Scientists have doubts about the safety of mobile phones
Radiation from mobile phones can severely damage the
human immune system, a scientist has claimed.
Biologist Roger Coghill has long campaigned for health
warnings to be attached to mobile phones, which he has
already linked to headaches and memory loss.
His latest research suggests the microwaves generated
by mobile phones may damage the ability of white blood
cells to act as the "policemen" of the body, fighting off
infection and disease.
Mr Coghill took white blood cells, known as
lymphocytes, from a donor, keeping them alive with
nutritients and exposed them to different electric fields.
He found that after seven-and-a-half hours, just 13% of
the cells exposed to mobile phone radiation remained
intact and able to function, compared with 70% of cells
exposed only to the natural electromagnetic field
produced by the human body.
Body's balance is upset
Mr Coghill claims the body's
immune system is partially
controlled by electromagnetic
fields emitted by the body.
He believes the radiation
emitted by mobile phones
damages the body's own
electromagnetic fields, and
undermines the proper
functioning of the immune
system.
Mr Coghill has launched a legal test case against a
mobile phone shop for allegedly failing to warn
customers of the potential risk of radiation.
The industry is worth a £14bn a year in Britain alone.
Industry attacks findings
Mr Coghill was criticised by a leading
industry figure for not announcing his
findings before they had been
reviewed by experts and published in
a recognised scientific journal.
Tom Wills-Sandford, director of the Federation of the
Electronics Industry, which represents mobile phone
manufacturers, said: "None of the proper scientific
protocol has been followed.
"This is not a proper way to conduct science, and one
wonders if these results will ever be published properly."
Mr Wills-Sandford said an enormous amount of research
had been carried out into the safety of mobile phones but
none had produced any real evidence of a risk to health.
'Scientifically sound'
But Mr Coghill, who spoke at a conference on mobile
phone safety in London on Thursday, insisted that his
results were scientifically sound and should not be ignored.
He said: "We found that the competence of these white
blood cells was depleted after being exposed for seven
or eight hours to a mobile phone on standby.
"There's a possibility that we are damaging lymphocyte
performance simply by having these phones on standby
next to our bodies."
Mr Coghill said there was no danger in using mobile
phones for two or three minutes.
But people who left them on for 20 minutes or more
could be doing themselves harm.
If even 5% of the estimated 10 million users left their phones
switched on it would mean 500,000 people were at risk, he said.
Mr Coghill said: "What I'm asking for is that the industry
recognises that and puts warning labels on their phones."
He said a paper on his findings was accepted for
inclusion at a major scientific meeting in Florida, USA, in June.
He was also going to be forwarding the results to a
recognised journal and co-operating with other scientists
trying to replicate the findings.
A spokesman for the National Radiological Protection
Board, the radiation watchdog, said: "We have no
comment to make on the claims made by Roger Coghill.
If his work is published in a scientific journal it will be
reviewed by the NRPB's advisory group on non-ionising
radiation."
