Potential health risks prove less of a worry than victimisation of children or the possibility of exporure to pornography, says a Times report in the GSMA Environment Insider this week.

People are more concerned about children being bullied or exposed to pornography through mobile phones than any possibiliy of health effects of using the devices, according to a Times newspaper report carried in the GSMA Environment Insider this week.

An exclusive survey for The Times, conducted by Populus, indicated that almost 70 per cent of respondents are very worried about children being bullied through their mobile phones, while only a quarter are very concerned about potential health risks from using mobiles.

This is despite warnings from experts such as Sir William Stewart, former chairman of the Health Protection Agency and the National Radiological Protection Board, who recommended in 2005 that 9 to 14-year-olds should make only short, essential calls, use text messaging where possible and buy low-emission models.

Last week's announcement that a Hello Kitty phone is to be sold in the UK sparked fears that younger children might start using mobile phones.

Disney announced plans for a Mickey Mouse mobile phone service aimed at 8 to 14-year-olds two years ago, only to abandon the idea shortly afterwards.

A phone in the shape of a teddy bear, which was aimed at four-year-olds and programmed to call only four numbers, failed to capture the market.

Researchers from the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research program said last year that mobile phone use in adults did not pose a health risk in the short term, but identified a “slight hint” of increased cancer risk in people who have been using mobile phones for more than a decade. The unit is conducting a £6 million study on the effects of mobile phone use on children.

Government advertising campaigns about the dangers of using mobile phones while driving appear to have been effective. Britons are more worried about this issue than any other, with 84 per cent of respondents expressing concern about it.

AMTA responds to community concerns about the potential health effects of radiofrequency fields (RF) by relying on the expert judgement of public health authorities, including the WHO, to assess the safety and health aspects of telecommunications. There is now a large body of research into RF emissions and human health available to relevant regulatory bodies around the world, which is continually reviewed and updated.

In fact, the WHO says there has been more research conducted on radiofrequency (RF) over the past 50 years than for most chemicals.

Comprehensive reviews of more than 2500 research publications, including more than 600 studies specifically on mobile phones and bases stations, by governments and health authorities continue, without exception, to find there is no substantiated scientific evidence of health effect.

The WHO says:

None of the recent reviews have concluded that exposure to RF (radio frequency) fields from mobile phones and their base stations cause any adverse health consequences.

AMTA provides fact sheets and information to address customers’ questions about RF safety and health issues. Fact sheets are available at www.amta.org.au