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20th July 2010
Children using mobile phones – mixed messages
The Interphone study, which EMFields reported on in our news story of 15th June, found that long-term (10 years or more) use of mobile phones for about an hour a day (very common these days among young people) was linked to a higher risk of developing some of the most serious brain tumours.
The study did not include any data relating to children and long term use of mobile phones. Children are likely to have the highest cumulative call time, starting at an age when, biologically, they are more likely to be harmed by this type of radiation than adults.
Because of this, the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), has joined many other countries and official organisations around the world in issuing precautionary advice for children and mobile phone use. ARPANSA suggest that parents encourage their children to limit their exposure by reducing call time, or taking other precautionary measures. [1]
ARPANSA acknowledges that children may need to have mobile phones and use them in many situations. The precautionary measures relate to the use of the mobile phones against the head.
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, a leading Australian psychologist and professor of paediatrics called parents who allow young children to use mobile phones "insane" and said that no child under 12 should be allowed a mobile phone.
In Europe, in 2009, the French Secretary of State for Ecology declared that mobile phones were to be banned from French primary schools. In addition, France is requiring manufacturers to create handsets that allow only texting to reduce health risks to children.
The UK's Lawrie Challis, former chair of the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research programme said earlier this year that "primary school pupils should not have phones at all."
Recently, New Zealand bucked the trend of precaution and the Education Ministry declared it safe to make it compulsory for school children to use a mobile phone as a learning aid. It comes as no surprise to hear that advisors to the Ministry included people from the telecommunications industry. This has caused a storm of protest from some parents and doctors over there.
The current UK Department of Health leaflet states:
"The UK Chief Medical Officers strongly advise that where children and young people do use mobile phones, they should be encouraged to
(i)use mobile phones for essential purposes only and
(ii) keep all calls short - talking for long periods prolongs exposure and
should be discouraged. The UK CMOs recommend that if parents want to avoid their
children being subject to any possible risk that might be identified in the
future, the way to do so is to exercise their choice not to let their children
use mobile phones.” [2] (Whatever that may mean in practice!)
If you believe that your child needs to carry and use a mobile phone, then we suggest you consider giving them a BlocSock to greatly reduce their microwave exposure. [3]
Links from this story for further information:
[1] ARPANSA news release
[2] UK Dept of Health leaflet
[3] BlocSocks