Claims mobile phones may damage sperm quality are counter to the consensus of scientific opinion by international health authorities, the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) said in response to comments made yesterday at a Brisbane fertility conference.

The unpublished research comments were made by University of Newcastle researcher professor John Aitken at the Fertility Society Australia conference held in Brisbane.

AMTA CEO Chris Althaus said Prof Aitken’s comments, which are based on preliminary research, are inconsistent with the consensus of research in this area.

“The World Health Organisation’s most recent fact sheet on mobile phones and health states none of the recent reviews have concluded that exposure to the RF (radiofrequency) fields from mobile phones and their base stations cause any adverse health consequences,” Mr Althaus said.

Specifically on fertility, Mr Althaus pointed to a comprehensive review prepared for the European Commission in November 2007 which found no evidence mobile phones impact male fertility. The European Commission report found:

Overall, the literature indicates that exposure to low intensity fields, at levels experienced by members of the public, should not have a significant impact on fertility or on development either before or after birth.

Mr Althaus said when similar results have been reported in the past, they have later been found to be caused by heating due to the experimental design.

“The device used to simulate a mobile phone could have heated the sperm and caused the reported results,” Mr Althaus said.

The National Radiological Protection Board in the UK published a review in 2003 on the influence radiofrequency radiation has on reproduction. The review found:

Overall, there has been no convincing evidence that exposure to low level RF fields can affect reproduction and development in mammals; where consistent effects have been reported they can be attributed to the thermal insult induced by RF exposure.

“Studies reporting effects at non-thermal levels need to be carefully assessed because of the complexity of setting up radio frequency exposure systems in experiments accurately to ensure the results are not actually due to thermal influences,” Mr Althaus said.

He added that no single study can answer any scientific question and all studies need to be seen in the light of the total research effort into mobile phone safety.

“Over the last 20 years, more than 30 authoritative expert scientific reviews around the world, including by the World Health Organisation, have found there is no substantiated scientific evidence that the use of mobile phones is a health risk. No one study is likely to change this position.”

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For more information please call Randal Markey, Communications Manager, the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association, on 02 6239 6555 or 0421 240 550