THE EXPRESS 04/04/00

Hands-free earpieces can triple radiation risk to the brain

HANDS-FREE kits used by millions with mobile phones may actually increase the amount of radiation channelled into the brain, a new report claims.

Tests found a three-fold increase in microwave radiation transmitted to a user's head. The research by the Consumers' Association showed that an earpiece with a mobile phone, far from reducing exposure to radiation, effectively amplified it and focused it directly into the brain.

"If you've heard about possible health risks and started to use a shield or a hands-free kit, you should stop now," the report says. "If you don't have one, don't waste your money. In reality, the earpiece wire on the hands-free kits we tested acts as an aerial - and channels three times as much radiation to your head." The earpieces were originally introduced to make phoned more convenient to use, but became more popular as fears were raised over radiation.

The tests examined two of the most popular hands-free earpieces. Experts believe the problem could affect other kits.

There is still no undisputed evidence that the phones cause brain damage. But many experts claim they pose a risk to health, with cancers, memory loss and psychological disturbances all blames on the handsets, now used by about 25 million Britons.

In the past four years, more than six million hands-free kits have been sold to worried users. The report states: "Think again if you use a hands-free kit to protect yourself from mobile phone radiation - the two we tested increase the radiation levels inside your head compared with holding the phone by your ear."

The British Medical Association is urging companies to give the public more information about hands-free kits and shields. Last night the £6billion cellphone industry hit out at the report, saying they were baffled by the findings. "We were amazed by the results of the Which? Survey because we perform thousands of tests on our products," said Ericsson spokeswoman Lindsay James.

"The report said that a couple of headsets increased the level of radio waves and we found that the levels were reduced - a massive decrease - from an already very low level."

A spokesman for the Federation of Electronics Industry, which represents cellphone firms, said: "If for any reason mobile phones without holding them next to their head they should consult their dealer about a personal headset or hands-free kit. It's a question of consumer choice." Mobile phone manufacturers have been accused of cashing in on the public's fears of radiation from the devices by marketing hands-free kits.

The report looked at the £14.99 BT Cellnet Hands Free Accessory kit for the Philips Savvy phone and the £19.99 Carphone Warehouse kit for use with the Ericsson A10185.

The tests, using dummy heads and radiation detectors in a shielded laboratory, found that both kits tripled the levels of radio waves reaching the brain.

"The results took us by surprise-by the time we discovered them it was too late to test more kits," the report says. "But looking at several other kits, our experts thought they would also conduct the radiation."

Jean Philips of consumer watchdog Powerwatch, an organisation that gives advice on electromagnetic fields, said: "Anyone who uses a phone extensively runs a risk of averse health effects. We estimate that 10 per cent of the population may be at risk of milder effects such as headaches and loss of concentration."

The report also warned that the 35,000 mobile phone masts across the UK could pose a significant health risk. " People who live or work near transmitter masts may also have legitimate health worries," it says.

A spokesman for Philips said: "Their tests have not followed the industry approved testing mechanisms." A Department of Health report into dangers of mobiles will appear at the end of this month. A World Health Organisation inquiry is expected to report back later this year.

"Until the international studies report there's no way to know whether mobile phones are perfectly safe or whether they are like cigarettes - a health risk that's suspected long before it's approved." Which? States.