Pat O'Neill (Fine Gael)

I move:

That Seanad Éireann recognising the conflicting publicly available information regarding the safety of mobile phones, calls on the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to consider the introduction of legislation that would require mobile phone operators and suppliers in Ireland to make available all information in their possession regarding the emission of electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones.

I am pleased to propose the motion to the House on behalf of Fine Gael Members. There is a lot of information and misinformation on electromagnetic radiation. The motion acknowledges the prevalence of mobile phones and that there is conflicting information in the public domain on the associated safety risks. In 2005 ComReg reported that there were as many mobile phones in Ireland as there were people. There are over 5 billion mobile phone users worldwide. Within a very short period mobile phones went from being the preserve of James Bond to being a necessity for every man, woman and child in the State. In the relatively short time since they became part our daily lives, conflicting reports have emerged on the health risks, if any, of these devices.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Fergus O'Dowd, and thank him for taking this Private Members' motion on behalf of the Government. In a sense, his presence reminds us of a problem with mobile phones in that responsibility for the matter cuts across a number of Departments - primarily the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. In 2007 an expert report commissioned by the Government suggested there was a conflict of interest in the Department of Communications having a role in promoting and developing mobile communications as well as in providing health advice. Subsequently, responsibility for providing information on the health effects of electromagnetic fields was transferred to the Department of the Environment. While there is logic to separating functions in this area, such a division can also inhibit joined-up thinking on overall Government strategy.

In responding to a parliamentary question in May on mobile phone radiation, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, stated:

An expert group report on the health effects of electromagnetic fields, including those generated by mobile phones, was commissioned by the Government and published in March 2007. The expert group reported that the majority scientific opinion to date is that no adverse short or long-term effects have been demonstrated from exposure to electromagnetic fields at levels below the limits recommended by the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection. However, a minority group of scientists believe otherwise and extensive international research on the issue continues to be co-ordinated through bodies such as the World Health Organization. My Department monitors this research and key developments therein will inform any consideration of possible future policy interventions in this area.

Since that statement, the World Health Organization has published a report which has changed the position. The report was published after 31 scientists from 14 countries had come together to examine the latest research findings, as well as past studies of the risk of cancer posed by exposure to the electromagnetic fields generated by mobile phones. These fields are generated when a mobile phone device relays information back and forth from nearby antennae. Following their analysis, the experts concluded that the radiation from mobile phones was "possibly carcinogenic" to humans.

On 1 June the chief medical officer in the Department of Health responded to the WHO by issuing a statement giving advice on mobile phone usage. The statement noted the recent report from the WHO and the International Agency for Research on Cancer which classified radio frequency electromagnetic fields emitted by mobile phones as being possibly carcinogenic to humans. The research had shown a possible association between mobile phone use and an increased risk of glioma, a malignant form of brain cancer. In its report the review group also identified a possible link between mobile phone use and acoustic neuroma, a benign tumour of the nerve that conducts hearing signals.

The chief medical officer stated:

We may not truly understand the health affects of mobile phones for many years. However, research does show that using mobile phones affects brain activity. There is general consensus that children are more vulnerable to radiation from mobile phones than adults. Therefore the sensible thing to do is to adopt a precautionary approach rather than wait to have the risks confirmed.

In the light of these findings, the chief medical officer strongly advises that children and young people should be encouraged to use mobile phones for "essential purposes only". All calls should be kept short, as talking for long periods prolongs exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields. The advice issued by the Department gave practical advice on how mobile phone users could reduce their exposure to radio frequency energy, for example, by making fewer calls, reducing the length of calls, sending text messages instead of calling, using landlines, if possible, using hands-free sets, if possible, and refraining from keeping an active phone clipped to a belt or in a pocket.

Regarding text messages, the WHO report states that when a mobile phone is in use in the normal way, where the user has it up to his or her ear, 90% of the radiation released is absorbed by the brain tissue located within five centimetres of the handset. The report notes the scientific uncertainty regarding mobile phone-related cancer risks. It also notes that many countries, including Germany, France, Austria, the United Kingdom and Russia, have taken a precautionary stance on the use of mobile phones, particularly by children. The European Environment Agency has also recommended that their use by children should be restricted.

While the WHO report is significant, it is not conclusive and the scientific experts involved have stressed the need for more research. Previously the WHO had stated there was no established evidence of a link between mobile phone use and cancer. Moreover, there are no data showing a surge in brain cancers, despite the surge in mobile phone usage. The University of Manchester carried out a study to examine the diagnoses of brain tumours in England in the period between 1998 and 2007 and concluded that there had been no statistically significant change in the number of brain tumours diagnosed during that period. However, the WHO report contains some words of caution. It points out that cancer can take a long time to develop and only 5% of the people included in the study had been using mobile phones for at least ten years.

The WHO's statement regarding its most recent publication notes that studies are ongoing to more fully assess potential long-term effects of mobile phone use. It also commits the WHO to conducting a formal risk assessment of all studied health outcomes from radio frequency electromagnetic field exposure by 2012. In this context, the motion calls on the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to consider introducing legislation that would require mobile phone operators in Ireland to make available all information in their possession regarding the emission of electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones. At the very least, such information should be made available to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government which has a role in monitoring research and key developments in this area. I commend the motion to the House.