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BBC News Monday, May 24, 1999

Health Fears raised over mobile phones

The number of people using mobile phones is increasing

Two new studies suggesting links between using mobile phones and brain tumours will be revealed on Monday.

The researchers who have conducted the study have called on the mobile phone industry to acknowledge that its product poses a risk to human health.

But the industry has stuck to its position and denied there is any proven risk to health associated with the devices.

The new research will be examined in a BBC Panorama programme.

Reduced time using phones

Scientists will tell the Panorama programme that people should cut down the time they spend using mobile phones, and consider using low-emission phones or hands-free devices.

Research commissioned by the programme will also show large differences between the amount of microwave radiation absorbed by the brain from different makes of phone.

The scientists say the findings from the new studies could be a "problem", and are calling for the public to be given full health information on the use of mobiles.

Other investigations have recently suggested that it is too soon to say for certain that mobile phones cause harm to health, and one even found they can help to improve reaction times.

'Biological indication of problems'

But on Panorama, Swedish cancer specialist Dr Lennart Hardell, author of one of the new studies, says there is a biological indication of a problem that needs further study.

"I think that until we have the definite conclusion, the definitive results of much larger studies, we need to minimise exposure to human beings," he says.

His study looked at brain tumour sufferers and found a connection between phone use and cancer.

He found that for those using their mobile phone on the right side of their head, the risk of getting a tumour increased by almost two-and-a-half times.

The risk for those using their phone on the left side was also increased by almost two-and-a-half-times.

Research funded by phone industry

In the US, Dr George Carlo, head of the $25m research body funded by the mobile phone industry, speaks out for the first time on the programme about a new US study.

The study, which has not yet been published, also shows an increased risk of getting a type of rare brain tumour from using mobile phones.

He says that taking into account the two new studies, it is no longer a responsible position for the manufacturers to say there is no problem.

"We clearly have results that suggest there could be something more here than meets the eye.

"The science we have today clearly shows that this is not black and white.

"That we have moved now into a grey area that suggests that there could be a problem that needs to be looked at very, very carefully.

"That grey area needs to be acknowledged," he says.

But Tom Wills-Sandford, director of the Federation of the Electronic Industry - which represents mobile phone network operators - said research supported the industry's position.

He said: "I have not yet seen the programme but if you look at the totality of evidence for any link between mobile phones and any human health effects there is no cause for concern"

Emissions absorbed by brain

The programme also speaks to people who claim they have been made ill by mobile phones.

Steve Corney, who was a BT engineer four years ago and used a new digital phone for up to five hours at a time, tells the programme he now suffers memory loss and speech problems, and is out of work.

Research carried out exclusively for Panorama by the National Physical Laboratory, also features in the programme.

The study looked at the levels of emissions absorbed by the brain from different makes of mobile phone.

This is measured by what is known as a specific absorption rate (SAR). An SAR is measured by Watts of radiation energy per kilogram of brain.

An SAR of 10 Watts per kilogram is the safety limit set by the National Radiological Protection Unit.

The research shows that although all eight of the phones tested were below the safety limit, there was a considerable difference between the lowest and the highest.

The programme will be screened on BBC 1 at 2200 BST.