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Mobiles phones safe… for now19 September 2007
Mobile phones don't increase the risk of brain tumours in the short term, a recent report suggests. However, more research is needed to rule out the potential impact of mobile phones on health in the long-term. The six year study, carried out by the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme (MTHRP), found no evidence that exposure to radio waves produced by mobile phones had any adverse health effects. Professor Lawrie Challis, Chairman of the MTHRP, comments: "This is a very substantial report from a large research programme. The work reported today has all been published in respected peer-reviewed scientific or medical journals." The researchers evaluated epidemiological evidence - observations made from looking at the rates of disease in a population - and saw no indication that the risk of brain cancer was increased by mobile phone use. There was also no indication that brain functions, such as response times or memory, were affected by radio waves from mobile phones. Nevertheless, risks from long-term exposure to mobile phone technology could not be ruled out, as so few people have used mobile phones for periods of 10 years or more. Professor Challis explains: "The results are so far reassuring but there is still a need for more research, especially to check that no effects emerge from longer-term phone use from adults and from use by children." The report also examined evidence on electrical hypersensitivity. However, no associations were found between the symptoms and mobile phones or base station masts. Dr Zenon Sienkiewicz, member of the MTHR Management Committee, explains: "Electrical hypersensitivity doesn't seem to be caused by mobile phone radiofrequency fields, at least within the lab." He adds: "At the moment we don't know what causes electrical hypersensitivity, but we know that the symptoms are genuine - they do exist." Further research into how radiofrequencies fields could affect living cells and the long-term impact of mobiles phones on health is ongoing. In the meantime, Dr Sienkiewicz comments: "The biggest danger we know of from mobile phones is posed while driving. "Even hands-free kits have been shown to distract drivers and increase the risk of car accidents." Back to the latest health news
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