News feed for Powerwatch http://www.powerwatch.org.uk http://www.powerwatch.org.uk/images/sidelogo.gif http://www.powerwatch.org.uk Many parents are ignoring current UK Chief Medical Officers' (CMO) and Department of Health (DH) advice that young children should only use a mobile phone if essential and are buying their young children mobile phones. It is estimated that over 50% of 5 to 7 year-olds now have been given their own handset and this rises to about 75% by age 10. It is not yet known if the long-term use of mobile phones is safe. Despite frequent re-assurances, some very concerning scientific studies are continuing to be published. http://www.powerwatch.org.uk/news/20100111_mobile_phones_kids.asp Alasdair Philips Mobile Phones 2010-01-11 We suspect that these are just remote reading meters and not proper "smart" meters to help control electricity demand http://www.powerwatch.org.uk/news/20091129_non_smart_meter_uk.asp Alasdair Philips Powerlines 2009-11-29 In the Microwave News Editorial (23 November 2009), alleged industry biased science spin and mis-truths are discussed. The WHO EMF Project and ICNIRP also come in for criticism. http://www.powerwatch.org.uk/news/20091124_emf_science_spin.asp Alasdair Philips Childhood Cancer 2009-11-24 As recently covered by the BBC and the Times, Swindon Borough Council are offering a free public WiFi service to the entire of the town of Swindon. Offering high bandwidth, cheap services, this sounds like a technological boon for the residents of the town, but could it also be a public health experiment when so little is still understood about the potential health impacts of wireless technology? http://www.powerwatch.org.uk/news/20091119_swindon_wifi_electrosmog.asp Graham Philips EMF and Health 2009-11-19 Eventually, after 2.5 years delay, on 16th October 2009, the UK Department of Health finally issued a response to the first interim assessment of the Stakeholder Advisory Group on extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF EMFs). We have been thinking about how best to respond, hence the delay in the timing of this news report. When the original assessment was released back in April 2007, we covered it in some detail, reporting its content and the progress it made on assessing various areas of the science. However, half a year later the UK Health Protection Agency published a rather surprising response to the health minister, with a one-sided and scientifically unsupportable position that made a mockery of some of the discussions that had taken place in the stakeholder group work that SAGE had laboured over for two years. This was particularly disappointing when the HPA were already a stakeholder within the SAGE group, and had made their position statement clear enough already within the text of the assessment. Adding a second "bite of the cherry" was unnecessary, when they could have explained that their view was already held within the assessment along with the collaborative work of the stakeholder group. The detailed further response to the health minister meant that she could take what was effectively just one view within the process, which undermines the whole purpose of SAGE. http://www.powerwatch.org.uk/news/20091117_sage_response.asp Alasdair Philips Childhood Cancer 2009-11-17 The following is a quick summary of another twenty papers that have come out over the last few months related to effects of electromagnetic radiation. Some of the papers are notable papers that have been published very recently, others are papers that were published a few months ago that have not yet made it to one of the Science Updates http://www.powerwatch.org.uk/news/20091104_science_update.asp Graham Philips EMF and Health 2009-11-04 HPA-RPD (CRCE) measurements vindicate those found by Alasdair Philips on the BBC Panorama WiFi programme. These potentially concerning results found by HPA continue to play down any resulting health risk http://www.powerwatch.org.uk/news/20090915_hpa_wifi.asp Alasdair Philips EMF and Health 2009-09-15 The following is a quick summary of another twenty papers that have come out over the last few months related to effects of electromagnetic radiation. Some of the papers are from the March 2009 issue of Pathophysiology that had a number of very important papers published (including the material that made up some of the chapters of the BioInitiative report). There have been a large number of relevant EMF papers published this year, and we are trying to catch up with as many of them as possible - we'll hopefully have another 20 before the end of this month. http://www.powerwatch.org.uk/news/20090907_science_update.asp Graham Philips EMF and Health 2009-09-07 Dundee Council are planning to build large new primary school and nursery alongside high-voltage overhead powerlines. Despite the advice from both the UK Department of Health SAGE Process report, the Health Protection Agency and the Westminster Parliamentary Cross Party Inquiry Report (see below) into developments close to powerlines, Dundee Council rely instead on information gained from mis-interpreting an electrical industry "Fact Sheet". They have decided to build the new school and nursery right next to the powerlines when they have another site, well away from the powerlines, that would cost the same to develop and meet all their non-financial requirements. http://www.powerwatch.org.uk/news/20090902_dundee_school_powerline.asp Alasdair Philips Powerlines 2009-09-02 Next Up have run a story citing a "judgement given against the installation by Orange SA of relay antennas in the name of the precautionary principle, illegal nuisance and the health risk for nearby residents", along with an injunction against the telecommunications giant and a 5000 Euro fine for every day it isn adhered to. Orange SA were planning to install a pair of relay antennas on the roof of the hotel Ibis, but had not reckoned with the tenacity of two elderly residents of nearby flats, whose bedroom was located less than 15 metres away from the planned location of the antennas. http://www.powerwatch.org.uk/news/20090828_france_mast_precaution.asp Graham Philips Phone Masts 2009-08-28