OUR MOBILE PHONE EXPERTISE » MOBILE HEALTH ISSUES

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In this section our Link Telecom experts are at hand to give you the best possible information on using your mobile and all the latest relevant news. Simply click on the subject links on the right.



USING MOBILE PHONES
Mobile phones are low power devices that emit and receive radio waves. These connect each phone to a network of base stations, so that users can make and receive calls. Radio waves have been used for communication for over 100 years.

But the speed with which mobile phones have become so widely used is unprecedented. This has led to public concern about their possible impact on health. This leaflet offers the latest information and advice based on both current knowledge and remaining uncertainties so that people can make their own informed choices about how to use mobile phones. It also outlines further work that is under way.



INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT
Radio waves emitted above a certain level can cause heating effects in the body. International guidelines seek to ensure that exposure is kept below that level. All mobile phones sold in the UK meet these guidelines. The balance of current research evidence suggests that exposures to radio waves below levels set out in international guidelines do not cause health problems for the general population.

However, there is some evidence that changes in brain activity can occur below these guidelines, but it isn't clear why. There are significant gaps in our scientific knowledge. This has led a group of independent experts commissioned by Government and headed by Sir William Stewart, to recommend "a precautionary approach" to the use of mobile phones until more research findings become available. If you use a mobile phone, you can choose to minimize your exposure to radio waves. These are ways to do so...

• Keep your calls short
• Consider relative SAR values when buying a new phone.



DRIVING
Anything that distracts a driver increases the risk of an accident - posing a threat to pedestrians, cyclists, passengers and other road users. You must be inproper control of your vehicle while you are driving. Any lack of concentration or momentary in attention may result in your being prosecuted. Even using a hands-free phone while driving will distract you. For more details see leaflet "Mobile Phones and Driving" issued by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.



AT WORK
Mobile phones are often used at work. They can have benefits for safety, efficiency and convenience of employers and staff. Employers have legal duties to protect the health and safety of their employees.

The Health and Safety Executive advises employers that they should instruct staff not to use mobile phones while driving, or doing anything elsewhere safety is important and their use might interfere with concentration. Where employers require staff to use a mobile phone, and concerns about possible health impacts are raised, employers could respond by, for example...

• Explaining that mobile phones operate within international guidelines.
• Discussing with concerned staff ways to reduce mobile phone use.



IN HOSPITALS AND AEROPLANES
The radio signals emitted by mobile phone systems can interfere with sensitive electronic equipment. In hospitals, aeroplanes and other restricted areas, observe the warning signs and switch off your mobile when required.



SAR VALUES
It is possible to measure how much radio wave energy your body receives from each model of mobile phone. This is called the specific absorption rate or SAR.

From 2001, there will be a European Standard method for measuring the SAR. This information will be provided to consumers for each model of mobile phone sold in the UK from this time. Users may wish to take account of these relative SAR values when choosing a mobile phone.

All models sold in the UK already meet international exposure guidelines. Also the level of effectiveness of hands free kits to reduce SAR is still uncertain. Further research is being carried out to investigate SAR levels when using phones with a hands free kit and the results will be made available as soon as they are completed.



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