Mobile phone masts blamed for agony felt by amputees

THEY have been accused of causing everything from migraines to nosebleeds and even cancer.

Now a new study suggests that signals from mobile-phone masts can cause excruciating pain for people who have lost limbs.

The research was prompted by US soldier Major David Underwood, who lost an arm and part of a leg when hit by a blast in Iraq.

He reported feeling a painful buzz in the stump of his arm while driving under power lines — or using his mobile in open spaces.

‘The pain almost felt like having my arm blown off again,’ he said.

Tests on rats by scientists at the University of Texas confirmed that amputees feel pain in an electromagnetic field equivalent to being 128ft from a phone mast.

The study, published in the journal Plos One, says radiation can be picked up by neuromas — clusters of inflamed nerve bundles that can form after serious injury.

Professor Mario Romero-Ortega said: ‘Our study provides evidence that subjects exposed to cellphone towers at low, regular levels can actually perceive pain.

‘My hope is that this study will highlight the importance of developing clinical options to prevent neuromas.’

Major Underwood said: ‘It is pretty amazing that a few short conversations with this team led to validation of what I, and many others, experience.’