Health and Environment News

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled Federal Communications Commission (FCC) imposed deadlines for local governments to consider cell phone base station applications are legal. “I am pleased that, as a result of the Supreme Court's decision today, one of the Commission's major achievements in promoting broadband access will continue to protect consumers and drive investment,” acting FCC chairwoman Mignon Clyburn said in a brief statement. “Removing obstacles to the timely build-out of wireless broadband services remains a key priority.”  Cities and counties across the USA challenged...

In a preliminary study Italian researchers have found that being interrupted by a mobile phone call during a reading may cause a temporary but significant spike in blood pressure, rendering the results inaccurate and misleading. People who already have mild to moderate hypertension experienced a slight jump when receiving phone calls, even if they are otherwise relaxed, the researchers found. The main effect was in patients who already have high blood pressure and don’t use their phone very often. The change was less dramatic in people who were accustomed to getting a lot of mobile pho...

Using a smartphone or tablet before bed won’t disrupt sleep - if you dim the screen or hold the device about a foot away from your face, US researchers have found. Preliminary research (pdf) presented by the Mayo Clinic at the SLEEP 2013 conference in Baltimore suggests that it's possible to use your smartphone or tablet before bed without disrupting a good night's sleep. “In the old days people would go to bed and read a book,” said co-author Lois Krahn, M.D., a psychiatrist and sleep expert at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz. “Well, much more commonly people go to bed and they ...

There is ‘some weak and inconsistent’ data that suggests mobile phone use could increase brain tumour risk for long term mobile phone users. But the data is likely the result of bias and chance in the studies and brain cancer trends do not support the finding, a Dutch Expert Committee review has concluded. The systematic analysis by researchers from the Health Council of the Netherlands analysed all population studies comparing mobile phone use and brain tumour cases and found no clear evidence of a causal relationship between the two. “Currently data is available for up to 13 year...

A short summary of major developments in the news during the past month on science and policy issues related to mobile communications health and environmental issues. Belgium: No 4G in Brussels before 2015 The Brussels government has postponed making a decision on amending the city’s strict base station exposure standards, which will mean the European capital will go without 4G until 2015. Germany: The nocebo effect - media reports may trigger symptoms of a disease Media reports about substances that are supposedly hazardous to health may cause suggestible people to develop sympt...

A review of the Equipment Authorization Database of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over the past decade has found a massive increase in the number of wireless devices in homes which has also led to increased interest in possible health concerns related to these devices. “Within the past decade, a quiet revolution has occurred in consumer electronics, with a massive shift toward wireless connectivity in household devices,” Kenneth R. Foster, Professor Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania said in a recent article in Microwave Magazine. “Of the 35,000 new...

The environmental impact of manufacturing new mobile phones could be reduced by 40 per cent if common design vulnerabilities, such as cracked smartphone screens, were made easier to repair, according to the IEEE - the global body of electrical and electronics engineers. “Simple things like utilizing openable cases, using screws rather than adhesives, and providing easy access to parts that are most likely to break, like screens, greatly improve the repairability of cellphones and significantly extend their life, CEO of iFixit Kyle Wiens said. “It is imperative for designers to incorp...

New research provides less support for the theory that mobile phone signals can cause cancer in humans, an expert review of the latest scientific research has found. The Swedish Radiation Safety Authority`s (SSM) scientific council of international experts assessed all the relevant research published in 2011 and 2012 and said there was now less convincing evidence that mobiles could cause cancers, such as brain tumours. “Subsequent to the last Council report published in 2010, IARC in 2011 classified radiofrequency electromagnetic (RF) fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2...

A South Korean government funded study which measured the amount of radiation emitted by various cell phones when traveling on subways or elevators has been misinterpreted as posing an increased health risk in local media reports. The research found that cell phone radio frequency field strength was more than five times stronger when in transit, compared to when in operation at a stationary position. The media reported the study found stationary cell phones emitted 0.08 volts per meter and in transit cell phone’s emitted 0.42 volts per meter and this was a potential health risk. “...

Bans on sending text messages while driving in many USA states do reduce the number of fatal crashes when they are first introduced, but drivers soon return to their old habits within a month after the publicity about new laws wears off a new study has found. “Bans appear moderately successful at reducing single-vehicle, single-occupant accidents if bans are universally applied and enforced,” said Rahi Abouk and Scott Adams from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. “Any reduction in accidents following texting bans is short-lived, however, with accidents returning to near former ...

