INDEPENDENT EXPERT GROUP ON MOBILE PHONES CALL FOR EVIDENCE

The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) is pleased to respond to the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones call for evidence. The RSE is Scotland’s premier Learned Society, comprising Fellows elected on the basis of their distinction, from the full range of academic disciplines, and from industry, commerce and the professions. This response has been compiled with the assistance of a number of Fellows including those with direct experience of communications technologies and ionising radiation.

In approaching this issue there is the need to balance several conflicting elements, complicated by the difficulty of being expected to 'prove a negative' in what can be an area of heightened public concern. Some key issues will be the development of mechanisms to provide a responsibility for monitoring radiation levels, maintaining an awareness of work elsewhere, and being pro-active in attempting to identify potential harmful effects in the future.

Specific comments on this issue are addressed below:

Issues arising from the growth in mobile phone use

It is important that the guidelines for exposure levels are systematically reviewed, both because knowledge of the effect of low-frequency microwave radiation is only partly understood, and because the expansion in the use of mobile phones has been very rapid. Research into the safety of their use has, therefore, not had time to be set in place. It has been assumed that conventional standards for exposure to microwave radiation are sufficient for human protection, but these were not set up to deal with widespread public use of handheld sets at the head nor with the placing of base transmitter stations in urban heavily populated areas. Children, in particular, are also now increasingly using mobile phones for prolonged periods.

Perceived health hazards

The longer-term effects of radiation at current levels of use, and particularly the affect on the nervous system, have not been well studied. Anecdotal evidence of the use of mobile phones causing headaches and other symptoms, while treated with caution, should nevertheless not be dismissed without further investigation. Children, in particular, may be particularly sensitive.

It should be noted that in many cases, the field strengths used for ultrahigh frequency (UHF) television (TV) broadcasting are considerably higher than those used for mobile telephony. Mobile phone transmitter base stations operate at 2-5 times the frequency of UHF TV but the mobile handset employs a much more sensitive receiver than that employed for TV reception and hence the lower field strength requirement. Reference to existing high power transmitter situations may also, therefore, be of value.

With reference to handset radiation into the head, there is a need to compare the radiation levels from a typical 0.1 to 1W handset with other radiation received from sources such as TV broadcasts and leakage from domestic 1 kW microwave ovens. Until these levels are established and the safe threshold defined, it will be difficult to be more definitive on the safety issues.

Need for research

It is important that there should be pro-active investigation of any effects that may result from integrating all types of radiation from handsets over a long period, and the athermal effects of non-ionising radiation in particular. Since radar was developed, and following the introduction of microwave heating, the systematic study of the effects of radiation have been organised rather haphazardly. This huge industry needs to be underpinned by a systematic approach to the complex effects of radiation, and that requires a structured, properly supported research programme. Such research must be continued over a sufficiently long timescale to ensure that any cumulative effects of radiofrequency (RF) radiation on the human body can be predicted or detected, and not merely spot measurements. There is, however, a tension between seeking scientific evidence to support a lowering of levels, and the 'belief’ that all radiation is bound to be harmful. This is a similar problem to that which continually confronts part of the nuclear industry.

In addition, there are some extremely difficult research issues relating to efficient system and antenna design. The Department of Trade and Industry has for some time been concerned to give momentum to research into radio-frequency related problems, and given public concern, it may be that some direction from the Research Councils in the guise of a managed programme would be justified.

Regulation

One important area for consideration is planning permission for mobile phone transmitter masts. At present, mobile phone transmitter masts under 50 m require no planning permission and therefore such masts can be placed in schools, hospitals etc without regulation. In addition, there is no national register of Mobile phone transmitter masts in the UK. In Ireland, however, a register is kept of the locations of all phone masts (including those under 50 m).

With regard to the guideline limits for microwave exposure, it is prudent for the Government to adopt the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) recommendedguidelines to protect the public from possible harm, and because the existing National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) guidelines do not take account of the increased frequency and duration of use of mobile phones.

Additional Information

Further information is available from the Research Officer, Dr Marc Rands