MTHR - Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research

Press Release

Research into Mobile Phone Base Stations announced

Additional funding has been announced today by the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme (MTHR) for two new projects and an extension to one of the existing projects:

An epidemiological study of early childhood leukaemias and other cancers near to mobile phone base stations.
A study to investigate whether exposure to radiofrequency signals is linked to symptoms reported by mobile phone users.
An extension of the existing pilot study to explore the feasibility of undertaking a cohort study of brain cancers and neurodegenerative diseases in mobile phone users.

The Home Office has also agreed to provide additional funding as an adjunct to the MTHR programme, to support research on the TETRA emergency services radio system. This research will be under the scientific direction and management of the MTHR Programme Management Committee (PMC).

The epidemiological study addresses public concerns about possible health risks from exposure to emissions from base stations. This is the first proposal to be supported by MTHR that is concerned with mobile phone base stations and is one of the first such studies in the world.

Mobile Phones and Health, the report of the Stewart Committee, called for a programme of new research into possible health effects of mobile phone technologies supported equally by Government and Industry. This recommendation led directly to the setting up of the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme, which was allocated funds of £7.4 million. An international committee of experts, chaired by Professor Lawrie Challis, manages the Programme and allocates funding. The first fifteen projects to be funded were announced in January 2002.

A third call for research proposals was announced in December 2002. This includes a call for additional work on base stations. Nine proposals have been received and are presently being evaluated.

Professor Lawrie Challis, Chairman of the PMC, commented: “Exposures to radio-frequency waves from mobile phone masts are tiny compared to exposures from handsets, even if you live close to a mast. However, there is some public concern about the proliferation of mobile phone masts and we feel strongly that there should be research to investigate whether they could cause health effects or not. We also want to investigate whether people could differ in their sensitivity to radio-frequency emissions.

The introduction of the TETRA system for the police and other emergency services has introduced new issues into the mobile phones and health debate, so we are pleased to be able to contribute to research on TETRA, supported by the Home Office”.

Notes for Editors

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 to date suggests 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 is now scientific evidence however which suggests that there may be biological effects occurring at exposures below these guidelines.
The balance of evidence indicates that there is no general risk to the health of people living near to base stations on the basis that exposures are expected to be small fractions of guidelines. However, there can be adverse effects on well-being in some cases.
A precautionary approach to the use of mobile phone technologies should be adopted until much more detailed and scientifically robust information on any health effects becomes available.

The UK has in excess of 20,000 base stations, which are used to provide coverage for the 40 million mobile phones currently in use. With continual improvements and extensions to mobile phone services, this number looks set to increase in the future.

Work already funded by the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme and announced in January 2002 includes:

Two studies examining possible effects on blood pressure and hearing in volunteers.
Four studies investigating whether the use of mobile phones can affect the risk of developing brain cancer or leukaemia by studying mobile phone users.
Two studies investigating the effects of mobile phone signals on brain function, and the behaviour of exposed people.
One study investigating ways in which mobile phones affect the performance of drivers.
Two studies examining how mobile phone signals could produce biological effects by looking for evidence of changes in exposed cells.
Four studies investigating the interaction of radio signals with the body in order to characterise how much energy is deposited and where.

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

MTHR P4
20 March 2003