GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization called Friday for more research into whether mobile phones, power lines and radar might cause diseases that include cancer and Alzheimer's.
Dr. Michael Repacholi, manager of the WHO's Electromagnetic Fields Project, told a news conference that perceived risks from new technologies had become a serious public health issue.
He expressed confidence that existing international standards were adequate, but said study was needed on the effects of low-level exposure over longer periods.
Experts from 17 countries held a final seminar in Geneva this week to identify the most important gaps in existing scientific knowledge, the Australian expert said.
WHO's five-year program, launched in May 1996, is to pool studies to assess risks linked to exposure to electrical and magnetic fields in the frequency range of 0-300 Ghz.
Some $100 million will be spent on programs in Australia, the European Union, Japan and the United States over the next four years to determine public health risks, Repacholi said.
"There are key issues that still need to be resolved because there have been suggestions that electromagnetic fields may produce cancers or memory loss or other neuro-degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease," he said.
"We have to seriously address this issue so that we can provide public confidence one way or the other, that we've done as much as we can.
"If there is a risk we want to know how big is the risk so we can balance that with the benefits that come from the technology,"Repacholi said. "So it is a serious issue."
WHO has recommended further research into a possible connection between exposure to high-frequency radio fields -- from radio,television, mobile telephones and radars -- and brain and other cancers, as well as leukemia and lymphoma.
"Questions have been raised as to whether mobile phone use leads to brain or other head and neck cancers because you have a radiating antennae very close to the head," he said.
"While there is no scientific evidence for that, it is something that needs to be addressed because it could be a major public health concern if it was found that there was any causal relationship.
"Mobile phones have only been around for less than 10 years now and the incubation period for cancer is at least 10, maybe 15 years. So we need to set up the studies so that if there is an impact, they can be found in a reasonable time."
The United Nations agency is also coordinating studies into possible links between low-frequency fields -- power lines and electrical devices -- and three diseases: childhood leukemia, breast cancer and central nervous system disorders.
"There has been a large number of epidemiological studies conducted and there seems to be about a 50 percent greater risk of leukemia for children living near power lines," he said.
"We are calling for a concerted effort to research this area, so that we can resolve this problem, because leukemia is one of the most prevalent cancers in children."
But studies have not determined whether the higher leukemia risk might be due to other factors, including pollution, he said.
There was "mixed evidence" that there may be some increases in breast cancer from exposure to low-frequency fields, he said.
Repacholi said there had been a lot of research already into electromagnetic fields. "The evidence with which we can make conclusions now indicates that you need quite high levels of fields before you start getting any adverse health impact.
"The questions remain though, whether low-field frequency over long periods can have any impact. Basic science suggests that probably isn't going to be the case.
"It would seem that we don't need at the moment any protective measures above what international standards have already suggested.These are protecting against high levels."
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