Got a headache, feeling dizzy, losing your memory ? You’ve been using your mobile again

EXCLUSIVE By KATHY MORAN

MOBILE phones DO make you ill – that’s the conclusion of the largest ever survey into their use.

They are responsible for symptoms ranging from fatigue, headaches and dizzy spells to memory loss, burning skin and warmth behind the ear.

The year-long survey of nearly 11,000 users aged over 18 found that even those who use their phones for just two minutes a day suffer memory loss, headaches and dizzy spells.

And if you use a mobile for more than an hour a day you are twice as likely to suffer memory loss than those using a phone for two minutes a day.

Half of those surveyed complained of heat-related symptoms such as burning skin or warmth behind the ear.

Those users aged under 30 were three-and-a-half times more likely to suffer health problems than their older counterparts.

Our chart shows the effect of all symptoms on those surveyed.

All of the symptoms especially headaches and fatigue, were reported irrespective of whether the transmitter system was digital or analogue.

The research - carried out by the National Institute for Working Life in Sweden, SINTEF Unimed in Norway and the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority – has been welcomed by a number of scientists who have long warned of the potential dangers.

Alasdair Philips of consumer watchdog Powerwatch said: "This is a significant step forward. There is no question at all that these health effects are very real and of great concern.

"Even if you accept that just one person in 10, and these figures are higher, is suffering problems, that’s still 1.5 million people in Britain alone.

"But because there is a refusal to accept that mobiles are causing problems, people seeking help for symptoms like fatigue and headaches are being treated for depression and stress.

"If you don’t suffer any problems then fine but if you do, put your mobile aside for a week or two and see what happens."

The study was carried out in Norway and Sweden where mobile phones were a must-have item long before the British boom. Even now one in three people in Sweden has a mobile compared with one in four in Britain.

Scientists who led the research, Dr. Gunnhild Oftedal of Norway and Dr. Kjell Hansson Mild of Sweden, believe further investigation is vital.

Dr. Oftedal said: "The clearest result is that people using their phones the most report the most symptoms. There could be a range of factors for this but we can’t exclude anything related to radiation.

‘Too little research has been done to know for sure the health effects in relation to cancer."

The report is disturbing news for Britain’s 15 million mobile phone users who are being told by the Government and the lucrative mobile industry that they have nothing to fear.

Various studies have linked mobile use to possible tumors, genetic damage leading to diseases such as Alzheimer’s and weakened immune systems.

It remains to be seen whether mobile phones prove to be the cigarettes of the next millennium, damaging the health of millions worldwide.

MEMORY LOSS
AROUND 25 per cent of users reported problems with memory. Men were more likely to be affected than women and those most affected were in their 30s. Twice as many who used their phone for more than an hour a day suffered memory loss compared with those who limited calls to less than two minutes.

HEADACHES
NEARLY half of all users suffered from headaches which they attributed to their phones. Women were almost twice as likely as man to report such symptoms and both male and female users aged under 30 were more than twice as likely to suffer headaches as those in the 50 plus age group.

FATIGUE
ABNORMAL drowsiness or fatigue was one of the most commonly reported side-effects with 64 per cent of those taking part saying they were affected. Heavy users were more than twice as likely to be affected and once again the high-risk categories were women and those aged under 30.

DIZZINESS
ONLY around 13 per cent of Norwegian users reported dizziness as opposed to 32 per cent in Sweden. But the questionnaires were sent out in the two languages and scientists involved note that those in each country could have interpreted the questions slightly differently.

CONCENTRATION
AROUND 35 per cent of users had difficulties concentrating during or immediately after a mobile call. Again heavy users were more than twice as likely to suffer symptoms as low users, and the problem was more commonly reported by those under 30.

HEATING
YOUNGER users in Norway were more likely to report warmth on or behind the ear or burning skin, with up to 84 per cent of all users there detecting at least one symptom at least once a week. The length of time spent on the phone was linked to all these symptoms. Women were more likely to experience burning skin.

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