CARNWADRIC PRIMARY SCHOOL where mums staged a sit-in protest overnight last month.

URI GELLER is supporting the campaign

WORLD famous psychic Uri Geller is backing Glasgow parents in their fight to stop a school being built near a mobile phone mast.

Uri, who shot to fame in the 1970s by using mindpower to bend spoons, is supporting campaigners from Carnwadric in their bid to save a local primary school.

Parents are furious Carnwadric and Arden primaries are to be merged at a new 360-pupil school in Arden just a few hundred yards from a mobile phone mast and near the busy M77.

It will also mean a longer journey to school for Carnwadric kids.

Carnwadric parents Pauline Gilgallon, May Porter, Debbi Black, Lynn Wright, Donna Cannon and Liz Davidson are opposing plans to build the school near the mast.

And Uri, who believes phone masts are "devastatingly dangerous", is backing their campaign.

He told the Evening Times: "It's outrageous. I certainly wouldn't build a school near a mast.

"They should move the proposed school or mast to another site. The parents in Carnwadric can count on my voice.

"I'll do anything in my capacity to stop masts being installed near schools or schools built near masts.

"To all the parents in Carnwadric, I say 'Good for you for standing up' and I hope they'll succeed in having the school built elsewhere."

The protesters hope the celebrity's high-profile and strong views will strengthen their fight to have the mast moved or a new site found for the school.

School board chairwoman Pauline Gilgallon - whose daughters Bronwyn, 10, Charlotte, 8, and Romy, 7, attend Carnwadric - said: "The world we're living in is so celebrity-driven we contacted Uri because of his stance against phone masts.

"I'm glad he's willing to speak out on our behalf and has taken an interest in our campaign.

"We'll be doing everything we can to stop the school being built there."

Last summer, Uri was involved in a similar campaign in Harrogate, Yorkshire, where parents had opposed a mast being put up near three schools.

Last month the proposed closure of Carnwadric primary led to 25 mums staging an all-night sit-in protest in the school hall.

Councillors last week backed the closure plans, which also affect dozens of other city schools.

16/02/06

Copyright © Newsquest (Herald & Times) Limited. All Rights Reserved

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/5049025.shtml

Am sending the two reports below along to you for posting.

Best,

Imelda, Cork


THE IRISH TIMES, FRI, FEB 10, 06

"MOBILE FIRMS ARE LIABLE IN ANY GARDA PHONE MAST CASES

[by] Martin Wall

Mobile phone companies using masts on Garda [police] stations or other public buildings will have to meet the costs of any compensation claims taken against the State by persons who allege that their health has been damaged by electro-magnetic radiation. The Dail Committee of Public Accounts was told yesterday by chairman of the Office of Public Works Sean Benton that under an agreement with the State the mobile phone companies had to indemnify the Government against any future claims. He said the companies also had to comply with existing health and safety directives and to meet any future measures that may be put in place. There are mobile phone massts on about 120 Garda stations. The Government first entered into an agreement with Esat Digifone (now O2) in 1997. However, last year the Office of Public Works (OPW) put in place a new deal to allow various mobile phone companies to place masts on Garda stations and other public buildings. Socialist Party deputy Joe Higgins said the long-term effect of radiation generated by mobile phone masts was not yet known. He expressed concern that if dangers to health emerged in the future as a result of such masts that not only would public employees have been put at potential risk but also the State could be exposed to largescale liability for damages. Secretary general of the Department of Justice Sean Aylward said that under the agreement with O2, gardai received just over 1,000 mobile phones. He said that the first 450 phones, as well as call and rental charges, were provided free. However, the remainder has to be paid for by the State. The cost of calls and other charges are deducted from the rental payments for the masts due to the OPW from the phone compnay. Mr Aylward said mobile phones were provided to all personnel of superintendent rank and upwards."



