Mobile phones and driving

Under new legislation which came into effect in December 2003, it is now illegal for drivers to use a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving. Further details on the legislation can be found on the Department for Transport website:www.dft.gov.uk

Health

The Independent Expert Group chaired by Sir William Stewart published its report on the health implications of mobile phones in 2000. The Stewart Report made recommendations on measures to reduce public concern about this issue.

The following are among the Stewart Report's major findings:

• exposure to radio frequency radiation below guideline levels does not cause adverse health effects to the general population;
• there may be biological effects occurring at exposures below these guidelines, though this does not necessarily mean that these effects lead to disease or injury (the report made recommendations on further areas for research);
• the use of mobile phones in cars can increase the chance of accidents and drivers should be dissuaded from using phones on the move;
• the widespread use of mobile phones by children for non-essential calls should be discouraged because if there are currently unrecognised adverse health effects from the use of mobile phones, children may be more vulnerable.

The Report was also concerned with health risks in the vicinity of mobile network base stations.  It concluded that the balance of evidence indicates that there is no general risk to the health of people living near to base stations on the basis that exposures are expected to be much lower than the guidelines. As part of its response to the Report, the Government set up the Mobile Telecommunications Health and Research Programme (MTHR) in 2001 and agreed that emissions from base stations and mobile phones should meet the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) standards guidelines for public exposure.

More information on the Report and the Government's response to it can be found via the external links section on this site and in the download section.

The Stewart Report also recommended that there should be an independent audit of base stations (masts), which is being undertaken by the Radiocommunications Agency. To date the study has examined mobile phone masts at over 200 sites across the UK, looking particularly at schools and hospitals. The readings showed emission levels ranging from hundreds to million of times below international guideline levels which are independently set by ICNIRP.

Two later reports by the independent Advisory Group on Non-ionising Radiation (AGNIR) and the most recent “Mobile Phones and Health 2004” by the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), have endorsed Stewart’s findings. All three reports can be found at: www.nrpb.org.uk.

Environment

The Government takes environmental concerns very seriously. Our policy is to facilitate the growth of new and existing telecommunications systems whilst keeping the environmental impact to a minimum.

The laws of physics dictate how radio waves behave and in order to ensure a usable national coverage, you need a national network of base stations and masts. There are three limiting factors - distance, geography and usage. Radio waves can only travel a given distance and physical features such as hills or buildings can block them, therefore, phone masts need to be sited at the right locations to make sure these restrictions are overcome. Also, each mast can only handle a certain number of calls. The higher the usage, the greater the number of base stations needed to cover a given area, which means that masts are most common in urban areas where demand is highest.

The Mobile Operators have a voluntary Code of Practice, which includes commitments to openness and consultation. The Government's own Planning Guidance Note on Telecommunications (PPG8) sets out the framework for local planning authorities and operators. More details on the Code and the Planning Note can be found via the external links to the ODPM (www.odpm.gov.uk) and "mobilemastinfo" (http://www.mobilemastinfo.com/planning/best_practice.htm) websites.