Mobile phones safe for short term use

A six year research programme into the safety of mobile phones has reported that from the evidence so far, using a mobile phone is not harmful to human health or biology.

However most of this evidence relates only to short term use and further research is necessary to determine the effects of long term mobile phone usage.

The UK Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research (MTHR) Programme was formed in 2001 with a budget of 8.8 million pounds. It was established in response to the Stewart Report and funded by both government and industry.

The MTHR Programme includes 28 research projects, 23 of which are now complete, with their results published in peer reviewed journals.

According to the MTHR’s current chairman, Professor Lawrie Challis of Nottingham University, although the current results are reassuring, they show a slight hint that there could be an association for exposures for more than 10 years, which needs to be followed up.

With respect to short term exposure, the MTHR report shows that there is no association between short term mobile phone use and brain cancer, and there is no evidence that brain function is affected by signals from mobile phones.

The Programme has also found that there is no evidence that unpleasant symptoms reported by people with electrical hypersensitivity are caused by signals from mobile phones or base stations.

There is also no evidence that mobile phones alter cells and tissue apart from heating them.

Studies so far have only included a few people who have used their phone for 10 years or more, and the MTHR committee is recommending more research into the long term effects of mobile phones.