The efficient rollout of mobile phone network infrastructure is crucial to supporting the continued evolution of connected devices and machines – from smartphones and tablets to connected cars, medical equipment and future innovations. To provide an uninterrupted and quality connection, every mobile phone or connected device relies on a signal from a network antenna, which range in size from tall towers to small antennas mounted on light poles. As the number of connections in an area increases and the volume of data transferred between the network and devices grows, additional ante...

A short summary of major developments in the news during the past month on science and policy issues related to mobile communications health and environmental issues. Australia: Air safety watchdog should ease 'airplane mode' rules Use of mobile phones for making or receiving calls remains totally banned in Australia whether on the ground or in the air. But we can see no good reason for maintaining the ban on using them in the so-called airplane mode to read email, news or an e-book or to listen to music. Belgium: Overly stringent standard causes decline of existing 2G and 3G networks...

The full report (or monograph) providing the background to the 2011 classification of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields emitted by mobile phones, wireless devices, radio, television and radar as possibly carcinogenic to humans has now been published online. The classification was first announced in May 2011 and it can take up to two years for the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s (IARC’s) full monograph to be published. “Although this is not new research, the full report provides important details about IARC’s assessment, including how this assessment relates to t...

A survey of every mobile phone mast in the Channel Islands has found they operate well below the international safety recommendations. The audit of every mobile mast on the islands, which took five months to complete by external specialists Red-M, found that the highest reading was only one-seventh of the safety limit. The Channel Islands Competition and Regulatory Authorities (CICRA) commissioned the independent survey of the 80 sites in Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, Herm and Jethou and the 175 sites in Jersey. Channel Islands Strategic Lead for Environmental Health, Val Cameron, said in...

The EU’s strictest mobile phone antenna signal standards should be eased to allow high-speed mobile networks to be rolled out in the Belgian capital, the county’s telecommunications regulator has said. Most major cities in Belgium already have access to superfast 4G mobile networks but because of the capital’s stricter regulations, mobile operators haven’t been able to update the network in Brussels. The restriction is a serious impediment which damages the city’s economy according to a report from the Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications (BIPT). “B...

A study of almost 4000 university students across the globe has found attempts to reduce concerns about mobile phone signals are not helped by providing people with information on ways to reduce their exposure, warning labels on cell phones and additional precautionary safety standards as some governments and health authorities have done. “Our findings do not support the assumption that informing people about implemented precautionary measures will decrease public concerns,” the researchers concluded. Since the radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF EMF) emitted by cell phone tech...

A new solar powered mobile phone charging system can provide a cheaper and more convenient charging option for the more than one billion mobile phone users living in areas without easy access to mains electricity. The new charging system, which allows mobile phone users to pay for their charge-up by text message, has been successfully trialled by UK developer Buffalo Grid in Ghana and Uganda. The system works by using a 60-watt solar panel to charge a portable battery unit that can then be easily taken to off-grid villages – usually on the back of a bicycle. To charge their phone cu...

The US communications regulator has announced the start of a comprehensive review of the country’s safety standards for exposure to mobile phone signals and has requested input from federal health departments, scientific experts, the cell phone industry and consumer groups. In a 200 page document published last month the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) called for public comment on a range of questions regarding the safety of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, including whether the current exposure limits should be tightened, relaxed or remain unchanged. The review will also...

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal of Australia (AAT) has approved workers compensation for a man who claims he can no longer work due to electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) even though EHS is not a recognized medical condition. “The definition of ailment does not require that it be a condition which fits within a particular diagnostic criteria,” AAT Deputy President, Mr JW. Constance ruled in the case, handed down on 28 February 2013. The Tribunal found that Dr Alexander McDonald suffered a workplace injury when his alleged sensitivity to electromagnetic frequencies (EMF) from o...

The 2011 classification of mobile phones as a ‘possible carcinogen’ by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) was flawed because they relied too heavily on human population studies says an expert on electromagnetic fields (EMF). “We all know the many problems associated with epidemiological studies. They are prone to many biases and have serious problems assessing a person’s exposure, especially to EMF,” Dr Mike Repacholi from the University of Rome said in a recent guest blog. “We are all living in a sea of EMF so it is difficult to distinguish b...

