7 Sharp have interviewed Marta Fisch (opens new window) on Waiheke Island, who has built an ugly looking metal box - three side walls - in her garden, to keep out "radiation". Radiation in this sense is the kind of electromagnetic energy that is used to send TV signals and offer WiFi, and also background radiation from nature.

Marta is using a TES 92 Electrosmog Meter (opens new window) (~$175), which appears to measure . and has taken measurements at her WiFi router of "4". It seems that, in the absence of understanding the science behind EMF, she's relying on a meter that she doesn't know how to use, and reading numbers on a display that she doesn't know how to interpret.

The box appears to be for Marta's son - it's outside and has a basketball hoop. It's big and ugly, and given the cost (or worth?) of $30,000, I'd say that she's spent a whole lot of money to not make much of a difference - especially now that a second tower's going up nearby.

Peter Griffin from the Science Media Centre did a good job in the piece of explaining why these towers are safe. However, unfortunately 7 Sharp opened and closed their piece talking about cancer, and whether they'd want to live close to cell towers. They also played ominous music when showing video of the towers, making them look menacing. It's a pity that they couldn't see their way to ignoring their own biases and actually trusting the evidence, which says that these towers are safe at the distances from residences the government allows them to be erected in NZ.