ZDNet UK / News and Analysis / Infrastructure / Networking

Experts to examine mobile mast link to cancer cases

By Graeme Wearden, ZDNet.co.uk, 15 February, 2002 16:29

Daily Newsletters

Sign up to ZDNet UK's daily newsletter.

Topics

Investigation, stewart inquiry, health fears, nrpb, carnarvon road, epping forest, south woodford, Mobile phone

NEWS
A London council is spending thousands of pounds on scientific tests in an attempt to see whether mobile phone masts could have caused a cluster of cancer cases. Residents of Carnarvon Road, a street near Epping Forest in north-east London, successfully urged councillors to pay for checks on mobile masts near their homes. An expert team from the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) will monitor emission levels at several points in the area -- a move that the council hopes will help to dispel the fears of local residents. These tests will take place on 28 February, and are expected to cost £3,250. The NRPB scientists will test whether levels of exposure to non-ionising radiation are within international safely guidelines. It emerged last year that there is a cluster of cancer cases near to a building on Carnarvon Road where a number of mobile transmitters are located. Five of the seven houses nearest to this building are home to a person with cancer. According to the Radiocommunications Agency, two mobile phone masts are situated on buildings on Carnarvon Road. Its Sitefinder Internet utility -- a record of every mobile phone mast in the UK -- lists one Orange mast and one One2One mast. Both are reported to be operating within their maximum licensed power. Local member of parliament Iain Duncan Smith -- leader of the Conservative Party -- recently demanded action to see whether these cases could be linked to the nearby mobile masts. "There is an urgent need for the government to carry out swift research into the connection between mobile phone masts and cancer," said Duncan Smith, the Chingford & Woodford Green MP. Local politicians have acknowledged that there is considerable public concern about mobile phone masts, even though there is no evidence linking them to health risks. "The number of masts on Forest House has concerned local residents for some time, and we will now find out what impact they have on radiation levels in the area," said councillor Ian Bond in a recent statement. "What we cannot answer on our own is whether the current radiation guidelines are appropriate. I will continue to press the Government to give research on this a higher priority," Bond added. Fifteen research projects are currently underway to see whether mobile phone use can cause health effects, at a cost of £4.5m. The Stewart Inquiry, an independent, government-backed study into mobile phone safety, concluded in 2000 that while there is no general risk to the health of people living hear base stations, on the basis that exposures are expected to be well within guidelines, there can be "indirect adverse effects on their well-being in some cases." The Inquiry warned that anxiety over mobile phone masts could affect the health of some people.
For a round-up of the latest on ISPs, broadband and related issues, see the Telecoms News Section. Have your say instantly, and see what others have said. Go to the Telecoms forum . Let the editors know what you think in the Mailroom.

Related stories

News Roundup: Health fears over mobile masts

Government to investigate mobile phone safety

Ofcom to make it easier to change broadband service

Google set to build backbone of its 1Gbps fibre network

Nicira reveals network virtualisation details

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

You can also log in with Facebook. Log in or create your ZDNet UK account below

  • Login

Will not be displayed with your comment

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Community FAQ

Get ZDNet UK's daily newsletter

Enter your email address to sign up

ZDNet UK Live

BrownieBoy

@Jack, > Works really well for thieves.... Nice attempt to deflect the argument by tossing in a point that's totally irrelevant, even it were...

9 hours ago by BrownieBoy on AMD Ultrathins to challenge Intel Ultrabooks
bootlegger

Make that 13 people now - I got refused today at Manchester airport. I thought I was up to date on this legislation - I knew of the EU ruling from...

12 hours ago by bootlegger on UK airport body scans will not be opt out
tinycg

Don't forget to check out apps like GoodReader or SlideShark either, they're indispensible for people on the go in presentation situations. Best...

14 hours ago by tinycg on Four top iPad apps for people on the move
TerryRK

Well it seems there is something a number of us agree on. Why is the Ubuntu Unity launcher so ugly? I thought perhaps it was something to do with...

19 hours ago by TerryRK on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Freebies202

Duplicate comments are not made intentionally. Its very good to know that now you are keeping check on this problem because sometimes a commenter...

