Fears Over Video Phones
Illawarra Mercury
Thursday October 2, 2003
A STUDY has raised concerns about the safety of base stations for new generation high-speed video phones after finding they can cause headaches and nausea.
About 50,000 Australians have a 3G phone following their launch by telco Hutchison Orange in April.
A study conducted by the Dutch government and technological research institute TNO compared radiation from base stations for the mobile telephone network with base stations for 3G networks.
``If the test group was exposed to third-generation base station signals there was a significant impact," the Dutch economics ministry said.
``They felt tingling sensations, got headaches and felt nauseous."
Dr Colin Roy, director of the non-ionising radiation branch of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency, said the study was credible.
However it remained one among many into the safety of mobile phones.
``I don't think one study of any type can really set the alarm bells ringing," he said.
Australia's mobile phone industry said there was no substantive evidence that mobile phones caused headaches.
Executive Director of the Mobile Carriers Forum, Tanya Stoianoff, also noted advice from the World Health Organisation saying no recent reviews had concluded that exposure to radio frequency fields from mobile phones and their base stations caused adverse health consequences.
``The ... scientific process of replication and validation (is) required before the results (of this study) can be accurately assessed within the whole body of scientific evidence," she said.
A spokeswoman for Hutchison said the company did not wish to comment preferring an industry-led response.
The head of the Australian Centre for Radio Frequency Bioeffects Research, Professor Irena Cosic, said Australia was lacking in research into 3G phones because they were so new.
However, she said they operated on a higher frequency than traditional mobiles, which should theoretically make it more difficult for radiation to penetrate the brain and body.
© 2003 Illawarra Mercury
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