Precautionary Policies

The international exposure guidelines endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) are designed to provide protection against all known health hazards.

Some authorities and other groups have adopted additional measures on a 'precautionary' basis in order to respond to scientific uncertainty or public concern.

The WHO has stated that some precautionary approaches may undermine confidence in exposure guidelines. Some research indicates that precautionary policies may increase public concern.

In respect of mobile phones, the current WHO advice is that:

'Present scientific information does not indicate the need for any special precautions for use of mobile phones. If individuals are concerned, they might choose to limit their own or their children's' RF exposure by limiting the length of calls, or using "hands-free" devices to keep mobile phones away from the head and body.'

The WHO has also stated that:

'It is difficult to envision a consistent and equitable cautionary policy that would minimize radiofrequency EMF exposures from cellular telephone base stations given the presence of far higher powered sources in the same urban area. Indeed, attempts to implement a cautionary policy for cellular telephone masts have typically been done on a piecemeal basis, with no attention to other (much stronger) sources of RF energy in the environment.'