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| Volunteers to test phone safety Human volunteers will be used in new government projects to assess the safety of mobile phones. The government's mobile phone task force is to announce 14 projects designed to settle whether mobiles pose a risk to our health. There is no evidence that mobile phones harm human health. Some limited research suggests that radiation from mobiles can speed up the growth of human tissue and even affect human thought processes. Independent research has suggested children are more at risk because their skulls are thinner. Last year the government issued millions of leaflets advising children to limit mobile phone use to essential calls only. But the task force is concerned that not enough research has been done. With most people now using mobiles - many of them children - the task force has commissioned a £7.4m research programme designed to decide whether mobiles pose a risk. BBC science correspondent, Pallab Ghosh says the studies will examine effects on behaviour, blood pressure and hearing. They will also test whether mobile radiation increases the risks of cancers and whether using mobiles affect the performance of drivers, he says. Critics say the research is too little too late to rapidly assess the long term safety of mobile phone use. Last year a BBC investigation revealed that mobile phone retailers were failing to give proper advice about possible health risks to children. A government leaflet issued last year advising customers about possible dangers was not available in three-quarters of the shops visited by BBC Radio Five Live reporters. 25th January 2002 |
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