Mobile phones 'pose rural risk'

PEOPLE who use mobile phones in remote, rural areas are significantly more at risk from potentially harmful emissions, according to the latest research.

A study in Sweden found the power required by mobile phones in the countryside was up to 1,000 times greater than in urban areas because phone base stations are further away.

The Institute of Environmental Medicine looked at 230,000 hours of phone calls in four different places - a small village with open countryside, a small town, a suburb and Stockholm.

They found greater number of signal transmitters in built-up areas meant the power required to get a signal was significantly lower and concluded this should be taken into account by people who make a lot of calls in rural areas.

There have been claims that mobile phones can cause cancer and reduce male fertility but experts have not yet reached any firm conclusions.

Stefan Lonn, one of the research team, said: "The power required by a mobile phone can differ by more than 1,000-fold, depending on how and where it is used. It is one of the most important factors in determining the intensity of exposure to electromagnetic fields."