Mobiles are safe

Your article "Mobiles 'will lead to brain cancer pandemic'" (15 June) reported the claims of a small, self-selected group and is needlessly alarmist and could cause real distress about a very rare disease. The Interphone researchers reported an overall conclusion of no increased risk of brain tumours following the use of mobile phones.

In fact, the established science is extremely reassuring: the World Health Organisation (WHO) stated, following the publication of the Interphone research in May 2010: "A large number of studies have been performed over the last two decades to assess whether mobile phones pose a potential health risk. To date, no adverse health effects have been established for mobile phone use."

The WHO, Health Protection Agency, the UK Advisory Group on Non Ionising Radiation and the International Commission on Non Ionizing Radiation Protection have all confirmed that the Interphone study was well designed and carefully conducted and that the results give no reason for alteration of the current guidelines.

We Scots are already given quite enough to be melancholy about without The Scotsman spreading alarm and despondency on this issue in the face of a huge body of scientific evidence to the contrary.

JOHN COOKE

Mobile Operators Association

Russell Square

London

Your report about mobile phones leading to a brain cancer pandemic is of great public concern, since these now appear to be in widespread popular use on a global scale.

The word "pandemic" is perhaps misleading here, since this is usually associated with widespread epidemics caused by infectious micro-organisms.

Here we are dealing with brain damage evidently caused by frequent close exposure to micro-waves. If brain cancer is a frequent physical consequence of this exposure, there may also be earlier behavioural effects, such as the current increase in dementia and criminal violence on a global scale.

DR DAVID PURVES

Strathalmond Road

Edinburgh