To be updated...
2006
2005
Sydney Morning Herald, 6th
November, 2005 (Croft); comments on RF
Bioeffects Research in
general
Channel 10 News, 12th
January, 2005 (Croft); comments on the latest
Stewart Report
2004
Riverdine Herald
December 2004
New
research into mobile phone health effects
Federal Member for Murray Dr Sharman Stone recently launched a research
program, funded by the Australian Government, which will conduct a study
into the health effects of wireless technology eg – mobile phones, on
humans.
"The
Australian Centre for Radiofrequency Bioeffects Research (ACRBR) will be the
centre for research into the health effects of exposure to radio fields,
such as those from mobile phones," Dr Stone said.
Dr
Stone opened the research centre in Melbourne on behalf of Health Minister
Tony Abbott.
Dr
Stone said the research was of upmost public importance.
"Concern amongst the public remains that mobile phones and towers and other
sources of electromagnetic energy may pose health risks. Despite substantial
research both in Australia and overseas, no one has conclusively established
that such risks exist," Dr Stone said.
"As
part of its commitment to ensuring that Australians enjoy the highest
possible standards of health, the Australian Government has committed itself
to this new research to provide answers to some of the most asked questions
about electromagnetic energy.
"The
placement of towers, the design of mobile phones and the huge array of
aerials like Shepparton’s Radio Australia complex, which carries signals
into Asia, are all the subject of this type of research," Dr Stone said.
The
program is funded under the Electromagnetic Energy Research Program.
$500,000 per annum for a period of five years has been granted by the
Commonwealth Government in 2003.
Universities involved in the research include the Royal Melbourne Institute
of Technology, the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, Monash
University, Swinburne University of Technology and Telstra Research
Laboratories.
The
Centre will address the most urgent research question drawing on the
extensive skills, knowledge and experience of its scientists and their
collaboration overseas.
"The
centre will support and promote the training of Australian researchers and
will contribute to training in the field of radiofrequency bioeffects
research," Dr Stone said.
Thursday,
December 2, 2004
Media
contact – Andrew Cox 0408 057 226
Study finds video phones cause headaches, nausea
Sydney
October 1, 2003
A
study has raised concerns about the safety of base stations for new
generation high-speed video phones after finding they can cause headaches
and nausea.
About
50,000 Australians currently have a 3G phone following their launch by telco
Hutchison Orange in April.
A
study conducted by the Dutch government and technological research institute
TNO compared radiation from base stations for the current mobile telephone
network with base stations for 3G networks.
"If
the test group was exposed to third-generation base station signals there
was a significant impact," the Dutch economics ministry said.
"They
felt tingling sensations, got headaches and felt nauseous."
Dr
Colin Roy, director of the non-ionising radiation branch of the Australian
Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), said the study was
credible.
However it remained one among many into the safety of mobile phones.
"I
don't think one study of any type can really set the alarm bells ringing,"
he said.
Australia's mobile phone industry said there was no substantive evidence
that mobile phones caused headaches.
Executive Director of the Mobile Carriers Forum, Tanya Stoianoff, also noted
advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO) saying no recent reviews had
concluded that exposure to radio frequency fields from mobile phones and
their bases stations caused adverse health consequences.
"The
.. scientific process of replication and validation (is) required before the
results (of this study) can be accurately assessed within the whole body of
scientific evidence," she said.
A
spokeswoman for Hutchison said the company did not wish to comment
preferring an industry-led response.
The
head of the Australian Centre for Radio Frequency Bioeffects Research
(ACRBR), Professor Irena Cosic, said Australia was lacking in research into
3G phones because they were so new here.
However, she said they operated on a higher frequency than traditional
mobiles, which should theoretically make it more difficult for radiation to
penetrate the brain and body.
The
ACRBR intended to follow up the Dutch research, she said.
Hutchison has some 1600 base stations in Australia, all in the city areas of
Sydney, Melbourne>, Brisbane,
Adelaide, Perth and the Gold
Coast.
AAP
This
story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/10/01/1064988257432.html
Centre to
examine health risks of mobile phones
The Sunday Age online
By Brendan
Nicholson
Political Correspondent
July 6 2003
RMIT will
head a new national research centre to study possible health risks from
mobile phones.
Health
Minister Kay Patterson said the new Centre of Research Excellence in
Electromagnetic Energy would receive $2.5 million over five years, funded
from a levy on telecommunications companies, administered by the National
Health and Medical Research Council.
The research
centre will use the internet to link researchers at RMIT, the Institute of
Medical and Veterinary Science in South Australia, Monash University,
Swinburne University of Technology and Telstra Research Laboratories.
This
consortium will be headed by Professor Irena Cosic, from RMIT's school of
electrical and computer engineering.
Senator
Patterson said that while no one had conclusively established a health risk
from the use of mobile phones, Australia's research effort in this area must
be strengthened.
Co-chair of
the research council's expert committee on electromagnetic energy Professor
Judith Black said studies carried out around the world had produced little
evidence of any harmful effects caused by mobile phones.
