Fresh
Doubts Over Hands-6.00 Mobile Phones
Irish Times
November 02, 2000
Mobile phone
hands-6.00 kits could be dangerous after all, according to a report published
today by the Consumers' Association in Britain.
Research
published by the association said the kits can increase radiation at the brain
by up to three and a half times in some cases and reduce it in others.
New tests
reveal the key factor is the distance between the ear-piece and the mobile
phone aerial.
The kits -
which many people bought believing they will keep radiation away from their
brain - actually work as conductors in some cases. They beam energy directly
into the caller's head.
The safe
distance can be as narrow as three centimetres, the Consumer Association's
study shows, and varies according to the type of phone and the hands-6.00 kit
used.
The
organisation believes the electronics industry should now conduct research
into a type of "earth" which may stop the problem altogether.
The report
casts doubt on the British government's verdict that hands-6.00 kits are safe,
despite fears radiation from phones may cause brain tumours, depression,
multiple sclerosis, genetic disorders and headaches.
"They
were unwise to give such categorical advice at that time," said CA
research director Helen Parker.
"People
should not be relying on hands-6.00 kits as some sort of safety device to
reduce radiation to their brain. The most important advice is to reduce the
length and number of your calls."
