Health Council of the Netherlands Electromagnetic Fields Annual Update 2006
February 2007
(English version begins on page 53)
On 6 March 2000 the President of the Council therefore set up the Electromagnetic Fields Committee. The Committee was initially established for a period of four years, but its mandate has subsequently been extended by two years at a time and currently runs to the end of 2007. The task of the the Committee is to regularly report on scientific developments in the area of electromagnetic fields, as it does in this Annual Update 2006.
This Annual Update deals with two subjects: UMTS and DECT. It is the fourth time that that the Committee uses this format to report on important scientific developments in this way. Previous Annual Updates were published in May 2001, January 2004 and November 2005.
The report's conclusions include: No effect on well-being and cognitive functions, experimental studies do not show effects with short-term exposure and normal use of DECT does not lead to exceeding of exposure limits.
The report can be found at http://www.gezondheidsraad.nl/en/publications/electromagnetic-fields-annual-update-2006
4 Million Mobile Broadband Connections
Mobile phones cannot work without a network of base stations (masts). There are approximately 52,500 base stations in the UK. An Ipsos MORI survey for MOA (May 2010) showed that almost three quarters of people understood that masts are essential if they are to access the services they require. Mobile telecommunications are vital for the UK’s economic competitiveness and in promoting social inclusion. There are now over 81 million mobile connections in the UK. Over 4.8 million customers now access mobile broadband services via a laptop and dongle, and 28 per cent of UK adults use their mobile phones for internet access.
No Established Health Effects
Mobile phones operate by using radio waves, similar to those that have been widely used for decades, for example in radio, TV and radar signals. A large number of studies over the last two decades have found no clear evidence of adverse health effects from the use of mobile phones or from phone masts.