Mobile phones and wireless internet should be banned from schools because they pose too great a risk to children’s health, a controversial study has warned.
The stark claims go against the overwhelming body of existing research, which suggests such devices are perfectly safe.
But an influential Council of Europe committee said that electromagnetic radiation emitted by mobiles, computers with wi-fi internet connections and even baby monitors could cause cancer and impair brain development.
The experts warned that European countries should consider banning mobile phones and wireless internet networks from classrooms as they have ‘potentially harmful’ effects.
In its report, the committee referred to mistakes that were made in the past when public health bodies were too slow to acknowledge the risks of exposure to asbestos, leaded petrol and tobacco smoke.
It also suggested that certain ‘at risk’ items should be labelled with health warnings reminding the public of their dangers.
The Council’s Committee on the Environment, Agriculture and Local and Regional Affairs has drawn up a draft resolution urging governments to ‘take all reasonable measures to reduce exposure to electromagnetic fields’ from mobile phones and similar devices.
It wants countries to run campaigns geared towards children and teenagers warning them of mobile phone dangers.
And it also demands that more research is carried out on less harmful technology.
But its warning over health risks goes against recent advice from the Department of Health and the World Health Organisation, which suggests there is no significant danger to the public.
Earlier this year official statistics analysed by scientists at Manchester University showed that using mobile phones did not increase the risk of cancer.
And a report from Britain’s Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme in 2007 said that there was no association between mobile phones and adverse health effects. The Council of Europe includes representatives from almost all European countries and is principally concerned with upholding human rights and democracy.
Experts were last night sceptical of the committee’s warning.
Professor Les Barclay, vice-chairman of the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme, said: ‘We haven’t had mobile phones for very long and there are now studies going on to look for longer-term effects.
‘There is very little evidence at the moment for harmful effects. The powers that mobile phones emit are getting less and less, and they are well below the limits set by the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection.
‘Banning mobile phones and wireless networks in schools is a step too far in my eyes.’
The Department of Health said: ‘As you would expect, we keep all available scientific evidence under review. Our guidance remains the same. Children should use mobile phones only for essential purposes and keep all calls short.’
source: dailymail.co.uk
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