1 day ago by Freebies202 on Microsoft fixes blog comments, speeds up blogs with open source
kevinmchapman

"the very significant number of users" and "many (most) of us" - you have no evidence for these statements. It is a fact that most users are saying...

2 days ago by kevinmchapman on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Marg Menzies Harrison

Another grammar faux pas is the improper use of "you". When sitting down down in a restaurant, for example, I get cringe when the waitress...

2 days ago by Marg Menzies Harrison via Facebook on 10 flagrant grammar mistakes that make you look stupid
zdnetukuser

And NOW, folks, for Canonical's next trick... Kubuntu is late. Here's a pencil. Draw your own conclusions. cf.:...

2 days ago by zdnetukuser on Linux Minterface
Moley

@kevinmchapman. The discussion here reflects the very significant number of users who really do like the traditional menu system and who wish to...

2 days ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
kevinmchapman

Er, no... It is an efficient means of finding the application/file/setting you need in one place. The icons are a simply a fallback for when you...

2 days ago by kevinmchapman on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
TerryRK

Isn't the provision of a text based search an admission by the developers that the mass of icons approach does not work? I don't need to use a...

2 days ago by TerryRK on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
kevinmchapman

"Unity and GNOME 3 both abandon the old text-based cascading menus in favour of a graphical icon-driven system." Point truly missed. Both use a...

2 days ago by kevinmchapman on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
TerryRK

whs001 - Thank you, I'm glad you liked the article. I absolutely agree with you on your first point. I should perhaps have made it clearer that...

2 days ago by TerryRK on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Dennis Nilsson

If we allow corporate interest to dictate the way our government circumvents due process against foreign entities then we should accept the same...

2 days ago by Dennis Nilsson via Facebook on ACTA stumbles in Germany
GHar123

I totally dislike pirating of works, I fear that artists will be deterred from creating works if they think that they are going to get ripped off....

2 days ago by GHar123 on ACTA stumbles in Germany
JCB33

How dare film makers, artists or anybody that invests in creativity stop us pirating their works for free. I want to be able to walk into my local...

2 days ago by JCB33 on ACTA stumbles in Germany
Moley

@GrueMaster. I prefer horses for courses rather than one size fits all. I, and I suspect most other computer users, do not really wish to have...

2 days ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
greycynic

The product that scares me every time I have to use it is the Office 2007 version of Excel. The first bug that I found was applying the median...

2 days ago by greycynic on Ten flawed products that derail productivity
GrueMaster

Nice review and very informative. One thing I'd like to add (in reply to whs001's 1st question), the main reason to have the same interface from...

2 days ago by GrueMaster on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Frederick Wrigley

I'be been using Mint 12 since the RC came out, and I am far more happy with the Cinnamon, the Mate, and, yes (with extensions), theGnome 3...

2 days ago by Frederick Wrigley via Facebook on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

Latest in Networking

Ofcom to make it easier to change broadband service

Google set to build backbone of its 1Gbps fibre network

Nicira reveals network virtualisation details

Featured white papers

Using cloud-based solutions to fight DDoS attacks

VeriSign

Using cloud-based solutions to fight DDoS attacks

As distributed-denial-of-service attacks grow in size, complexity and frequency, security organisations are discovering that in-house solutions are no longer... Read more

ZDNet Tech Family Tree - The history of the iPhone

ZDNet UK

ZDNet Tech Family Tree - The history of the iPhone

Download this a wholly original insight into Apple's most famous product, peruse the PDF and buy the history of the iPhone for your... Read more

The virtual presenter's handbook

Citrix Online

The virtual presenter's handbook

Web seminars or webinars can be interactive and engaging, just like having every person in the same room, and this white paper outlines how they can benefit your... Read more

Inside ZDNet UK

A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

2012 Predictions: VCE FastPath, VI SAN Probe & Hadoop

2012 Predictions: VCE FastPath, VI SAN Probe & Hadoop

BlackBerry Bold 9790

BlackBerry Bold 9790

Make faster, smarter decisions using BI

Make faster, smarter decisions using BI

Ten factors that make Ubuntu 11.10 a hit

Ten factors that make Ubuntu 11.10 a hit

Toshiba Portégé Z830-10P Review

Toshiba Portégé Z830-10P Review

BT's archive: Pictures from the vault

BT's archive: Pictures from the vault