Mobile phone radiation evidence "inconclusive"

A new report by UK government scientists says there is still no evidence of any health risks from mobile phones and masts - but it has been slammed by campaigners who claim it has ignored vital research, particularly on 3G.

The independent Advisory Group on Non-ionising Radiation (AGNIR) reviewed research on the health effects of radiofrequency (RF) transmissions from handsets and masts that has been published since the Stewart Report into mobile phones and health in 2000.

That original report concluded that existing radiation emission guidelines were safe for adults, although it recommended that children should not be exposed to mobile phones for long periods and should use them only in emergencies.

The new AGNIR report, Health Effects from Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields, claims evidence on the effect of low-level radiation emissions from handsets is "inconclusive", and that mobile phone base station masts are "unlikely to pose a health risk". But the AGNIR admits that more research needs to be carried out.

"The published research on RF exposures and health has limitations, and mobile phones have only been in widespread use for a relatively short time," the report said. "The possibility therefore remains open that there could be health effects from exposure to RF fields below guideline levels; hence continued research is needed."

Mast Action, which campaigns for stricter legislation on radiation emissions and the planning process for mobile-mast siting, claims that the AGNIR report ignores important research showing harmful effects from low-level emissions near mobile masts.

Mast Action's Lynne Edmunds told silicon.com: "Low-level radiation produces biological effects that are not covered in any of the British guidelines, which only measure the heating effect on human tissue."

She said Mast Action has seen evidence in various communities around the UK of biological effects, including interrupted sleep, full-body skin rashes, nosebleeds and severe migraines, occurring suddenly in people who did not suffer from these conditions before the transmission masts were erected.

A Dutch report from last year that found 3G masts emitting one volt per metre on subjects in a two-mile radius caused headaches and nausea was not taken into account by the AGNIR. Edmunds said this is especially worrying, given that one mobile operator is currently erecting 3G masts in Scotland that will emit 30 volts per metre.

But the Mobile Operators Association, which represents the UK's five networks, welcomed the report.

Mike Dolan, executive director of the MOA, said in a statement: "The Report clearly confirms the findings of the Stewart Report, which concluded that the balance of evidence suggests that mobile-phone technologies do not cause adverse health effects."