HC Deb 08 June 1998 vol 313 cc439-40W
Ms Walley

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will require mobile telephones to be sold and labelled with a health warning; and if she will make a statement. [43698]

Mrs. Roche

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Public Health on 8 December 1997,Official Report, column 456.

The Department is aware of public concern on this subject, which is taken seriously. Advice on the health implications of exposure to electromagnetic fields from mobile telecommunications equipment is discussed with the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) and also with the Department of Health.

The exposure guidelines of the NRPB for fields associated with mobile telecommunications equipment are based on well-established thermal effects. NRPB's view is that mobile phones currently used in the United Kingdom comply with the recommended exposure limit. There are no plans to require mobile phones to have a health warning.

I would add that Type Approval of mobile phones is required before they can be connected to a mobile telecommunications network. This includes testing of the power output to the antenna. Mobile telecommunications equipment must also comply with the EU Directive on Electromagnetic Compatibility.

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