Health written question – answered at on 1 March 2006.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health
(1) whether her Department has commissioned follow-up work to the Stewart Report on the health effects of mobile telephone masts;
(2) if she will make a statement on Government policy concerning the health effects of 3G base stations.
The Stewart Report in 2000 comprehensively reviewed the scientific literature and concluded that the balance of evidence to date suggests that exposures below [international] guidelines do not cause health effects to the general population".
More recently, Mobile Phones and Health 2004", reiterated the Stewart Report's conclusions noting that there is a lack of hard information showing that the mobile phone systems in use are damaging to health."
Both the above reports, however, recommended a precautionary approach to the use of mobile phone technology pending the availability of more robust scientific research results. The reports are available on the Health Protection Agency's radiation protection division's (HPA-RPD) website at www.hpa.org.uk/radiation.
The HPA-RPD periodically evaluates the worldwide scientific research relating to mobile phone technology and health including that relevant to new and emerging technologies such as third generation (3G) mobile phones. In response to the Stewart Report recommendations, the independently managed Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research (MTHR) programme is supporting a number of studies into the possible health effects of mobile phone technology in general and these are described on the MTHR website at www.mthr.org.uk. Following the results of Dutch research, in 2003, on 3G base station exposures apparently showing a health effect, the MTHR programme decided to support work at the University of Essex into the symptoms experienced by 3G base station exposures on volunteers. Similar studies of 3G exposures are also being replicated in other countries.
All mobile phones and base stations in this country comply with international guidelines that are based on comprehensive reviews of the scientific literature. Measurements undertaken by both the HPA and by Ofcom (www.ofcom.org.uk) have consistently shown that exposures to radio signals from base stations, including those from 3G stations, are lower than the international guidelines.
Yes1 person thinks so
No0 people think not
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