Dutch study says 3G phone masts 'safe'

There is no evidence that radiation from 3G UMTS mobile masts is harmful to people, the Dutch health ministry, quoted by a Reuters report, said.

The report said a body advising the Dutch government, the Electromagnetic Fields Committee of the council, bared in November that research from around the world on the subject published between 2003 and October 2005 was either inconclusive or did not meet scientific criteria and called for more investigation.

The report said a Swiss follow-up study into the effect of UMTS radio base stations, which emitted and received the signals to and from 3G mobile phones, found no indication that radiation caused health problems such as headaches, exhaustion or dizziness, the health ministry said.

The study, led by Zurich University's Peter Achermann, and financed by the Swiss and Dutch governments and industry, found no connection between health complaints and exposure to UMTS radiation, according to the report.