A short summary of major developments in the news during the past month on science and policy issues related to mobile communications health and environmental issues. Australia: Parents urged to limit children's use of mobiles, cordless phone under new health warnings Parents should limit kids' use of mobile and cordless phones, Australia's radiation watchdog recommends in new health advice. Belgium: European Commission annoyed about 4G delays The European Commissioner for Digital Agenda Neelie Kroes has expressed her grave concerns about delays in rolling out the 4G network in the...

Analysis of over 200 mobile phone networks across 145 countries by the GSMA has found the most energy efficient mobile operators around the world appoint “energy champions” and deploy newer technology to help combat rising energy costs and the environmental impact of their networks. Senior Director of Research and Sustainability for the GSMA Dr Jack Rowley told an Australian conference in March the Mobile Energy Efficiency (MEE) program had provided some valuable insights into how network operators could reduce the carbon footprint of their networks and stay on top of energy costs. �...

Mobile phone use during pregnancy has no effect on childhood behaviour problems such as hyperactivity and the results of earlier studies which reported a link were caused by mothers who smoked more and were more stressed, a comprehensive Dutch analysis has found. The study of 2,618 Dutch children published last month in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health compared mother’s mobile and cordless phone use during pregnancy with their children’s behavioural problems reported by their teachers and mothers. The researchers from Utrecht University, the Public Health Service of A...

A South African journalism professor said a recent newspaper article which claimed a trial 4G/LTE network burnt and blackened pine trees in a Johannesburg resident’s garden was breathtakingly bad science reporting. In the Saturday Star front page article Tracey-Lee Dorny claimed 60 pine trees in her garden had all been burnt and blackened in the past five months along with her neighbours’ trees. The article included pictures of Dorny standing next to blackened pine trees. “I first noticed these big scorch marks on my pines, and then some of the eucalyptus and the fir trees around F...

South Korean fire officials have reported a man suffered burns to his leg after the battery from a smartphone caught fire in his trouser pocket. Officials at Bupyeong Fire Station in Incheon city said the lithium-ion battery was not in the phone when it caught on fire, CBS News reported. The man suffered second-degree burns and a one inch wound on his thigh the fire officials said. South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported the battery was from a 2011 Galaxy Note but fire officials couldn't confirm the type of battery. A Samsung spokesperson told Chosun Ilbo: “Lithium-ion batter...

Partner Communications, which operates in Israel under the Orange brand name, has reached an out of court settlement with a customer who claims he contracted cancer near his ear after using the company’s cell phones. The customer, who is in his 50s, sued Partner in May 2010 for millions of dollars claiming that intensive use of two mobile phones purchased from Partner in 2003 and 2007 resulted in an aggressive malignant lymphoma near his left ear. The man who was an attorney claimed he had converted a room that was designed for use as a bomb shelter – which are common in most new Isr...

The Australian government’s radiation protection agency has warned consumers that devices which claim to protect users from mobile phone radiation may actually increase the phones output power, reduce battery life and interfere with reception. In their new consumer fact sheet, “How to reduce exposure from mobile phones and other wireless devices”, the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) said so-called “shielding” devices “include those that are attached to the handset and take the form of shielded cases, earpiece pads/shields, antenna clips/caps a...

San Francisco retailers will no longer be forced to hand out fact sheets or put up posters warning customers about cell phone radiation after a US appeals court denied a request by the city’s lawyers to review an earlier decision to block the controversial law. The US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals February 27 ruling not to review the case appears to be the end of an almost three year court battle between the City of San Francisco and the US group representing the mobile phone industry, the CTIA. In September last year, a three judge panel of the court ruled against San Francisco’s law...

A short summary of major developments in the news during the past month on science and policy issues related to mobile communications health and environmental issues. Australia: Rural bushfire risk heightened by phone drop-outs A lack of mobile phone coverage in disaster-prone regions of Australia is putting lives at risk, residents and analysts warn. Telecommunications companies publish maps online that estimate the coverage they provide - but residents in a range of communities prone to fire or flood insist the maps do not match reality. Belgium: Regulator tells Brussels to ease rul...