IRISH EXAMINER, THURSDAY, 09.02.06

Expert warns Irish mobile phone masts unsafe

By Dan Buckley and Tom Prendeville ONE of the world's leading experts in mobile phone technology has warned that the radiation output from Irish phone masts is at least 100 times too high for safety.

His warning comes as new research reveals that long-term use of mobile phones poses an increased risk of brain cancer.

According to Dr David Aldridge, a scientist who has worked developing microwave technology for the US Government, the international 'safety' limits which Ireland adheres to are out of date and totally flawed.

"What is happening is that the external signals (from mobile phones) are swamping the body's natural internal signals," he said.

This can lead to cancers and a whole range of other serious medical disorders, particularly among children, he said.

"Expose a cell to microwaves from a mast or phone and it interferes with the cell repair process. In the case of young children, the rate of cells dividing in half to form new ones is so fast that you end up with a vast number of what we call mis-repairs."

According to Dr Aldridge, the current international safety standards are over 50 years old and obsolete.

Meanwhile, a new study into the risks associated with using mobile phones has found an increased risk of brain tumours in people who have used them for 10 years or more.

The study, by German researchers, found an increased risk of glioma, an often deadly brain cancer, in people who had used mobile phones for over a decade.

However, a similar study in Britain appears to contradict these findings and concludes that there is no proof that long-term mobile phone use can cause glioma.

Both studies are part of the 13-nation Interphone Study, an effort sanctioned by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to assess possible health risks from the radiation emitted by mobile phones.

The German study, conducted by Joachim Schuz and colleagues at the University of Mainz, compared a group of 749 brain tumour patients with 1,494 similar people who had not used mobile phones and found a doubling of the risk of glioma after 10 years of use.

They said the number of people in the study who had used the phones for 10 years was small and the findings need to be confirmed by other studies.

This same 10-year threshold has previously been reported for acoustic neuroma, a benign tumour of the acoustic nerve, by two Swedish teams.

"This result is very difficult to interpret," said Dr Schuz.

"I can only say that it's still an open question whether there is a tumour risk for more than 10 years of use."

The British researchers found no overall increased risk in people who used mobile phones.

Although it revealed a significantly increased risk for tumours that developed on the same side of the head where patients said they most often held the phone, lead researcher Patricia McKinney, an epidemiologist at the Leeds Institute of Genetics, Health and Therapeutics, said that the finding probably was due to many patients not accurately recalling which ear they had used most.

The Swedish study, conducted by researchers at the Karolinska Institute, found an increased risk for a non-cancerous brain tumour called acoustic neuroma after 10 years of mobile phone use.

Mobile phones: Do's and don'ts

Keep mobile phone conversations short.

Consider using a text message or picture message as an alternative.

Choose a handset with a lower SAR rating, which means it emits less radiation.

Don't hold the phone to your head when you can use a hands-free kit.

Consider using a phone with an external aerial.

Limit the amount of time that children use mobile phones.

HLV INFO 18/AT

6-02-2006

Dr. Claus Scheingraber 6-02-06

Von: Marion DUPUIS
Gesendet: Sonntag, 5. Februar 2006 16:43
An: Claus Scheingraber
Betreff: Fw: strasbourg

Lieber Claus,

Hier ein Artikel aus einer Regionalzeitung aus dem Elsass, den man mir zugeschickt hat und der auch im next-up erschienen ist, und den ich Dir übersetze :


----- Original Message -----

From: CIARTéME
To: CIARTéME
Sent: Saturday, January 28, 2006 12:55 PM
Subject: strasbourg


Bonjour

ci-joint l'article de Fabienne Keller, maire UMP de Strasbourg et sénatrice, paru dans les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace,(récupéré sur le site Next-up.org)

En résumé:

* il n'y a plus eu de nouvelles antennes acceptées sur les bâtiments publics strasbourgeois depuis 2002 / Seit 2002 werden auf den Straßburger öffentlichen Gebäuden keine neuen Antennen mehr akzeptiert

