DAILY MAIL
May 17, 1999

A two-minute warning on mobile phones
‘It should be used with care’

By DAVID DERBYSHIRE, Science Correspondent

MOBILE phones have been linked to headaches, dizziness and concentration lapses in the biggest study into their use so far.

A year-long survey of 11,000 volunteers found that even people who use them for less than two minutes a day complained of discomfort and side-effects.

Health problems increased the more often a phone was used. Those using one for 30 minutes a day were twice as likely to complain of memory loss than those on the phone for less than two minutes.

Half of the users surveyed said they experienced unpleasant warming around their ears when using their handsets.

And young people appeared to be most at risk. Under-30s were three to four times more likely to experience side-effects.

Last night campaigners accused phone companies of acting irresponsibly by offering cheap and free call offers while the long-term effect of mobile use its still being investigated.

The research, carried out by Norwegian Radiation Protection Board, the National Institute for Working Life in Sweden and SINTEF Unimed in Norway, does not claim to prove that mobile phone are a health hazard.

The scientists involved in the study stress that the most frequent users may also have less healthy lifestyles. Bad diet, too little sleep and stress could all play a part.

And because the study relied on users to report back any problems, it was not as objective as the researchers would have liked. Users in Norway for instance, where mobile phone fears have been publicized, were twice as likely to complain than those in Sweden, where the issue has been given little publicity.

But Alasdair Philips, of the consumer pressure group Powerwatch, said the findings were further cause for concern.

‘The key thing is that if people start to get headaches, dizziness or memory problems, they should put their phones aside for a couple of weeks and see if it makes any difference,’ he said.

Although there is little hard evidence linking mobile phones to health problems, he is critical of manufacturers for refusing to listen to consumers’ concerns. ‘Companies are offering free offering calls because they encourage people to use their phone more. Given the uncertainty I think that is irresponsible.

‘The mobile phone is very useful and it is here to stay. But it needs to be used with care.’

Some findings from the Scandinavian study were published last year. The latest details showed that people who used phones four or more times a day were 3.6 times as likely to complain of headaches than those who made less than two calls.

They were also 2.3 times as likely to suffer headaches, three times as likely to report dizziness and 2.4 times as likely to have concentration lapses.

Britain has 15million mobile phone users and a Government probe into the side-effects is currently under way.

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