The results of the Industry and Government funded Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme (MTHR) have now been published.

As with the MTHR's recent 'Essex Study' the Press Release claims more than the report or the studies it represents can support.

( See Powerwatch's full analysis here . )

For example on page 8 the report has ignored including any epidemiological studies into Mobile Phone Masts ill health/cancer clusters on the basis that they are "not yet technically feasible". [This is strange when in Germany, Austria, France and Israel they seem to have had no problem undertaking similar epidemiological studies. Perhaps the MTHR needs some advice from these more accomplished scientists?]

The MTHR funded a couple of the international "Interphone Studies" (P10-12). The overall result of the studies published so far showed 1.8 times more gliomas on the side of the head exposed to mobile phone use (P11). [The Interphone research is flawed since it defines a mobile phone user as someone who makes or receives one call a week for 6 months as a regular user and lumps them in with people who use phones all day every day thus diluting possible conclusions.]

It concluded that many cancers take longer than 10 years to show up in the population - longer than most people have used mobile phones - so "it is entirely plausible that an increase in incidence would not be detectable less than 10 years after the first exposure" (P12). Hardly the same as "mobile phones are safe" as the Press Release is implying.

The MTHR Report goes on to mention the 'Essex Study' etc. as covered by us here .

On Page 20 an MTHR experiment confirmed an effect that RF radiation (as from a mobile phone or mast) had on the 'reporter gene' within cells that caused stress. A further study outlined on page 21 into calcium signal activation within cells by Dr. Martin Bootman has yet to report back. Another study into 'demodulation' outlined on pages 20-21 has yet to produce its report. None of this adds to the credibility of the MTHR's Press Release "all clear" message.

Pages 22-24 provide no meaningful insight into the effects of Mobile Phone Masts on the public. Some 'simulations' were undertaken plus a limited 'inventory' has been made by the HPA, but the inventory initiative has been somewhat undermined by the Operators' near year-long boycott of the data displayed on OFCOM's "Sitefinder" here . News Story here .

The report goes on to look at the way risks are reported - all somewhat pointless - and how Mobile Phones effect drivers. The conclusion is vague in that Mobile Phones do distract drivers but the claim is no more than other distractions - somewhat at odds with the many road accidents, many fatal, which are caused by drivers on their phones.

The study ends by outlining its plans to fund long-term studies into long-term mobile phone use, the effects of mobile phones on children and on childhood illnesses. All of these will help to buy the Industry more time and will not usefully add to the science.

(After the appendices the list of former members appears to deliberately miss out Dr. Mike Repacholi, who recently appeared on the BBC's Horizon programme to dismiss the effects of Chernobyl and on the BBC's Panorama to dismiss the effects of Wi-fi. He recently admitted in an interview [ here ] that some World Health Organistaion studies under taken whilst he was in charge of the WHO's EMF Project had been funded by Industry when this had not been stated at the time. Despite this, he is still being welcomed by the UK's BECTA to help promote wireless use to children at a conference in Westminster in October - see here )

In an interview on ITV Lunchtime News Professor Challis, the MTHR Chair, said that "The Jury is still out" and that it was still too soon to conclude that mobile phones are safe. Perhaps he didn't approve the wording of the Press Release, which he somewhat contradicted.

Again, the emphasis has been to claim that no short term usage of mobile phones cause cancer. Long term effects and other non-cancer short term effects have not been addressed by the MTHR.

See MTHR Report in Full here .

See MTHR Press Release here .

See Powerwatch's response here .