* la maire incite les principaux bailleurs à ne plus en accepter et les bailleurs privés à être extrêmement circonspects avant d'accepter les offres des opérateurs / die Bürgermeisterin lädt die Hauptmieter ein, keine Antennen mehr zu akzeptieren und die Privatmieter sehr vorsichtig zu sein, bevor sie ein Angebot der Mobilfunkbetreiber annehmen

* lesquels ont refusé de signer une charte mentionnant des seuils plus bas que ceux du décret de 2002 ( mais on ne sait pas quel seuil précis elle demandait) / welche sich geweigert haben eine Charta zu unterschreiben mit niedrigeren Grenzwerten als jene vom Dekret des Jahres 2002 (man weiß aber nicht genau, welche Grenzwerte die Bürgermeisterin forderte).

Meilleures salutations

Hélène Hétier


(s. auch Anlage pdf-Datei)
http://www.buergerwelle.de/pdf/keller_strasbourg_janvier_06.pdf

Übersetzung des Zeitungsartikels im Anhang:

"Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace" / Strassburg und seine Umgebung / N° 21, Mittwoch, den 25. Januar 2006

Mobilfunk

Die Antennen stehen bis auf Widerruf auf dem Index ...

* Seit 2002 gibt's keine neuen Mobilfunk-Antennen auf den öffentlichen Gebäuden der Stadt

* Fabienne Keller kündet an, dass die Stadt keine Genehmigung mehr geben wird für weitere Antennen auf den stadteigenen Gebäuden, so lange mit den Hauptmobilfunkbetreibern keine Charta unterschrieben worden ist und in Erwartung der Ergebnisse einer umfassenden epidemiologischen Untersuchung

* Die Bürgermeisterin erinnert die Privatbesitzer, sich des Ausmaßes ihrer Verantwortung bewusst zu werden.

von Fabienne KELLER, Bürgermeisterin von Strassburg

" Die Problematik der von den Mobilfunkantennen ausgehenden Strahlungen ist ein Thema, auf das die Lokalpolitiker sehr oft angesprochen werden. Deshalb ist es angebracht, diesbezüglich einige Erläuterungen für diese heikle Debatte einzubringen : über die Entscheidungsmöglichkeiten der Bürgermeister auf diesem Gebiet und mit Angaben über unsere Verpflichtungen in dieser heiklen Angelegenheit.

Bei starker Intensität verursacht die hochfrequente Strahlung Erhitzungsreaktionen im menschlichen Gewebe. Die Einhaltung der in Frankreich gültigen europäischen Grenzwerte verursachen aber keine für den menschlichen Organismus schädlichen Erhitzungserscheinungen. Doch die sogenannten "nichtthermischen" Wirkungen geben zur Beunruhigung Anlass.

Krebs: "Die schwache Wahrscheinlichkeit ist keine ausreichende Garantie, um übermäßig viel Antennen errichten zu lassen."

Beim heutigen Stand des Wissens sind der Grossteil der Wissenschaftler der Meinung, dass die Aussetzung von Mobilfunkantennen verursachten Strahlungsfelder das Auftreten von Krebs nicht fördert. Ich bin jedoch der Auffassung, dass die schwache Wahrscheinlichkeit keine ausreichende Garantie darstellt, um übermäßig viel Antennen errichten zu lassen. Das Internationale Forschungszentrum gegen den Krebs (CIRC), ein Zweig der WHO, die in Lyon ihren Sitz hat, führt auf europäischer Ebene eine epidemiologische Studie durch, um zu erörtern, ob die Aussetzung von Radiofrequenzen einen Zusammenhang mit Krebs hat. Diese Untersuchung ist die größte bisher auf diesem Sektor durchgeführte Studie.

Im Bewusstsein, dass auf diesem Gebiet das Prinzip der Vorsorge angewendet werden muss, bemühe ich mich seit drei Jahren mit Energie um die Unterzeichung einer Charta zwischen den lokalen Verantwortlichen und den Mobilfunkbetreibern, dank der man die Stärke von den Mobilfunkantennen ausgehenden Strahlungen einschränken könnte.

