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The World Health Organisation (WHO) has supported the scientific opinion that there is no evidence of adverse health effects on mobile phone users.
This statement by the WHO follows public concerns on the health effects of using mobile phones and or being exposed to radiation from base stations or transmitters.
Based on a recent in-depth review of the scientific literature, the WHO concluded that current evidence does not confirm the existence of any health consequences from exposure to low level electromagnetic fields.
And a New Zealand medical specialist confirmed this opinion yesterday saying hundreds and thousands of studies have been done to determine any health effect of mobile phones and found it was still safe to use.
Dr David Black of the Auckland University said there were certain standards to be complied by mobile phone and broadcasting companies in terms of limiting the exposure of radio frequency, particularly from base stations.
In Fiji, Black said mobile telephone base stations used small transmitters and easily complied with international standard.
He clarified reports on the link between radio frequency transmitters and cancer, which had heightened public concerns as of recent.
He said non-ionised radiation as that from mobile phones and base stations does not cause cancer.
The WHO review stated that over the past 15 years, studies examining a potential relationship between RF transmitters and cancer have been published and these studies had not provided evidence that RF exposure from the transmitters increase the risk of cancer.
In addition, Black said it was safe for children to use mobile phones.
Mobile and broadcasting companies around Australia, New Zealand and the United States for instance, comply with standards of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), including Fiji.
ARPANSA’s Dr Lindsay Martin via an interview played at Black’s seminar at the University of the South Pacific in Suva yesterday said that there was a public exposure limit designed to protect everyone from these radiations, including children.
However, Black said: “The use of mobile technology continues to expand. As a result, scientific research in this area is likely to continue, virtually indefinite”.
“And it is very unlikely that any significant adverse effects will now be found,” he said.
