Cancer Doubt Remains Over Mobile Phones
The long-term cancer risk of mobile phone use cannot be ruled out, experts have concluded.
A major six-year research programme, led by the communications industry, found a "hint" of a higher cancer risk.
But the UK Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme (MTHRP) did rule out short-term adverse effects to brain and cell function.
Researchers are now expanding the programme to look at phone use over 10 years, and the specific impact on children, which has not been studied.
The MTHRP programme, funded by the government and communications industry, has carried out 23 separate studies into the health impact of mobile phones, masts and base stations.
Programme chairman Professor Lawrie Challis, calling on the government to offer further advice, said, " We can't rule out the possibility at this stage that cancer could appear in a few years' time. With smoking there was no link of any lung cancer until after 10 years. "
The team found that there was a slight excess reporting of brain and acoustic neuroma (ear) cancers.
Researchers said this was on the borderline of statistical significance.
Professor Challis said the problem during the study was that there had been very few people using mobile phones for over 10 years.
Cancers do not normally appear until 10 to 15 years after exposure.
But he said overall the evidence that mobiles did not pose a significant health risk was "pretty reassuring".
Dr Evan Harris, of the Lib Dems says, "The current precautionary approach - involving limited restrictions on mast-siting relating to schools for example and advice about limiting use by young children - is reasonable."
The team looked at factors affecting blood pressure, heart rate, and electrical hypersensitivity, which include symptoms such as headaches, dizziness and tingling.
They concluded there was no risk.
It was established following publication of an independent government-commissioned report into the safety of mobile phones in 2000.
The report, produced by a group led by Sir William Stewart, concluded that mobile phones did not appear to harm health - but recommended further research was carried out.
However, in 2005 Sir William warned that mobile phone use by children should be limited as a precaution - and that under-eights should not use them at all.
There are now 70 million mobile phone handsets in the UK, and around 50,000 masts.
Both emit radio signals and electromagnetic fields that can penetrate the human brain, and campaigners fear that this could seriously damage human health.
Lib Dem science spokesman, Dr Evan Harris, said the findings were "good news for the public", but it was only right more research was carried out.
"The current precautionary approach - involving limited restrictions on mast-siting relating to schools for example and advice about limiting use by young children - is reasonable and this research demonstrates that there is as yet no justification for a more restrictive approach."
But a spokeswoman for the Mast Sanity campaign group said: "We believe mobiles are harmful to health; plenty of other studies have shown this. The programme has not really got to the bottom of this; it is too close to industry."
The CWU's National Health & Safety Adviser, Dave Joyce, reminded Branches that the CWU position remains unchanged: " The mobile industry accepts the need for ongoing research and the Union continues to support that position, monitoring research and keeping an open mind."
In LTB806/07 he advises that:
"The six year research programme has found no association between short term mobile phone use and brain cancer. Studies on volunteers also showed no evidence that brain function was affected by mobile phone signals or the signals used by the emergency services (TETRA). The MTHR Programme Management Committee believes there is no need to support further work in this area.
The research programme also included the largest and most robust studies of electrical hypersensitivity undertaken anywhere in the world. These studies have found no evidence that the unpleasant symptoms experienced by sufferers are the result of exposure to signals from mobile phones or base stations.
The situation for longer term exposure is less clear as studies have so far only included a limited number of participants who have used their phones for 10 years or more. The committee recommends more research be conducted in this area.
The MTHR Programme also investigated whether mobile phones might affect cells and tissue beyond simply heating them. The results so far show no evidence for this and the committee believes there is no need to support further work in this area."
Cynics would point out that an industry led investigation cannot be neutral and therefore it's conclusions will be compromised by vested interests. This can clearly be seen with the statement that there needs to be no more investigation of the heating effect on human tissue, despite this being of major concern ever since mobile phones became heavily used.
A direct parallel between the mobile comms industry and that of the attitude from cigarette companies has been drawn many times. Despite the evidence they themselves had collected showing the links between lung cancer and smoking, the evidence was suppressed for many many years.
Source: BBC News Online, CWU
LTB806/07
Mobile Phones and Health Leaflet
Mobile Phone Base Stations