Ein geringer Spielraum für die Stadt

Trotz aller Vermittlungsversuche hat keiner der drei großen Mobilfunkbetreiber akzeptiert, ein solches Dokument zu unterzeichnen.

Der Spielraum der Stadt im Bereich Mobilfunk-Antennen ist sehr gering, wenn es um ein Gebäude geht, das nicht im Besitz der Stadt ist, - private Gebäude brauchen nur eine Arbeitserlaubnis. Der Staatsrat hat jedoch eine fixe Jurispudenz auf diesem Gebiet, in der es heißt, dass "das Vorsorgeprinzip in solchen Angelegenheiten nicht angewendet werden darf, um damit zu verhindern, die Arbeitserlaubnis zu erteilen." Somit liegt es in der Hand der Besitzer, die Errichtung von Antennen zu erlauben oder zu verweigern.

Immerhin jedoch hat die Stadt Strassburg seit dem Jahr 2002 jegliche Neueinrichtung von Antennen auf öffentlichen Gebäuden einfrieren lassen.

Außerdem bin ich mit den Präsidenten der zwei größten Mietgesellschaften unserer Stadt in Kontakt getreten, damit sie ab jetzt keine neuen Antennen auf ihren Gebäuden errichten lassen, solange die wissenschaftliche Untersuchung noch läuft und solange die Mobilfunkbetreiber sich weigern, die Charta für Strassburg, in der ein bestimmter maximaler Grenzwert erlaubt ist, zu unterzeichnen

Auf Anfrage Möglichkeit von Strahlungsmessungen

Um den Befürchtungen der Einwohner Rechnung zu tragen, wird nächstens ein Mess-Service auf Anfrage eingerichtet : die Stärke der Strahlungen können da gratis überall in Strassburg von Gemeindeangestellten gemessen werden.

Sobald die Ergebnisse der epidemiologischen Untersuchung des CIRC bekannt sind, wird die Stadt die Verantwortlichen dieser Untersuchung zu einer europäischen Pressekonferenz einladen, damit sich jeder über dieses stark debattierte Thema informieren kann.


Obwohl ich den Nutzen des Mobilfunks und der entsprechenden Antennen wohl einsehe, bin ich der Auffassung, dass man in Ermanglung reeller Gewissheiten auf diesem Gebiet die Strahlungsfelder in Gebieten starker menschlicher Konzentrationen einschränken muss. Somit hat die Stadt entschieden, keine neuen Antennen auf den Stadtgebäuden zuzulassen, solange keine Charta für lokale Maximalwerte für Strassburg unterschrieben wird und in Erwartung der Untersuchungsergebnisse des CIRC.

Was die Privatbesitzer betrifft, kann sich die Stadt eventuellen Antenneneinrichtungsgesuchen widersetzen, doch kann ich sie nur einladen, vor einer Entscheidung gut über das Thema zu informieren, um wirklich verantwortungsvolle Entscheidungen zu treffen. Die Stadt Strassburg sieht es als ihre Aufgabe, für Informationen zur Verfügung zu stehen, in aller Unparteilichkeit und totaler Unabhängigkeit. "

Das Vorsorgeprinzip und die finanzielle Manna

Die Mobilfunkantennen sind ein heikles Thema. Dabei zeigt sich das Versprechen von konsequenten Beträgen oft viel ausschlaggebender als die Sorge um die Anwendung des Vorsorgeprinzips. Dies ist auch das Gebiet, auf dem die Einwirkungsmöglichkeit einer Stadt - in diesem Fall des Ratshauses - sehr beschränkt ist.

Vor einigen Wochen haben wir hier in Strassburg vom Antennenprojekt des Mobilfunkbetreibers Bouygues Telecom im Kirchturm der Kirche Saint-Antoine in Cronenbourg gesprochen. Diese Anbringung hätte für die Pfarrei eine gleichhohe Manna bedeutet, als die Hälfte der jährlichen Geldsammlungen. Doch das Unternehmen scheiterte : die Anrainer haben Einspruch erhoben und der Pfarrrat entschied am 7. Januar, das Projekt einzufrieren.

