Mobile Phone Health Watch: 'We were told there was no risk to

MOBILE phones transmit and receive micro-wave radiation. However, the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) concluded in 1990 that, provided exposure was within guideline levels, there should be no adverse effects on health.

The House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee called for rigorous assessment of the existing research to identify areas in need of further investigation, so that the public can receive clear advice on any risks.

And the NRPB reported there was no human evidence of a risk of cancer resulting from exposure to radiation arising from the use of mobile phones.

The report by Polish scientists has shown that this may not be true. Although the research does not include mobile phones, it shows that the same type of radiation as produced by mobile phones can cause a range of cancers including of the skin and brain.

This work by scientists is preliminary but should result in alarm bells ringing in the heads of the 24 million people in the UK with mobile phones.

It has been claimed that children may be more susceptible to the effects of microwave radiation.

The research currently underway will take two to three years to complete but we must ensure it is free from industrial influence.

The experience has always been that, whether it is chemicals or radiation, "safe' levels are always lowered after research is carried out.

Whilst this link is with cancer there is also preliminary evidence that there may be effects on brain function (headaches and memory loss, dizziness, etc). It's going to be hard to persuade people to give up their phones but it looks like it will become a question of health before convenience.

It was agreed by the Select Committee that the Government must put much more money into research involving the use of mobile phones by children.

WE also need to look at the effects of microwave radiation on young people living near mobile masts.

It is suspected that these masts may be associated with childhood leukaemia but much more research needs to be carried out.

There are also, under the Fifth Framework Initiative of the European Commission, large pots of money available for research into microwave radiation. British scientists must be encouraged to bid for this by the Government.

It is certainly true that unless this research is carried out on a wide scale we will never find out the health problems.

The third generation of mobile phones and research into them is now under way and it will be increasingly necessary to ensure that these new phones produce less microwave radiation.

There have been success stories and they will certainly grow in numbers as groups of concerned parents and tenants protest about the siting of masts on tower blocks, schools and streets.

At least 150 MPs have signed a motion expressing deep concern about these issues and many government departments are engaged in reports as a way of allaying fears among the public.

The media has taken up the issue and this is to be welcomed, giving up-to-date facts in an area which is of equal concern as genetically modified food.

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