"The level of
public anxiety and the potential for it to be a problem means we have to
keep on the qui vive," she said.
"We decided
to boost our research capacity in this field and prepare us not just to
handle the potential for harm from mobile phones but also whatever the next
big thing is on the horizon in this area."
Professor
Black said technology was changing all the time and medical research had to
keep pace.
"Just because
we show that the current technology mightn't have harmful biological or
health effects doesn't mean that the next wave of technology will also be
side-effect free," Professor Black said.
"We have to
keep ourselves up to speed constantly, constantly alert and constantly ready
to fund it."
Professor
Black said that it was possible that any harmful effect from using mobile
phones might only show up over a long period of time.
"It's
something we just have to be vigilant about," she said.
The Centre of
Research Excellence in Electromagnetic Energy will combine the efforts of
engineers, epidemiologists, physicists, psychophysiologists and veterinary
pathologists.
PhD and
post-doctoral students will be trained by six principal investigators to
help them deal with "whatever comes up and bites us next".
Professor
Black said the centre would not duplicate the studies already under way
around the world examining whether head, neck or brain tumours could be
caused by mobile phones but will concentrate on neurological effects in
areas such as the memory and blood pressure.
This story
was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/07/05/1057179206287.html
Mobile health risk investigated
Melbourne AAP
6 July 2003, 02.56pm
Research
institutions in Victoria and South Australia will establish a $2.5 million
"virtual" centre to investigate the possible health effects from mobile
phones and phone towers.
The Centre of
Research Excellence in Electromagnetic Energy will receive $500,000 a year
over five years through the federal government's National Health and Medical
Research Council (NHMRC).
NHMRC chief
executive Alan Pettigrew said with about 13 million mobile phones in
Australia there was a lot of public concern regarding the issue.
"There is a
large amount of research looking at the possible health risks around the
world but there has been no conclusive evidence," he said.
"There is a
high level of public interest in this field within Australia and the centre
will be able to contribute to the world-wide research from an Australian
perspective."
The
consortium will be led by RMIT (Victoria) and includes the Institute of
Medical and Veterinary Science (South Australia), Monash University
(Victoria), Swinburne University of Technology (Victoria) and Telstra
Research Laboratories (Victoria).
Brought to
you by AAP.
© 2003
AAP
The story was found at: http://news.f2.com.au/article.cgi?id=33908
Major
study into phone emissions
The Courier Mail
Chris Jones,
national political reporter
07 July 2003
TAXPAYERS will fund a five-year research
project to determine if emissions from mobile phone towers damage the health
of residents.
Federal Health
Minister Kay Patterson yesterday announced the establishment of a $2.5
million electromagnetic energy research centre in
Victoria to examine the health risks posed by
the towers in built-up areas.
The move follows years of community anger at the construction
of the towers, with fears about the potential health effects of exposure to
radio emissions.
"Although no one has conclusively established a health risk
through the use of mobile phones, we need to broaden and strengthen
Australia's research effort in this area," Senator Patterson said.
The centre will be funded by the National Health and Medical
Research Council and based at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.
Researchers from five institutions will contribute to the work which will be
led by Professor Irena Cosic.
The centre also will provide career development programs for
researchers studying the effects of electromagnetic energy.
The Australian Communications Authority late last year signed
a new code of practice aimed at improving the consultation process when
phone companies install facilities like the towers.
Under the code, phone companies face fines of up to $250,000
for not complying with the ACA's tough new standards. The standards were
designed to ease community concerns by giving local councils and the public
greater participation in decisions made by phone carriers.
The code sets guidelines for the siting, design and operation
of telecommunications facilities, lists obligatory steps for planning,
installing and operating the facilities and requires carriers to develop a
complaint-handling process.
National Health and Medical Research Council chief executive
Alan Pettigrew said the issue of electromagnetic emissions from mobile phone
towers was a matter of great community concern, particularly considering
there were about 13 million mobile phones in Australia.
"There is a large amount of research looking at the possible
health risks around the world but there has been no conclusive evidence," he
said.
"There is a high level of public interest in this field
within Australia and the centre will be able to contribute to the world-wide
research from an Australian perspective."
The story was found at: http://www.couriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6711141%255E953,00.html
Focus on phone health risks
The Border Mail
Mon, Jul 07, 2003
RESEARCH institutions in Victoria and South Australia will
establish a $2.5 million "virtual" centre to investigate the possible health
effects from mobile phones and phone towers.
The Centre of Research Excellence in Electromagnetic Energy
will receive $500,000 a year over five years through the Federal Govern-ments
National Health |and Medical Research Council.
Councils chief executive Mr Alan Pettigrew said with about 13
million mobile phones in Australia there was a lot of public concern
regarding the issue.
"There is a large amount of research looking at the possible
health risks around the world but there has been no conclusive evidence," he
said.
"There is a high level of public interest in this field
within Australia and the centre will be able to contribute to the world-wide
research from an Australian perspective." The consortium will be led by RMIT
Victoria.
The story was
found at: http://www.bordermail.com.au/newsflow/pageitem?page_id=609596