CUS-Habitat (21.000 Wohnungen) verfügt heute über 33 Antennen auf seinen Gebäuden. Was ein jährliches Einkommen von 169.000 Euro (im Durchschnitt 5.000 Euro pro Antenne) bedeutet. Der Präsident dieser Sozialmiethäuser, Francis Muckenstrum, ist persönlich gegen die Verlängerung der "Mietverträge" der Mobilfunkbetreiber.

Bis gestern Abend war es unmöglich zu erfahren, wie viel Antennen auf den öffentlichen Gebäuden der Stadt Strassburg sind. Orange erklärt, er habe 247 Antennen im "großen Strassburg" errichtet, SFR spricht von 103 Standpunkten in der CUS, wovon 65 in Strassburg, Bouygues Telecom von 97, wovon 56 in Strassburg (DNA vom 29. Dez.).

Die Verhandlungen zwischen der Stadt Strassburg und den Mobilfunkbetreibern bezüglich einer Charta zur Festlegung von Einrichtungsregelungen, sind gescheitert.

Ch. B.

Marion : Auch in Annecy ist es schwierig, im Rathaus die genaue Zahl der Antennen in der Stadt zu erfahren, scheinbar aus folgenden Gründen:

* nur große Antennen (ca. 4 m) brauchen Genehmigungen, die UMTS-Antennen sind viel kleiner und brauchen scheinbar keine

* viele Antennen sind heutzutage hinter falschen Kaminen usw. versteckt, und dahinter kann man so viel Antennen verstecken, wie man will

* viele Antennen werden auch verändert, ausgewechselt (durch breitbandige ersetzt) und nicht immer gemeldet, zum großen Kummer unseres Bürgermeisters

* die Miniantennen in Kaufhäusern usw. sind nicht meldungspflichtig, weil man sie nicht sieht

Warum ? Weil es bei den Antennen ja prinzipiell nur um "Veränderungen des Aussehens der Gebäude" geht.... Drum der Trend zum Verstecken !

http://www.buergerwelle.de/pdf/co_op_1.doc
http://www.coolsmartphone.com/news2122.html
http://www.sitewiz.co.uk/sites/undetectables/
http://www.coolsmartphone.com/stock-ims/three-concealment.pdf

Just enter the number you want to track into the service's handy Google Maps-based interface, and you'll be able to zoom in on the device's location, with accuracy somewhere between 50 and 500 meters.

http://snipurl.com/m7ia


From Information Clearing House

http://at-de.i-newswire.com/pr15311.html
http://openpr.com/news/4280

I had an interview on occasion of the siting of a great number of mobile phone masts in Western Danmark. On January 22, the newspaper Jydske Vestkysten brought 3 fullpage articles about this. Christoffer Johansen was also cited. He repeats his mantra that masts are definitely not dangerous, and now it is also proven that cellular phones do not cause cancer. Here he refers to the latest study in British Medical Journal. All we are waiting for now, is studies about mobile phones and children that will show that they are harmless. What else can one do but to shrug one's shoulders?

Sianette Kwee
Sensommervej 16
DK-8600 Silkeborg
Denmark

--------

As much as I know, the German part of the Interphone study showed that the risk of a glioma was twice as high for mobile phone users that uses mobile phones longer than ten years. It is really ridiculous and dangerous to say now mobile phones are safe. A smoker will also not die from cancer in the first ten years of his smoking period. Even the longer periods are important. If a mobile phone user wants to live only ten years they will be safe for him. It is also important that parts of Interphone and of other know studies showed increased risk of acusticusneurinoma. Mobile phone industry says that acusticusneurinomas are benign but that's to easy. They must be operated somewhen and there is always a high risk to lose hearing.

