Confusion on Child Health Risks of Mobile Phones Needs to Be Resolved, Says Wireless Protection
New UK Government advice is directly contradicted by latest recommendation from Austrian Ministry of Health, after new study of mobile radiation effects
[UKPRwire, Fri Sep 04 2009] New advice expected from the UK Department of Health, on the health risks to children of mobile phone usage, is inaccurate and contradicts the recommendations from other EU countries, according to specialist consultancy Wireless Protection.
The draft of a new advisory leaflet for parents from the UK Department of Health (DH) removes safety advice on imposing limits on childrens’ use of mobiles. However, new advice for parents issued by the Austrian Ministry of Health in July 2009 advises extreme caution in children’s’ mobile phone use.
The Austrian advice shows that mobile phone usage causes not just ‘heating’ of cells, but also increases protein production – seen in neurodegenerative disorders – and can cause DNA breaks, which is linked to development of cancers. The advice is based on a new study commissioned by the Austrian AUVA (Government health insurance department) from Vienna Medical University**. The cells most susceptible to mobile phone radiation are those that are most metabolically active – i.e., in children and young people.
The current official advice from the UK DH is that mobile use can affect brain activity, and there are 'significant gaps' in knowledge of the health effects. However, the draft of the new leaflet removes all safety recommendations, saying that no extra precautions need to be taken by children.
Glynn Hughes, Wireless-Protection.org founder said: “It’s unbelievable that the UK Department of Health can insist there is no health risk to children from mobile phone usage, in direct contradiction of an ever-growing body of credible evidence which shows that younger people are at risk. There needs to be an EU-wide agreement on this issue, that takes into account all the latest evidence from international research, with clear safety and best-practice guidelines on mobile use – including advice on how to protect against exposure to mobile phone radiation. Only then can people make informed choices about whether to use mobiles or not.”
In March 2009, an international group of scientists reported that people who begin using mobile phones while under 20 are five times more likely to develop brain tumours. A co-author of the report, Dr David Carpenter of the Institute for Health and the Environment, University at Albany, said: “What stands out is the consistency of the association of exposure and disease.”
In contrast, the new UK DH leaflet omits any references to cancer risks, and merely suggests that heating to the head caused by using mobiles is no more harmful than having a hot bath.
Wireless Protection has a range of products to help shield living and working environments against radiation from mobile phone masts and other devices that produce radio-frequency radiation. More details and ordering information is at www.wireless-protection.org or 01772 614177.
** translation of report available from http://www.buildingbiology.ca/pdf/Auva_Report.pdf
More information on the issue of radio-frequency radiation from mobile phone is available at: http://www.wireless-protection.org/wireless_02.html
Wireless-Protection.org is a UK company that helps individuals and organisations identify and reduce the impact of electromagnetic (EM) pollution on health and well-being.
A growing body of research-based and anecdotal evidence shows that EM pollution can be a health hazard. Sources of EM including mobile phone and microwave radio masts, electricity pylons, and poor quality electric power sources (Dirty Electricity) can induce a range of symptoms including fatigue, disturbed sleep, chronic headaches, anxiety, depression, skin problems and may also be linked to forms of diabetes.
The company was founded by Lancashire-based telecoms and electronics specialist Glynn Hughes, when his daughter began experiencing unexplained symptoms on moving to a new school that had a mobile phone mast on its roof.
Glynn became closely involved in the campaign to remove the mast, and began to research the effects of EM radiation from various sources on health and wellbeing.
He has assembled and developed a range of solutions for detecting EM pollution and shielding against its effects, which are available directly from the company’s website.
The company designs many of its own solutions for the UK and international markets, and also provides consultancy and education services on EM pollution and its reduction. Visit www.wireless-protection.org