New technology that powers down mobile base stations in times of low traffic demand is expected to shave almost a quarter off a Jamaican mobile operators’ network energy consumption, a GSMA case study has reported. The Smart Energy Solution (SES) software works by analysing traffic capacity across a mobile network and deactivating base station sites which aren’t required during off-peak times to provide quality coverage. Digicel, Jamaica’s largest mobile operator, have already seen a sharp drop in energy use after the new software was partially deployed on 450 base stations across ...

Media reports that give a misleading view of the possible health effects of mobile phone and Wi-Fi signals can lead people to believe they are sensitive to the technology, a UK study has found. Researchers James Rubin and Michael Witthöft of King’s College London found participants who watched a TV report about the dangers of electromagnetic fields (EMF) were more likely to report negative health symptoms and believe they were sensitive to wireless signals than those who watched an unrelated TV report. The study’s 147 participants filled out questionnaires regarding their levels of ...

Anti-Wi-Fi groups often misrepresent the views of health authorities and mislead the public about the scientific consensus on health effects from wireless signals, according to a new report by a Canadian science advocacy organisation. “Across Canada anti-Wi-Fi activists are spreading misinformation about wireless networking (Wi-Fi) and related technologies,” said Bad Science Watch, a self-proclaimed independent non-profit consumer protection watchdog. “Many activists blame Wi-Fi networks’ low level radio signals for a broad variety of medical problems, from mild headaches and fat...

A UK company banned from making misleading and unsubstantiated health claims about ‘electrosmog’ and protective metallic stickers by the UK advertising watchdog has refused to remove the statements from their website despite repeated requests. The website’s claims that their sticker products protect users from symptoms including sleeplessness, cancer and death from electromagnetic radiation exposure were found to be in breach of the UK Advertising Standards Code, an investigation concluded in November 2012. The website said the ‘WillauTronic’ stickers (still available on the ...

Staff living at a Hong Kong University are worried rooftop mobile phone antennas spread across their campus could be a cancer risk to them and their families and say there may be a link between the antenna signals and a number of cancer cases among residents. “Some in the academic community who live with young children on campus fear the electromagnetic radiation (EMR) the antennae generate could pose a cancer risk,” the South China Morning Post has reported. Long-term residents of the university, with its student body of 12,600 and teaching staff of over 500, are worried about...

Signals from the latest generation of mobile phone network antennas – while still well below the German safety limits - increase total exposures at ground level when installed on base stations running older 2G and 3G transmitters, a nationwide study of the German LTE network upgrade has found. The study commissioned by the Information Centre for Mobile Communications (IZMF) found that while the new generation of antennas produce similar low powered signals as the older technology, when all were combined, total exposures were higher. “The new mobile phone standard LTE (Long Term Evolu...

The leaders of Belgium’s biggest mobile operators have spoken out about their frustration at the industry’s inability to deliver the latest high speed mobile network technology to citizens in Brussels because of the capital city’s excessively restrictive mobile signal exposure limits. Belgacom CEO Didier Bellens sparked public debate about the European capital’s radio frequency standards in a New Year’s address in late January where he said the restrictions were impeding the rollout of 4G network technology and in-turn the country’s economy. "The capital of Europe may be the ...

A short summary of major developments in the news during the past month on science and policy issues related to mobile communications health and environmental issues. Australia: Brain scans could measure heat from mobiles MRI scans can directly study how mobile phones heat the human brain, say US researchers. Their findings are reported today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Australia: Why mobile phone antennas are so controversial Professor Andrew Wood, a researcher at Swinburne University who specialises in the area of radio frequencies and its health effe...

The head of the US government agency in charge of wireless communications has called for the agency in charge of commercial air travel to revise its long-standing ban on the use of mobile phones and other electronic devices during take-off and landing. In December, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Julius Genachowski sent a letter to Michael Huerta, chairman of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), asking him to "enable greater use of tablets, e-readers, and other portable devices" when an airplane is below 10,000 feet, according to a copy of the letter obtained by�...