Jörg Wichmann

--------

By the time children who use cell phones get tumours they will be adults, not children. Therefore, as no children have tumours, cell phones must be safe for children. How's that for PR spin!

Milt Bowling

--------

I am most concerned about Leif Salford's dead/damaged/dark neurons which looks like a marker of the cellular surface (inlcuding charge) and has been though of as a marker of cellular 'exhaustion'. Leif's evidence suggests the likely early onset of dementias. i.e. why is everyone so worried about tumours?

Alasdair Philips

--------

Yes, a very good point. Also see our most recent paper Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, "Alzheimer mortality - why does it increase so fast in sparsely populated areas?", Europ Biol Bioelectromag 2005; 1: 225-246.

Also a very good comment. In addition, see some of our recent papers regarding/discussing long-term predictions:

Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, "Melanoma incidence and frequency modulation (FM) broadcasting", Arch Environ Health 2002; 57: 32-40

Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, "Har tusentals personer offrats i onödan sedan 1955?" (="Have thousands of persons unnecessarily been sacrificed since 1955?"; in Swedish), Nord Tidsskr Biol Med 2002; 2: 26-27

Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, "Cancerdödlighet och långtidssjukskrivning" (="Cancer mortality and long-term sick leave"; in Swedish), Tidskriften Medikament 2002; 7: 40-41

Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, "Cancer trends during the 20th century", J Aust Coll Nutr & Env Med 2002; 21: 3-8

Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, "Malignant melanoma of the skin - not a sunshine story!", Med Sci Monit 2004; 10: CR336-340

Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, "Long-term sickness and mobile phone use", J Aust Coll Nutr & Env Med, 2004; 23: 11-12

Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, "Mobile handset output power and health", Electromag Biol Med 2004; 23: 229-239

Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, "FM broadcasting exposure time and malignant melanoma incidence", Electromag Biol Med 2005; 24: 1-8

Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, "Glesbygd är en sjuk miljö, nu börjar även friska dö" (="Say to countryside goodbye, when even healthy people die"; in Swedish), Enheten för Experimentell Dermatologi, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Rapport nr. 6, 2004, ISSN 1400-6111, in press


Olle Johansson,
assoc. prof.
The Experimental Dermatology Unit
Department of Neuroscience
Karolinska Institute
171 77 Stockholm
Sweden

By Sara Nelson

Gary Cripps opposes plans for a 3G mast near Bedonwell Junior School BE2620-01

FURIOUS parents say a phone company is "re-igniting a war" after it applied to place a phone mast meters from a junior school.

Mobile phone company Orange has made the application just months after it was told to decommission a phone mast on the school premises.

The current mast has been on the site of Bedonwell Junior School, Bedonwell Road, Belvedere, since October 1996.

After the controversy of the first mast, which saw several parents remove their children from school, the school has refused to renew the 10-year lease.

Orange has been told it must decommission the mast within eight weeks of its new 3G mast at the top of the telephone exchange in Erith Road, Belvedere, becoming operational.

Bexley Council's planning control committee imposed the condition at a meeting in July last year, although at present, Orange is unable to confirm when the mast will go live.

But residents who opposed the first mast say the company is going back on its word.

Former telecomms engineer Alan Eaton, said: "Orange has gone back on its word and shown it has no concern for our community. There was no indication there was going to be another mast.

"Most people had a sense of euphoria that when the lease was up the mast would be gone. It's almost as if Orange is starting the war again."

The new site for the proposed mast is 20 meters from the school's boundary and just 100m from the current mast.

Mr Eaton and fellow Bedonwell Road resident Gary Cripps have begun a campaign to oppose the plans, named Orange Squash.

The pair, who only spotted the notice from Orange detailing its plans one week ago, have collected more than 250 signatures opposing the mast.

The petition has been sent to Orange, which says it will include the comments in its planning application to the council.

An Orange spokesman said: "Orange is trying to provide the coverage required and the proposed location is the best option as the school is no longer available."

