Are mobile phone base stations damaging to health?

03 April 2011

Part of the show Keeping the Conversation Flowing

Question

Back in Kenya, we see cases where mobile phone masts are erected less than 10 meters to peoples homes: 1) What dangers if any are people exposed to in such scenarios? 2) Is there a safe distance? 3) What type of radiation is emitted by these masts and how do they affect our body cells? 4) How would you compare the dosage for these people living close to the masts to someone receiving a call on their mobile phone from a safe distance from the masts in orders of magnitude? Thanks

Answer

We put this question to Professor Paul Elliott from Imperial College in London... Paul - Absolutely, those people are not going to be in our study. But we have actually carried out a large national study in England and Wales looking at mobile phone mast emissions, proximity to masts, and childhood cancers. We found no association whatsoever between the mast and the cancers. Of course, the exposures that people receive from the mast are orders of magnitude lower than they get from putting a phone to their head.