Mobile phone base stations could continue to operate for up to 40 hours after mains power is cut in an emergency, tests of new hydrogen cell back-up power supplies in Japan have found. At Japanese mobile operator DoCoMo’s Yokosuka Research Park, technical experts from Nokia Siemens Networks and Ballard Power Systems have tested a cellular base station with an integrated hydrogen cell that can replace batteries or diesel generators as backups during a power outage or natural disaster. Hydrogen fuel cells convert chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction wi...

A ban on Californian drivers from sending texts and emails has been lifted to allow the use of new voice-activated mobile phone technology that encourages drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel while driving. The new law, which came into effect on 1 January 2013, permits drivers to dictate, send and listen to emails and text messages while driving, as long as it’s all done by voice. “A person shall not drive a motor vehicle while using an electronic wireless communications device to write, send, or read a text-based communication, unless the electronic wireless communicati...

A comprehensive study of more than 800 mobile phone towers in China has helped reduce local residents’ health fears and confirmed mobile signal exposures in the region are well below international safety standards. The researchers found that not only were all towers compliant with safety standards, but once concerned residents were made aware of their local phone tower’s measurements in comparison with the safety limits, they were less likely to be worried about living near a tower. A survey found 98 per cent of respondents said living near a tower was dangerous before the measurements,...

Children who have used cell phones or whose mothers used cell phones during pregnancy are more likely to have headaches than children who have never been exposed to cell phone signals, according to a new survey of 52,680 Danish mothers. However, the researchers cautioned that the results were not sufficient to conclude that a causal relationship exists and noted that confounding factors could have influenced the results. “To our knowledge this is the first epidemiologic study to investigate the association between prenatal and postnatal cell phone exposures and migraines and other headach...

A new report that claims the health of cell phone users, parents-to-be, young children and pregnant women are at risk from mobile phone signals exhibits many of the same flaws as the 2007 document produced by the same group, which was criticised as selective and biased. The report published on the BioInitiative Working Group’s website claims that the evidence for health risks from electromagnetic fields and wireless technologies has substantially increased since the group’s first report in 2007, and that new safety standards are urgently needed to protect the public from wireless signal...

The Iraqi government have introduced a national safety standard to limit exposure to signals from mobile phones and their base stations for the first time in the country’s history. The Iraqi Communications and Media Commission (CMC) chose to adopt the safety limits recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) after hearing from a panel of international experts on the science surrounding human exposure to radio frequency (RF) fields at a conference in Baghdad December. “Given that this international meeting, as well as the WHO and all international and national reviews of the sc...

After a recent change in leadership the body that sets the safety guidelines for exposure to the radio signals used for mobile communications has restructured its committees of specialist scientific advisors and set a new future work plan. Recently Dr Rüdiger Matthes was appointed chairman of the International Commission for Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) after Dr Paolo Vecchia served as chairman for the last 12 years. At the late October annual general meeting, ICNIRP decided on a new structure which would remove the old standing committees and consulting experts in the are...

Sri Lankan mobile phone operators have been asked to share their network towers with competitors to reduce the number on new poles popping up across the country. Under a strict new national policy for the siting of mobile phone antennas, the telecommunications regulator has also set a 4km minimum distance between mobile phone tower zones and will enforce international guidelines for exposure to radio frequency signals. “With the rapid rollout of the telecommunication networks in the recent past the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) has realized the necessity...

A short summary of major developments in the news during the past month on science and policy issues related to mobile communications health and environmental issues. Australia: Science & Wireless 2012 conference videos online Videos of the 2012 "Science and Wireless" conference presentations and interviews are now available online. Belgium: 4G in Brussels impossible under current framework The deployment of 4G technology in Brussels is impossible, according to mobile operators, because the current restrictive exposure standards in the city prevents any construction of new ante...

While we currently aren’t in a position to give a definitive yes or no answer to whether mobile phone use causes cancer, the last ten years of research has ruled out any short term health effects, Professor of Cancer and Epidemiology at the University of Auckland Mark Elwood has told an Australian conference. “There was a lot of concern five of ten years ago that we would have a short term increase in cancers and we can now quite definitely say that we do not have that,” Prof Elwood said. “We certainly do not have any short term effects, whether we have any long term effects is t...

