12 volts per meter, and [EME intensity] is 0.73 to 0.77 volts per meter within 10 meters of a base station. By building base stations in government compounds, [we] hope citizens can gain a more accurate understanding of base stations,” an officer from China Tower told Iron Tower Micro-News in an interview on Sept. 11.

Local governments in China have been putting forth great effort to correct misconceptions and promote the installation of base stations around the country. In 2009, Shanghai Municipal Committee leaders required Party and government departments to take the lead in installing rooftop 3G base stations, setting another example for the public.