Health Damage By Using Mobile
A major British study has found there are no damaging health effects from using mobile phones, in the short-term at least.
The UK mobile telecommunications and health research program conducted a six-year review into the safety of mobile phones.
It was set up after a report in 2001 raised concerns about the health effects of mobile phone use.
After 23 separate studies, the independent body found there was no increase in cancers of the brain and nervous system in people using mobiles for less than 10 years.
Researchers found mobile use also had no impact on brain function. They have called for a longer study to assess the impact on people using mobiles phones for more than 10 years.
Britain's largest investigation into the possible medical risks from mobile telephone technology has concluded that a long-term cancer prognosis cannot be ruled out.
But the research, which ran six years and included the most extensive and robust studies of electrical hypersensitivity undertaken anywhere in the world, said its basic finding was that mobile phones have not so far been found to be associated with any biological or adverse health effects.
The Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research (MTHR) Programme said it had not found any association between short-term mobile phone use and brain cancer, but added that it could not pronounce on the effects of longer-term use.
But professor Lawrie Challis, chairman of the MTHR programme, said the research had studied only very few people who had used mobiles regularly for longer than 10 years. Cancers do not normally appear until ten to 15 years after exposure. But he said overall the evidence that mobiles did not pose a significant health risk was "pretty reassuring".
The programme said "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".
According to the most recent estimates available, the total number of mobile phone subscribers in the world was estimated at 2.14 billion in 2005 with India recently overtaking China as the world's fastest-growing mobile phone market.
The British programme said it found there was only a slight excess reporting of brain and ear cancers. Challis said the programme had found the merest "hint" of a higher cancer risk. Researchers said this finding straddled the borderline of statistical significance.
The University of Essex had dismissed the notion that mobile phone masts can trigger symptoms such as anxiety and nausea in sensitive individuals.
Three years ago, a thin-sample survey by a Swedish institute found that using a mobile phone for 10 years or more increases the risk of ear tumours by four times. It is this risk that Wednesday's new British report finds itself unable to pronounce upon. The British programme reported that studies on volunteers showed no evidence that brain function was affected by mobile phone signals or the signals used by the emergency services.
The latest research into the possible health impact of using mobile phones is due to be published.
The wide-ranging Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme carried out 28 separate studies into potential health risks of mobile phone handsets, masts and base stations.
It looked at the impact on childhood cancer, brain tumours, blood pressure and general brain function.
The major research programme received around £8.8 million in funding from the Government and the communications industry.
The report follows the publication of independent research 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.
Although mobile phones have been available in the UK since 1985, they did not become widely used until the late 1990s. More than 40 million people in the UK are now thought to use mobile phones, including many children.
Campaigners fear that the radio signals and electromagnetic fields emitted by mobile technology could seriously damage health, but scientific studies have so far not backed up their concerns.
Last year the largest and longest-running investigation so far into the possible link between brain tumours and mobile phones suggested that there was no association between the two.
The study, by the Danish Institute of Cancer Epidemiology in Copenhagen of 420,000 Danish mobile phone users, showed that mobile phone users have no greater chance of developing the disease than the general population.
The UK mobile telecommunications and health research program conducted a six-year review into the safety of mobile phones.
It was set up after a report in 2001 raised concerns about the health effects of mobile phone use.
After 23 separate studies, the independent body found there was no increase in cancers of the brain and nervous system in people using mobiles for less than 10 years.
Researchers found mobile use also had no impact on brain function. They have called for a longer study to assess the impact on people using mobiles phones for more than 10 years.
Britain's largest investigation into the possible medical risks from mobile telephone technology has concluded that a long-term cancer prognosis cannot be ruled out.
But the research, which ran six years and included the most extensive and robust studies of electrical hypersensitivity undertaken anywhere in the world, said its basic finding was that mobile phones have not so far been found to be associated with any biological or adverse health effects.
The Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research (MTHR) Programme said it had not found any association between short-term mobile phone use and brain cancer, but added that it could not pronounce on the effects of longer-term use.
But professor Lawrie Challis, chairman of the MTHR programme, said the research had studied only very few people who had used mobiles regularly for longer than 10 years. Cancers do not normally appear until ten to 15 years after exposure. But he said overall the evidence that mobiles did not pose a significant health risk was "pretty reassuring".
The programme said "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".
According to the most recent estimates available, the total number of mobile phone subscribers in the world was estimated at 2.14 billion in 2005 with India recently overtaking China as the world's fastest-growing mobile phone market.
The British programme said it found there was only a slight excess reporting of brain and ear cancers. Challis said the programme had found the merest "hint" of a higher cancer risk. Researchers said this finding straddled the borderline of statistical significance.
The University of Essex had dismissed the notion that mobile phone masts can trigger symptoms such as anxiety and nausea in sensitive individuals.
Three years ago, a thin-sample survey by a Swedish institute found that using a mobile phone for 10 years or more increases the risk of ear tumours by four times. It is this risk that Wednesday's new British report finds itself unable to pronounce upon. The British programme reported that studies on volunteers showed no evidence that brain function was affected by mobile phone signals or the signals used by the emergency services.
The latest research into the possible health impact of using mobile phones is due to be published.
The wide-ranging Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme carried out 28 separate studies into potential health risks of mobile phone handsets, masts and base stations.
It looked at the impact on childhood cancer, brain tumours, blood pressure and general brain function.
The major research programme received around £8.8 million in funding from the Government and the communications industry.
The report follows the publication of independent research 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.
Although mobile phones have been available in the UK since 1985, they did not become widely used until the late 1990s. More than 40 million people in the UK are now thought to use mobile phones, including many children.
Campaigners fear that the radio signals and electromagnetic fields emitted by mobile technology could seriously damage health, but scientific studies have so far not backed up their concerns.
Last year the largest and longest-running investigation so far into the possible link between brain tumours and mobile phones suggested that there was no association between the two.
The study, by the Danish Institute of Cancer Epidemiology in Copenhagen of 420,000 Danish mobile phone users, showed that mobile phone users have no greater chance of developing the disease than the general population.