German study finds mobile phone health risks

A German research institute has gone public with results of an analysis commissioned by wireless operator T-Mobil (Deutsche Telekom MobilNet GmbH), which the scientists say shows mobile telephone signals pose health risks. T-Mobil had not released the results, which were submitted to the company last year, saying a second phase of the project has yet to be completed.

The researchers did a review of recent studies, and found that results indicating a connection between electromagnetic signals and cancer, immune system disorders and genetic damage are "to be taken seriously," said Peter Neitzke, director of the Ecolog-Institut für sozial-ökologische Forschung und Bildung (Institute for Social-Ecological Research and Education).

Neitzke said he and his colleagues are recommending that Germany reduce the maximum wireless signal strength from the current level of 2 to 9 watts per square meter, to a much lower 0.01 watts per square meter, especially for antennas near homes, schools, day care centers, hospitals, and "similarly sensitive" areas.

Ecolog issued a particular warning about the potential harm to children and youths using mobile phones, and recommended that providers halt marketing efforts aimed at these groups. The institute also encourages the use of headsets and protective cases to limit exposure to signals.

"Because presently we have a very intense discussion in Germany about the new limiting values for mobile telephones ... we decided to publish our results. It's already taken several months since we finished the study, and it's not foreseeable when these discussions organized by T-Mobil will take place," Neitzke said.

A promised scientific panel discussion of the study results will likely take place within a few weeks, said T-Mobil spokeswoman Andrea Vey. "I can't tell you an exact date," she said. She added that Ecolog was only one of four institutes conducting the analysis on T-Mobil's behalf, and the only one to recommend reducing emission limits.

"We want to see what Ecolog said as part of all those four studies that we asked these institutions to do, and the second phase will be an evaluation of those studies," Vey continued. "We have in Germany now a rather high level of discussion on possible (health) risks, and we're taking an active part in that, in order to inform people about what is really going on, what the real status of scientific research is."

The study release is only the latest salvo in an ongoing controversy over the potential dangers of mobile telephone signals, with different studies yielding conflicting results. Last week a U.S. attorney filed a class-action suit against mobile phone makers, charging that they failed to warn users about potential health risks.

Earlier this year, another German research team suggested a link between cell phone use and a rare type of eye cancer, though the researchers said more study is needed. In December, the Journal of the American Medical Association and the New England Journal of Medicine called a purported link between mobile phones and brain tumors unlikely, but called for continued examination of the issue.

T-Mobil, in Bonn, can be reached at +49-228-936-0 or at www.t-mobil.de/. Ecolog, in Hanover, is at +49-511-92456-46 or www.ecolog-institut.de/

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.