© Copyright 2001-2006 Newsquest Media Group

http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/redir.php?from=ec&to=680540&l=parents_planning_to_squash_orange_mast

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2006/01/20 08:30:06 GMT

Mobile phone use does not lead to a greater risk of brain tumour, the largest study on the issue has said.

The study of 2,782 people across the UK found no link between the risk of glioma - the most common type of brain tumour - and length of mobile use.

Among cancer sufferers the tumours were more likely to be reported on the side of the head where they held the phone.

But the British Medical Journal study said people over-reported phone use on the side their cancer developed.
The research, which was carried out by the British arm of an international project called Interphone, reiterates the findings of most earlier studies in saying that there is no connection between cancer and mobile phone use.

These results are reassuring for everyone with a mobile
Dr Kat Arney
Cancer Research UK

The team of researchers, involving scientists from Leeds University, the Institute of Cancer Research and the University of Nottingham, spoke to 966 people diagnosed with glioma and 1,716 without the condition in five areas of the UK.

All 2,783 were interviewed about their history of mobile phone use over the previous 10 years.

They were asked to recall in detail how much they used their mobile phones, how often they used hands-free kits and what types of phones they had used.

'Biased reporting'

Research author Professor Patricia McKinney, Professor of Paediatric Epidemiology at the Leeds University, said: "For regular mobile phone users, there was no increased risk of developing a glioma associated with mobile phone use."

She acknowledged that there appeared to be an increased risk among brain cancer sufferers on the side of the head where they held the phone.

MOBILE PHONE FACTS
Available in the UK since 1985
Widely used since late 1990s

Now estimated to be owned by more than 40m Britons, including many children

Most studies have found no raised risk of brain tumour
But long-term effects still not known
Children still advised to use mobiles only when necessary

The team, however, did not put this down to a causal link, because almost exactly the same decreased risk was seen on the other side of the head, leaving no overall increase risk of tumours for mobile phone users.

Instead, they blamed biased reporting from brain tumour sufferers who knew what side of the head their tumours were

Another research team member, Professor Anthony Swerdlow of the Institute of Cancer Research, said: "It would be very misleading to the public to say that because there was a positive that this (mobile phones) causes brain tumours."

He explained: "If we had found a raised risk overall and it was all coming from one side, I would believe there was a real case.

"But as there is a drop on the opposing side - the overall risk is not raised.

"That makes it rather unlikely that there is a raised risk."

But he added that epidemiological studies could never show there was no risk of an activity, they could only suggest there was no raised risk.

'Growing evidence'

The Health Protection Agency said the research was good news, but that it did not give mobile phones a clean bill of health.

The board said it would not be changing its advice that children should not make unnecessary mobile phone calls.

Dr Kat Arney, science information officer at Cancer Research UK, said research such as this was vital for getting to the environmental causes of cancer.

"This is the biggest and most thorough study into mobile phones and glioma so far, and it adds to the growing evidence that there is no link.

"Although we still don't know about the very long-term effects of phone use, these results are reassuring for everyone with a mobile."

Further research

Wendy Fulcher, who founded ther Brain Tumour Research Campaign, said she hoped people would be finally reassured by the results of the research.

She added: "In relation to other cancers, brain tumours are the poor relation when it comes to research funding.

"There should be more money focused on the root causes of brain tumours."

Alasdair Philips, director of campaign group Powerwatch, says the study "doesn't really prove anything".

"I think they should have waited another couple of years and recruited more people with brain tumours so they could have interviewed them, because the trouble was they went back a few years and the people had died.

"If you get a grade four glioma you can die within a year or 18 months of it being diagnosed, and these people are just gone, so they couldn't get their mobile phone history."

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2006/01/20 08:30:06 GMT
http://www.health-post.com/mobile_cancer_risk.html


Informant: Iris Atzmon

--------

Is There a Tumor Risk Following Long-Term Cell Phone Use?
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/1484290/

Increased cancer risk for mobile users
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/1513588/


http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=Glioma