MTHR - Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research

Press Release

International Research on Mobile Phones and Health

An international research seminar on mobile telecommunications and health, sponsored by the UK MTHR Programme Management Committee, is taking place at the Royal Society, London on 11th and 12th November 2002. The first day will focus on recent international research on possible health effects of mobile telecommunications, with presentations by experts from Europe and Australia. The second day revolves around small workshops and is only open to invited participants.

To take full account of international activity and recent findings from across the world, the UK has sponsored an international research seminar that brings together experts from various countries to listen, analyse and debate the most recent findings. This unique event will bring together researchers leading international research programmes to encourage ‘knowledge transfer’ and research co-operation and avoid unnecessary duplication of research effort. Speakers will discuss research in Italy, Sweden, Germany, Australia, France, Finland and the UK. In addition, European Union research and the roles of the World Health Organisation and the mobile phone industry, in both sponsoring and conducting research, are on the agenda.

As part of its ongoing consideration of the subject, the UK Programme Management Committee has also decided to issue another call for research proposals, specifically in areas where the Committee has identified a need for additional research. A draft document will be put out for public consultation at the meeting and will be simultaneously posted on the Programme web site.

There are 40 million mobile phones in circulation in the UK. Across much of the world mobile phones are becoming a normal and increasingly frequent means of communication. The UK has been at the forefront of examining the possible effects of mobile phones on the health of the population, in response to public concerns about the new technology.

One of the key recommendations of the Stewart Report on Mobile Phones and Health was for a programme of new research supported equally by Government and the Mobile Telecommunications Industry. This recommendation was readily accepted with an initial £7.4 million being allocated for the programme. An international committee of experts, chaired by Sir William Stewart, was set in place to allocate and manage the programme.

Sir William Stewart, Chairman of the MTHR Programme Management Committee, comments:

“The UK has been at the forefront of consideration of this important issue. It has adopted a positive approach to helping to ensure that the most up-to-date information on mobile phones and health is carefully analysed, debated and communicated to the general public. There are uncertainties in some areas and we want to make sure that work is directed to such areas”.

Notes for Editors

Media interviews with Sir William Stewart and other members of the Programme Management Committee can be arranged for Monday 11th by telephoning NRPB Press Office (Tel 01235 822744/822745 or 07711 498135/498136).

Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (IEGMP)

At the request of the Minister for Public Health an independent committee, under the chairmanship of Sir William Stewart, was set up to report on Mobile Phones and Health. The report, published in May 2000 (available at www.iegmp.org.uk), was the most comprehensive in the world and concluded that:

The balance of evidence at that time suggested that exposures to emissions of radiation from mobile phones, at levels below NRPB and ICNIRP guidelines, do not cause adverse health effects to the general population.
There was scientific evidence however which suggested that there may be biological effects occurring at exposures below these guidelines.
A precautionary approach to the use of mobile phone technologies was recommended until much more detailed and scientifically robust information on any health effects becomes available.

The Stewart Report also proposed that more research was needed on:

Effects on brain function.
Impact, if any, of pulsed signals.
Improvements in dosimetry.
The possible impact on health of sub-cellular and cellular changes induced by RF radiation.
Psychological and sociological studies related to the use of mobile phones.
Epidemiological and human volunteer studies.

The Link Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme (MTHR)

Details of the projects being funded to-date are published on the Programme web site. Reports on the progress of the Programme and findings from the studies will also be published on the web site as they become available.

MTHR P2
8 November 2002