Commissioners of a south Florida city have passed a resolution to warn residents about potential cancer risks form cell phone radiation. Inspired by a local resident's cancer survival story the city of Pembroke Pines resolution encourages residents to keep their cell phones at least one-inch away from their bodies as advised in phone manuals and to use a headset or speakerphone or send messages by text or email to reduce exposure. “Our city's resolution isn't about creating panic and alarm,” Commissioner Angelo Castillo – who proposed the resolution – told the Sun-Sentinel. “It...

The use of solar powered mobile towers and other environmentally friendly network upgrades won’t be able to stop an overall increase in network greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, according to a new report on the environmental impact of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. The Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) SMARTER 2020 report said while improvements to the energy efficiency of mobile networks will help reduce the industry’s carbon footprint per unit of mobile traffic, an estimated 70 fold increase in mobile data and voice traffic by 2020 will increase mo...

A panel of experts convened by the Swedish government to review the last ten years of research on the possible health risks of mobile phone technology has concluded that despite extensive research, there is no evidence that mobile phones can affect human health and finding any risks in the future is becoming increasingly unlikely. “Extensive research for more than a decade has not detected anything new regarding interaction mechanisms between radiofrequency fields and the human body and has found no evidence for health risks below current exposure guidelines,” the experts said. The S...

In January the U.S. Supreme Court will decide if the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) imposed “shot clocks”, that set time limits for local governments to consider cell phone base station applications, are legal. Cities and counties across the USA have challenged the FCC’s authority to set the 90 day time limits for officials to act on applications for cell phone towers when they are co-located with existing sites and 150 days for new sites. The cities of Arlington, Los Angeles and San Antonio along with the Counties of Texas, Los Angeles and San Diego petitioned the nation...

A short summary of major developments in the news during the past month on science and policy issues related to mobile communications health and environmental issues. Australia: Health risks from mobiles only small compared to everyday activities, says professor If there is a health risk from mobile phone use it would be small compared to other risk factors facing people in their daily lives, Professor of Cancer and Epidemiology at the University of Auckland Mark Elwood has told the Science and Wireless conference in Melbourne. Azerbaijan: Electromagnetic radiation of base stations in...

A Canadian hospital has lifted restrictions on patients and visitors using their mobile phones after extensive tests found the devices did not interfere with medical equipment and were not an annoyance to other patients. The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) became the first hospital in Quebec to allow patients and visitors to use their phones within the institution following years of restrictions on their use based on concerns of interference with important equipment. “These days, cell phone use in hospitals is mostly a matter of respecting others,” said Sylvie Beausoleil, Secu...

A recent Californian TV news report has claimed that some doctors say they're seeing evidence of breast cancer that could be linked to where some women keep their cell phones. The TV news report included anecdotal evidence of two young women who believe their breast cancer was caused by tucking their cell phones in their bras. “I would never wear a cellphone immediately next to my body and I would advise all women not to do that," breast surgeon Dr Lisa Bailey told KTVU. The story has gained widespread media interest and a number of major TV stations have run similar stories in recent ...

Research into the risk of distractions during real-life driving shows listening and talking on cell phones while driving is not particularly risky and we should focus heavily on the less frequent and newer cell phone tasks of texting, typing, reading, dialling, and reaching for a phone. “Taking your eyes off the road to dial a cell phone or look up an address and send a text increases the risk of crashing by 600 to 2,300 per cent,” said Professor Tom Dingus, Director of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. The paper, “Estimating Crash Risk: Accident data must be considered i...

Young adults who work, travel and socialise in densely populated areas are exposed to the greatest amount of radio frequency signals from sources like mobile phones, Wi-Fi, cordless phones and microwaves, a study of 98 Dutch residents has found. Researchers from the Netherlands’ National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM) analysed volunteers’ exposure to 12 radio frequency bands used in mobile telecommunication and broadcasting over a 24 hour period and reported that while there were slight differences in exposure based on a person’s surroundings, all levels were well ...

The United Nations telecoms agency has taken the first step towards creating a one-size-fits- all power adapter for home communications equipment in an attempt to reduce the amount of electronic waste sent to landfill every year by an estimated 300,000 tonnes. The new Universal Power Adapter (UPA) technical standard to be used in devices such as modems, set-top boxes, home networking equipment and fixed telephones was announced by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in late October. The ITU said the scheme would allow consumers to retain their universal charger when throwing...

