Welsh biologist loses mobile phone health scare case

An attempt to force mobile phone retailers and manufacturers to admit handsets are not safe collapsed in a Welsh court yesterday.

Roger Coghill, a biologist from Pontypool, put Wayne Morgan in the dock after he bought two handsets - one Philips and one Nokia - from Morgan's shop, Mobile Communications Services. He was charging the retailer under the 1987 Consumer Protection Act.

After two days of expert testimony, magistrates at Abergavenny Magistrates Court found the defendant not guilty, dismissing three charges against him and ordering Coghill to pay costs.

On day one of the trial, witness for the prosecution, Alasdair Philips produced evidence which he said proves mobile phones lead to "headaches, loss of concentration, skin tingling or burning or twitching, eye tics, poor short term memory, buzzing in the head at night and other effects".

However yesterday, Dr Alastair McKinley, head of the Non-Ionising Radiation department at the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), denied the mobile phone industry is aware of health risks involved in using handsets.

Hugo Charlton QC, acting for the prosecution, questioned Dr McKinley's professional credentials, and asked if there is a conflict between researchers working for the NRPB - a body which advises the government - as well as industry players, such as Orange.

Although visibly rattled by the cross examination, Dr McKinley denied there was a conflict of interest, and rejected claims the NRPB is linked to the Atomic Research Centre, which is located next to the NRPB in Oxfordshire.

Roger Coghill, who runs Coghill Research Laboratories, said he will not take the case further. "I have done my job and fulfilled my moral duty," he said. "It's all about people being aware of the risks. It's only a matter of time before the evidence becomes overpowering."

If he had been successful, Coghill's actions would have set a precedent which could have resulted in health warnings on phone handsets across the EU.

Leslie Wilson, Director of MicroShield, a company which makes protective covers for mobile phones, said he was disappointed with the result. "I am not just speaking as someone with a vested interest," he said. "I have been personally affected, and I feel for those people who don't realise what harm is being done."

Despite the claims, major mobile handset manufacturers such as Alcatel and Ericsson have consistently denied their products are dangerous.

Information about Coghill Research Laboratories can be found at www.cogreslab.demon.co.uk.