Editor, RE: “Your concerns: Is frequent mobile phone use harmful?” (The New Times, May 23). There is a huge amount of scientific evidence that low-level microwave radiation as emitted by mobile phones is extremely dangerous. Mobile phones are being marketed extremely heavily in Africa, but we are not being given the same health warnings as they are in Europe. The UK Government guideline says no one under 16 should use mobiles except in emergencies, and under-8s should not use phones at all. In Russia, the official government guideline (ignored by the nation’s youth) is that there should be no mobile use at all under the age of 18 years (this is true)—because, as you correctly say, the body’s immune system is still developing. The Russian guidelines also stress no mobile use for pregnant women. Guidelines across Scandinavia encourage citizens to not use a phone for more than 15 minutes to avoid brain damage. When did you hear a similar warning being given in Africa? A very recent study conducted by the US Government has found that this radiation is carcinogenic. This is a huge international health risk. And people living near towers are definitely at risk—nearly all the studies done on masts show health risks (23 out of 24 studies). And the one study from the UK that said there was no problem, clearly showed child leukemia rates rising the closer you got to a mast. So really, it is 100% of mast studies show health problems. Thanks again for the informative article. Karl Muller
