§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 21 October,
825WOfficial Report, column 543W, on communication masts, what plans he has to commission further research recommended in the National Radiological Protection Board report into mechanisms that might transform TETRA energy bursts occurring 17.6 times a second into a current which interferes with biological functions. [139217]
§ Ms BlearsThere is no known mechanism by which the biological functions of the human body could react to radio signals, and the National Radiological Protection Board's independent Advisory Group on Non-ionising Radiation recommended further research on this topic. A study on possible non-linear mechanisms is under consideration as part of the adjunct Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research TETRA programme funded by the Home Office.
§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 21 October,Official Report, column. 543W, on communications masts, what the conclusions were of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory study regarding (a) calcium efflux, (b) brain slice electrophysiology and (c) epileptiform activity. [139234]
§ Ms BlearsThe Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) work on calcium efflux is complete and shows that TETRA has no effect on calcium exchanges in cells. The work on brain slice electrophysiology and epileptiform activity is still underway. The electrophysiology results are not yet fully analysed. Initial results show no effects of TETRA on epileptiform behaviour.