Children told ‘text don’t call’

15th July 2010 - Scientists have been unable to link using mobiles and ill health, but the Chief Medical Officer of Wales has issued precautionary advice to children, saying it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Special leaflets have been produced for primary and secondary school children and their parents.

Mobile phones use radio waves to send and receive signals.  The advice to children is to limit their exposure in case any health concerns are found in the future.

A big European study on mobile phone health risks isn’t due to report until 20 to 30 years time. Imperial College London is leading the UK part of the Cohort Study on Mobile Communications (COSMOS), part of the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research (MTHR) Programme.

Leaflets

The primary school leaflet has questions like “Do radio signals make us ill?” - with the answer: “Most of the results from work that scientists have done so far do not suggest that radio signals make us ill.”

The leaflet for secondary school children has “Advice 4 u!” including “When you use a mobile phone to make calls it sends out radio signals close to your head. These signals are like those used to bring music to your radio and pictures to your TV. The longer you talk, the more time you are exposed to radio signals.”

Safe text

Children are being advised to:

• Keep mobile phone conversations short
• Send texts instead of calling where possible
• Use a speaker phone or a hands free kit when calling

The leaflets also give advice on how to avoid mobile phone theft and what to do if children receive unwanted texts or calls.

Better safe than sorry

The Chief Medical Officer for Wales, Dr Tony Jewell, says in a news release: “Protecting the health of the young people of Wales is a priority, and although current research indicates that using mobile phones does not appear to cause health problems, more work is still to be done.

“We don’t expect young people to stop using mobile phones all together, but there are a few simple steps they can take to protect their health for the future. It is always better to be safe than sorry.”

World Health Organisation

In June, the World Health Organisation gave an update on electromagnetic fields and public health and mobile phones.
It says:

• There are an estimated 4.6 billion mobile phone subscriptions globally
• To date, no adverse health effects have been established for mobile phone use
• Studies are ongoing to assess potential long-term effects of mobile phone use
• There is an increased risk of road traffic injuries when drivers use mobile phones (either handheld or hands-free) while driving.

UK mobile operators' reaction

John Cooke, Executive Director, Mobile Operators Association, says in a statement:  "We welcome these leaflets, which reiterate the advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO) that there is no need for any special precautions for the use of mobile phones for adults or children.  Reassuringly, a large number of studies have been performed over the last two decades to assess whether mobile phones pose a potential health risk. To date, no adverse health effects have been established for mobile phone use.

"However, if parents are still concerned, they can encourage their children to keep calls short, send texts, or use ‘hands-free’ devices, as the leaflets advise them to do. Parents will also want to weigh up the tangible security benefits provided by this technology against the possibility of future, unknown health effects when considering buying a mobile phone for their children."