The following is the introduction to a very important document of comments by Professor Jacqueline McGlade, Director of the European Environmental Agency (EEA) presenting to a conference on mobile phones and health issues:

I am grateful for this chance to provide some input into this very timely conference. This event and the related Senate Hearings yesterday, have been, in part, stimulated by the BioIntiative Report, (2007), which helped increase public awareness of the potential hazards of electromagnetic fields, not least from mobile phones.

The European Parliament responded to this debate with its resolution earlier this year which, among other things, called for lowering exposure to electromagnetic fields and for new exposure limits that would better protect the public. We fully share these recommendations.

Today I would like briefly:

  • to describe the role and mandate of the EEA;
  • to summarise our views about some of the benefits and potential costs to health of mobile phones;
  • and to conclude with what we see as the most important practical implications of the current evidence on the cancer risks from using mobile phones, especially for children and young adults.

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