Research Call As Mobile Phone Blamed For Burn Marks
Irish Independent
Journalist: Anita Guidera
August 30, 2001
A Doctor who is treating a patient for burn marks to the face and chest, has called for further research into the impact of exposure to mobile phone radiation.
Dr Frank Curran, a GP in Killybegs, Co Donegal, said a local business man is suffering from inflammation of the ear, side of face and chest in locations consistent with his use and storage of his mobile phone.
The 40-years-old man, who does not wish to be identified, works in the service industry and uses the mobile phone on average for five minutes in every hour in the course of his day's work. When not in use, the phone is kept in his breast pocket.
"He came to me 10 days ago, complaining of irritation and a small amount of swelling and inflammation on the right side of his face and ear and on the left side of his chest.
"He told me he felt the phone was causing him problems and the evidence was there to support that," Dr Curran told the Irish Independent.
He stressed that the man's use of the mobile phone was well above the average.
"He has been using the phone in his line of work for the past 10 years and makes regular international calls. He has it with him everywhere," he said.
The doctor, who has been practising for 20 years, admitted that he was shocked by his patient's condition.
"He has been my patient for 20 years and is a totally healthy person, with no allergies or congenital defects. This is the first occasion this issue has come alive for me," he said.
Dr Curran claimed that more research was needed into the impact of exposure to radiation from mobile phones.
He added that while mobile phones had a place, they should be used with care. "People who do not need mobile phones should not have them like kids going to school, for example," he said.
A spokesperson for the Irish Cellular Industry Association said yesterday that all phones manufactured and sold in Europe complied with international guidelines set down by the World Health Organisation.
She added that the latest international research has concluded that there is no scientific evidence of ill-health affects from the use of mobile phones.