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MSPs probe safety of digital cordless phones HEALTH: ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS Radiation fears see cross-party investigation widened(The Sunday Herald Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)MSPs are to investigate the safety of digital cordless telephones amid concerns that they emit harmful levels of radiation. A new cross-party group aimed at examining the health effects of pylons and other sources of electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation such as mobile phone masts was established by the Scottish parliament only last month. But last night the group confirmed it would expand its inquiry to include digital enhanced cordless telecommunications (Dect) phones, after a Sunday Herald investigation found evidence of a growing concern among campaigners in Scotland and a lack of information surrounding the possible health risks of the phones. Mark Ruskell, the Green MSP who cofounded the new group, said: "Every week I am hearing health concerns about technology that we all take for granted, such as mobile phones, masts and pylon lines. Digital cordless phones are on that growing list of technologies where the jury is still out." He added: "The time is definitely right to look into how electromagnetic radiation affects us and whether guidelines established by 'expert groups' are protecting us adequately." Digital cordless phones are already the focus of debate in several European countries. Now UK campaign groups that have hitherto focused on mobile telephones and phone masts are also turning their attention to Dect telephones. Mast Sanity, a pressure group that campaigns against the "insensitive siting" of mobile telephone and Tetra police communications masts, has reported a growing number of complaints on its dedicated phone line from cordless phone users who have suffered from a range of medical conditions, including headaches, poor sleep and unusual nosebleeds. "It's like having a phone mast in your bedroom, " said Sian Meredith of Mast Sanity, which is one of several groups calling for Dect phones to carry a health warning. "The government will argue the emissions are within guidelines so there's no health issue, but there is an issue because people are suffering health effects as a result of the phones being on 24 hours a day. Even on standby they're emitting radiation." Leading Scottish writer Ron Butlin recently underwent an operation for an irregular heartbeat. Although he had experienced problems with his heart in the past, he believes his condition was exacerbated by his Dect telephone. Butlin, who also wants Dect phones to come with health warnings, said: "I have no doubt that these phones have a big part to play [in my condition]." Digital cordless telephones work via a handset and base station that emits an electromagnetic field similar to, but of a lower power than, the radio or microwaves emitted by mobile phone masts. Fears focus on the fact that Dect phones are switched on continuously and that the base station signal is emitted in pulses. The concerns do not apply to old-style analogue cordless telephones with aerials. Yet while there have long been worries - although little scientific evidence - surrounding the long-term health effects of using mobile phones and of exposure to low-level EMF from mobile phone masts, campaigners point out that there are as yet no such reservations, let alone limitations, on using cordless phones. However, a body of opinion is growing in some European countries about the potential health implications associated with Dect phones. Cancer specialists at University Hospital, Orebro, in Sweden, have identified an increased risk of brain tumours among cellular and cordless phone users, with a fourfold increased risk for 20 to 29-yearolds. Neither government nor industry has responded to the findings. Cordless telephone manufacturers have meanwhile responded to concerns in Switzerland, Austria and Germany by providing protective covers for Dect phones, which are meant to shield users from pulsed emissions. Some offer advice on usage or sell low radiation phones. A Swiss Dect phone, the Orchid LR 108, claims to be the world's first to operate without a continuous pulse of electromagnetic radiation. Medical professionals in Germany have begun a petition urging government intervention in response to what they claim is a "clear temporal and spatial correlation between the appearance of disease and exposure to pulsed high-frequency microwave radiation". They cite this as coming from mobile telephone masts and mobile phone usage, as well as "installation of a digital cordless (Dect) telephone at home or in the neighbourhood". Illnesses they have observed - even among young people - range from learning and behavioural disorders to cancers, heart attacks and strokes. Known as the Freiburger Appeal after the Black Forest town where the campaign was instigated, it has so far been signed by over 2000 medical doctors and 35,000 individuals in Germany. The rising concerns about Dect phones come as governments are increasingly engaging with the debate about low-level EMF exposure. The European Commission is "closely monitoring" new developments in scientific research and international regulatory action in the field of EMF. In the UK, the government has set up the Stakeholder Advisory Group on EMF (Sage), comprising representatives of the power industry, researchers, campaign groups and others, to study the effects on people of low-frequency EMF within the guidelines from, among other sources, electrical equipment and power lines. It aims to issue guidance and ultimately offer government recommendations for precautionary measures. Alasdair Philips, the founder of Powerwatch, an independent group with a 20-year history of researching the effects of electromagnetic fields on health, said he had been against Dect phones since they came out, "when we realised they pulsed 24 hours a day, even when you're not making calls". "It's the pulsing rather than the microwaves. If you could hear it in your ears, it would drive you absolutely scatty, " he added. Philips, a member of Sage, claims that "lots" of Dect phones have been thrown out by people who suffer health problems which they ascribe to the device. But he added: "There's little official interest in it. We have raised it in official channels a few times but it's very difficult to get people interested." alan. crawford@sundayherald. com NEED TO KNOW FACTS Amid concerns that digital enhanced cordless telecommunications (Dect) phones emit harmful levels of microwave radiation, MSPs are launching an investigation into their safety. BACKGROUND The Health Protection Agency says the levels of radiated power a person absorbs from Dect phones are much less than from mobiles, so it does not consider cordless phones to pose a health hazard. However, campaign groups say Dect base units constantly emit microwave radiation even when not in use, whereas "intelligent" mobiles power down. They claim radiation pulses from Dect phones are far more aggressive than those from mobiles, and cite adverse health effects, from headaches and memory loss to sleep disturbance, depression and, some groups claim, the risk of brain tumours. NEED TO KNOW MORE www. mastsanity. org Campaign group on EMF radiation www. powerwatch. org. uk Member of working group on EMF www. hpa. org. uk/radiation/understand/ information_sheets/cordless_ telephones. htm Health Protection Agency www. dectweb. com/ Dect information www. electrosensitivity. org. uk/ Charity that campaigns for recognition of Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity Syndrome (EHS) |