Parents need to be more cautious
about allowing their children
to use mobile phones, said
a report launched by the National
Radiological Protection Board
this week.
The report is a continuation
of work published in 2000 by
the UK Independent Expert
Group on Mobile Phones (BMJ
2000;320:1358), and although
this latest report denies there is
decisive evidence to support the
view that mobile phones are
hazardous to health, the board’s
chairman, Sir William Stewart,
admits that he is “more concerned”
by the evidence presented
to the panel this time around.
“In relation to radiation it
often takes a long time for
things to become obvious,” said
Sir William. “We have five years
more information, and some of
it suggests that 10 years down
the line things may be
beginning to show through.”
The group acknowledges that
members of the public are worried
about the effects of exposure
to radiation from mobile phones
and masts, and although its findings
do not wholeheartedly
endorse these, it says that some
studies suggest that prolonged
exposure to mobile phone energy
may affect cognitive functions,
increase susceptibility to cancer,
and damage DNA. The implications
are sufficiently serious for
the group to advocate caution
until these findings can be properly
consolidated and examined.
The report urges particular
vigilance in relation to groups
who may be more vulnerable,
such as younger children. “Parents
have a serious responsibility
in this field,” said Sir William.
“They may want to ensure that
children use text messages
where possible and use a phone
with a low SAR [specific absorption
rate] value.” The specific
absorption rate is the rate at
which electromagnetic energy is
imparted from headset to user.
Most mobile phone
manufacturers now supply
information relating to the
specific absorption rate value of
newly purchased phones. The
government, through Ofcom
(the independent regulator and
competition authority for the
UK communications industries),
also measures the radiation
emitted by mobile phone base
stations.
Mobile Phones and Health, Report of
an Independent Expert Group on
Mobile Phones is available online at

http://www.iegmp.org.uk/


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