A maternity hospital's battle to stop mums-to-be smoking may lead to the use of a controversial anti-loitering device outside its doors.

Management at the Rotunda will decide in the coming weeks whether to use mosquito alarms outside its main entrance, in an effort to stop mothers, visitors and staff under the age of 25 smoking in the doorways.

The move is being considered despite comments by the Ombudsman for Children that their use could technically constitute assault on a child.

Mosquito alarms function by emitting a high-frequency noise which can only be heard by those under 25. Older people cannot hear the noise, because human hearing deteriorates with age.

A spokesman for the Rotunda Hospital confirmed to the Herald: "It is something that we are looking at, to try to discourage people from smoking. We're looking at various different methods."

Risk

But the full health effects of the devices remain unclear, particularly their use in the vicinity of very young children.

A German government report from 2007 stated: "Infants and toddlers at risk if they are exposed to the sound for a long time." Dizziness, headache and impairment could also occur, after long exposure to the sound on the part of adults and children, the report stated.

But the Rotunda, Dublin's oldest maternity hospital, stressed that if there were any doubts about the safety of the devices they would not be installed.

"We obviously would not use something that would harm anyone's health," a hospital spokesman added.

It is unclear if Dublin's other two maternity hospitals, the Coombe and Holles Street, plan to introduce the devices.

Mosquito alarms have been deployed in the past by private businesses, to stop young people loitering. In March 2007, Letterkenny became the first town council here to install the technology in a public place.

The devices are usually placed slightly above head height and the frequency is emitted for a couple of metres on either side of the box. The devices have the appearance of a black sensor light.

Youth Work Ireland has previously said that the use of the devices could constitute assault under the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act 1997.

hnews@herald.ie

- Jane Last