Health study of TETRA masts

Researchers from the University of Essex are to carry out a two-year study to establish if there are any short-term health effects from exposure to TETRA mobile radio masts.

The study follows the recent completion of the largest ever scientific study of the health effects of conventional and 3G mobile phone masts, carried out at the University's Electromagnetics and Health Laboratory. Results of this study, which tested 176 people, are now being analysed and are due to be published later this year.

The research team has been awarded £265,624 by the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research programme to enable them to examine the effect of the electromagnetic fields emitted by the TETRA system on up to 264 volunteers. TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio) is the mobile communications system used by the emergency services, and the research team hopes to recruit participants from these services.

The study aims to test equal numbers of control participants and those who appear particularly sensitive to the technology. Led by the Department of Psychology, the multi-disciplinary team includes researchers from the Departments of Computer Science and Electronic Systems Engineering, and a medical doctor.