Plenty of concerns over phone tech
FORMER Swansea Council leader Lawrence Bailey’s latest column (March 14) purported to debunk some myths about mobile phones yet actually imparted misleading information about the health risks posed by such devices and related infrastructure.
Quoting Cancer Research UK’S dismissal of the idea that radiofrequency radiation (RFR) or electromagnetic fields (EMFS) from mobile phones and masts can cause cancer, Mr Bailey failed to mention that CRUK has some proverbial ‘skin in the game’ when it comes to downplaying associations between cancer and mobile technologies: in 2007 CRUK opened a new research institute in Cambridge, housed in what is called the Li Ka Shing Centre at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. The £50 million institute was jointly funded by Cambridge University, Hutchison Whampoa Ltd., Cancer Research UK and the Atlantic Philanthropies. Hutchison Whampoa’s press release about the opening stated that the company “is the largest Asian investor in the UK, with over £14 billion investments in 3G mobile broadband” and other areas.
In 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified RF-EMFS from mobile phones – and related wireless technologies such as Wi-fi – as a Group 2B human carcinogen, i.e. as possibly carcinogenic to humans, based on an increased risk for glioma – a malignant type of brain cancer.
While there is some truth in Mr Bailey’s statement that electromagnetic radiation “does not have enough energy to damage DNA”, the International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (ICB-EMF) notes that “it is well established that DNA damage can also be caused by indirect processes, such as by the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). More than 120 published studies have demonstrated oxidative effects associated with exposure to low intensity RFR”.
Finally, Mr Bailey appears illinformed with regard to public concern about wireless infrastructure more generally. There was a parliamentary debate on 5G masts on March 13, with the reading of a Private Member’s Bill on the issue scheduled for March 22. In the recent debate, MPS relayed their constituents’ complaints about their interests and concerns being ridden over roughshod by telecoms companies.
Jim Mcmahon MP pointed out that communities have been left voiceless by the government’s failure to properly regulate the installation of telecommunications masts, while Yasmin Qureshi MP said that masts were “tall, ugly monstrosities, blighting our landscapes and causing much distress to my constituents. There is no consultation done with anyone. The first people see of it is these stupid, horrendous things outside their homes.” Though he complains about mobile phone coverage in his area, I wonder how Mr Bailey would feel were a 20m mobile phone mast suddenly to be erected directly in front of his house.
Dr AJ Fitzgerald
Wiser Wireless Wales