There were only 5 MPs present at the presentation by Dr Carlo of the Safe Wireless Initiative, USA on mobile phone health risks at Westminster on Thursday 22nd February.  There has been a virtual news blackout on his presentation in the UK media. 

Mobile phones have been sold in the US and UK without any pre-market testing or post-market surveillance.  US Congressional Hearings gave rise to a US$ 28 million research program by Dr Carlo and his team at Harvard to investigate any health effects of the technology.   In 1999 the team released their findings 1. that there was leakage in the blood brain barrier 2 genetic damage from non-thermal radiation 3. there was a doubling of risk for a certain type of cancer.   During 1999 and 2001 there was a split between the scientists and the mobile phone industry.  

Asked a question about wireless computers being installed in British schools, Dr Carlo said 'the government should not be conducting this experiment' on children. 

Although there are studies and research for and against health effects, the latest Interphone study does show an increase in brain tumours and acoustic neuromas.  Because of that the German and Swedish Agencies for Radiation Protection have issued warnings for people to keep their radiation exposure low.  

He identified a lack of and urgent need for a postmarked surveillance system to be established to collect clinical data.  Robert Flello MP (Labour, Stoke-on-Trent) stated at the meeting that his constituents are concerned by a cancer cluster and he has been trying to get data about the illnesses and deaths but he has been sent from one agency to another and back again. No one is collecting the data. 

Dr Carlo said that primary care givers need to be alerted to the situation and trained to recognise and treat the symptoms of EMF radiation.   

Yasmin Skelt, a volunteer with Mast Sanity and who was at the meeting at Westminster said  “The British Government need to urgently establish a Mobile Phone Telephony Surveillance Unit based on the lines of the vCJD Surveillance Unit (www.cjd.ed.ac.uk).  If it can be done for vCJD then it can be done for mobile phone and mast ill health reports.  Despite years of reports of cancer clusters near masts or a rise the incidence in brain tumours in the UK, no authority is taking data.  Monitoring the health of workers in the mobile phone industry would be useful also, as they would have high exposure levels.  Some early cases of vCJD were also mis-diagnosed and the sufferers given the wrong treatment, and clusters of vCJD were identified.” 

Brian Stein, who suffers from electrical hyper sensitivity (a condition now recognised by the World Health Organisation) asked who would be responsible when the campaigners were all proved right.  There was a deafening silence.