All In The Head
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday April 21, 1997
ONCE upon a time there was a mobile phone user who started to suffer from migraine headaches. He noticed that the more he used his handheld cellular phone, the more frequent and intense the headaches became and, as he used the phone less, the headaches equally diminished.
Figuring there was some relationship between his headaches and the electro-magnetic waves emitted by the mobile, our phone-wielding friend designed a crude case employing strips of metal to shield his head from the localised radiation. The migraines disappeared and in their place came relations and colleagues by the score, until the case went into large-scale manufacture and the Microshield was borne.
Launching the $120 Microshield onto the Australian market last week, Microshield Industries representative John Simpson claimed the leather case (which contains a protective polyester-nickel layer) and radiation-dampening antenna guard reduced spurious emissions by 90 per cent.
"This is important because only a relatively small proportion of the signal, as little as 5 per cent, reaches the base station tower and is responsible for making the connection, so the Microshield doesn't reduce your phone's range," Simpson said. "But 90 per cent of the total power output is transmitted through the aerial, and the human head can absorb as much as 80 per cent of this."
Headaches, earaches, a burning sensation at the temple, sore and watery eyes, blurred vision and even toothaches are the short-term anecdotal symptoms from using analogue and digital mobile phones in the 900MHz frequency range employed in Australia and throughout the world.
Simpson wheeled out several speakers, among them the former chief medical officer for Telstra, Dr Bruce Hocking, and principal scientific officer at St Vincent's Hospital, Dr Peter French, who discussed their own evidence and overseas findings on the potential dangers of radio frequency radiation in close proximity to the human body.
These purportedly include abnormal cell growth, melatonin imbalance leading to fatigue and disturbed sleep, and possible chromosome damage.
The Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association rejected their notions and the executive director, Peter Russell, said community fears were not based in sound science.
He also pointed out that many modern cellular phones featured an "intelligent operating system" which increased the output power to compensate for the lower radiated levels caused by devices such as the Microshield. This would shorten battery life and might reflect more energy towards the users' head, as well as damage the phone in some cases.
Simpson acknowledged that "the risk may be small, but with the Microshield you make it smaller. Reduce exposure to radiation and you reduce the risk".
For more details on the Microshield, call
1800 065 933.
© 1997 Sydney Morning Herald
