UK minister orders fresh mobile health probe

The UK government has moved to intensify research into the health effects of mobile phones, following a report published yesterday by Bristol University.

The Minister for Public Health, Tessa Jowell, called on the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) to convene an expert working group to assess the risks.

Jowell said: "In recent years, research interest in the effects of mobile phones has increased. To date, there has been no evidence suggesting risk to health, but there is continuing public concern about the possibility. It would be wrong to ignore that concern."

Following a surge in ownership over the past six months, figures released this week by the UK's four mobile operators show that around one in four UK citizens now uses a mobile phone. Industry analysts have forecast that a penetration rate of 60 per cent - as is currently the case in Finland - is possible in the UK.

Jowell added that that a "definitive and rigorous" assessment of existing research, plus identification of areas which require further attention, is now needed.

The Federation of the Electronics Industry (FEI), which speaks for network operators and handset manufacturers on the issue of phone safety, backed the government plans.

However, critics of the government's policy were quick to criticise the latest investigation.

Independent scientist, Roger Coghill, who last November lost a landmark case calling for mobiles to carry health warnings, said: "It's all too late. There are already over 10 million people using mobiles and a significant number of them have already been damaged. I don't trust the investigation - the government has a way of choosing people it wants on the panel."

During Coghill's court case last year, an NRPB department head testified that the industry is not hiding any ill effects of handsets.

But Coghill said the truth will only be known once a grouping of independent scientists thoroughly examine the evidence. Anecdotal claims of tumours and other side-effects - frequently cited in press reports - are not considered admissible as evidence.

For a head-to-head discussion on the subject between FEI director, Tom Wills-Sandford and Microshield director, Leslie Wilson, see Silicon.com's Mobile & Wireless Channel, http://www.silicon.com/mobile