European Health Risk Assessment Network on Electromagnetic Fields Exposure (EFHRAN) has advised the EU to set up a website portal – including blogs and Twitter feeds – to provide high quality and referenced information about the latest scientific evidence on electromagnetic fields (EMF) and health. “The current state of scientific knowledge about possible health effects of EMF does not fully correspond to the perception the general public has of the effects of EMF although this varies strongly from EU country to country, as clearly shown in the Eurobarometer” said the latest EFHRAN ...

Mobile phone coverage would be halved in Australia’s second largest city if local authorities enacted a policy to restrict mobile phone base stations within 500m of schools, child care centres and medical facilities, a new GSMA study has found. The case study to investigate the impact of hypothetical buffer zone policies on a metropolitan city showed more than 3,000 mobile network antennas in the Melbourne area would need to be relocated and the development of new community facilities would be severely restricted. “The impact on existing radio base stations of a 500 m exclusion zone ...

The US aviation watchdog has ruled out allowing voice calls during flights but could give air passengers more freedom to use their smartphones and other portable electronics during take-off and landing, if a 6-month review determines phone signals aren’t a threat to flight safety. Given the widespread use of mobile devices by air passengers, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced plans to form a government-industry group to review the current policies and procedures for aircraft operators that restrict passengers from using mobile phones during flight because of concerns ...

Nokia has averted a potential environmental crisis in Kenya after the company put their hand up to handle the collection and recycling of more than two million counterfeit phones that will be rendered useless when they are cut-off from the country’s mobile network on 30 September 2012. The Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK) announced plans last year to block all non-genuine mobile devices from connecting to the network, in an attempt to stop the illegal trade of knock-off devices, yet in the lead-up to the deadline admitted there were no systems in place to collect and recycle any un...

In response to public concern about the safety of mobile phone tower signals in the middle-east, researchers have conducted the first ever study of base station exposures in the region and found all but a handful of radiation levels were higher than 1,000 times below international safety guidelines. The Saudi Arabian scientists from King Saud University measured radio frequency levels around 60 base stations in the capital Riyadh and compared the readings with the guidelines developed by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) to find exposures were well b...

A controversial San Francisco law requiring cell phone retailers to warn customers of potential radiation risks was blocked by a U.S. appeals court. It would require retailers to give each cell phone buyer a fact sheet saying the World Health Organization had classified the phones’ radio-frequency emissions as a “possible carcinogen.” The sheet also shows human silhouettes absorbing radiation and suggests protective measures, like wearing headsets, making shorter calls and limiting use by children. Stores would have had to put similar messages on large wall posters and on sticke...

The World Health Organization’s overall risk assessment of all health outcomes for mobile communication technologies has started and is expected to be completed by the end of 2014. Following the classification and announcement last June by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) that RF Fields are a possible human carcinogen, the next stage of review is an overall risk assessment covering all health outcomes – not just cancer. The WHO has announced they have started the Environmental Health Criteria (EHC) review or ‘monograph’ on RF Fields used by mobile communicat...

There are no health risks from mobile phones and their base stations or wireless networks according to a comprehensive review of all available scientific evidence by a Norwegian Expert Committee. “The group found no evidence that the low-level fields around mobile phones and other transmitters increase the risk of cancer, impair male fertility, cause other reproductive damage or lead to other diseases and adverse health effects, such as changes to the endocrine and immune systems,” said committee Chair Professor Jan Alexander – who is the Assistant Director-General at the Norwegian In...

More than 10,000 rural phone towers in communities without electricity will be upgraded to green energy sources such as wind and solar over the next four years thanks to continued support for the GSMA’s project to convert diesel powered network sites in developing countries. The GSMA and the World Bank’s international development arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), have pledged to continue their partnership to reduce mobile operators’ carbon emissions through the promotion of renewable energy technologies for base stations as part of their joint Green Power for Mobile pr...

Experts in human development from the United Kingdom have called the interpretation of the results of a Yale study – which reported that exposing pregnant mice to transmissions from mobile phones affected the behaviour of their offspring – irresponsible and alarmist. Researchers from the Yale School of Medicine reported that mice exposed to mobile phones as foetuses were more hyperactive, had more anxiety and poorer memories – symptoms associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) – than mice who were not exposed to the phone signals. “This is the first experi...