§ Ms LawrenceTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the biological effects of emissions from telecommunications base stations. [68343]
§ Ms JowellIn 1996, the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE) evaluated an epidemiological study by the small area health statistics unit. This study, undertaken on behalf of this and five other Government Departments, investigated the incidence of leukaemia near 20 high power Television/FM transmitters in Great Britain. The study found that living close to a transmitter was not associated with an increased risk of leukaemia. In their statement—copies of which are available in the Library—COMARE reiterated their previous advice that is no firm evidence of a carcinogenic hazard from exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) from television and radio masts emissions.
The Department is currently contributing to the World Health Organisation International Electromagnetic Fields Project which includes health effects of electromagnetic fields and is funding studies investigating possible biological effects from EMF generally.