Phone masts not the cause of short-term ill health
Headaches, tiredness, anxiety and tension are just some of the short-term health problems which people claim mobile phone masts can cause. But a new study suggests that there is no link between these symptoms and the masts. The three-year study, which was conducted by the University of Essex, tested a total of 158 people; 44 of these had previously reported ill-health when in close proximity to a mobile phone mast. Participants were exposed to 2G and 3G signals in a laboratory setting. When told the signals were switched on, those who claimed to be sensitive to the signal reported lower-levels of well being. However, when tests were carried out under blind conditions, where nobody knew whether the signal was on or off, only two of the 44 sensitive participants and five others correctly judged when the mast was on. During these open and blind tests, the researchers were unable to detect any significant changes in the heart rate, blood pressure and skin conductance (a way to measure the body's response to environmental stressors) of the participants. Professor Elaine Fox, the lead researcher in the study, says that the goal now will be to find the real cause of the symptoms reported by the 44 participants. 'It is clear that sensitive individuals are suffering real symptoms and often have a poor quality of life. It is now important to determine what other factors could be causing these symptoms, so appropriate research studies and treatment strategies can be developed,' she said. Research will also continue on the impact of radio frequency (RF) fields, which come from mobile phones, on health in the long-term. According to a recent opinion from European Commission's Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR), there is little evidence of an increased risk of brain tumours in long-term users of mobiles. However, there are indications of an association with long-term use and acoustic neuroma. The Committee recommends a long-term cohort study to find out more about the long term effects of mobile phone use, as well as a study using personal dosimeters to accurately assess individual exposure to RF fields.
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