TIG Responses to media coverage and comment by third parties

TIG does not routinely respond to every factual inaccuracy or loose interpretation of the facts about TETRA, but on occasion feels it appropriate to put its views on record to counter what has been said or suggested. Some of the links below are to PDF () files, click to icon below to download Adobe Reader (free), if you do not already have this.

This briefing has been prepared in response to the 23 April 2010 Daily Mirror article “Noisy Police Radios Make Cops Deaf” and the recent Police Review magazine article “Suffering in Silence”.

The Mirror article appears to be based on a recent article in Police Review magazine, about figures for reports of hearing damage among police officers in the past five years, from sources as diverse as gunfire, fireworks and barking dogs, as well as from radio equipment and telephones.

In the early days of TETRA there were reports of unpleasant and annoying screeches or spikes of noise being heard by some users. These were extensively reported at the time, appeared to have a common cause, and were mitigated by a radio upgrade. Measurements conducted at the time showed that the equipment met international audio safety standards.

Since then reports of problems have been very sporadic. The National Police Improvement Agency states that all faults are dealt with at police force level, using a conventional service desk arrangement provided by Airwave. Users are advised to report any faults or problems as they occur.

Airwave states that they take very seriously user health and safety, and always conduct a rapid and thorough investigation of all customer reports of radio and communications-related problems.

Research into radio technology, including health and safety aspects, continues, and manufacturers and suppliers are required to ensure that their equipment complies with all the relevant safety standards. There is no evidence that Airwave users suffer illness or any ill effects as a result of using their radios.

Jane's Police Review Magazine - 5 June 2009

An article in Police Review, based on an interview with physics teacher and self-styled EMF expert Barrie Trower, suggested that the TETRA signal used by the Airwave service interfered with the brainwaves of some police officers resulting in behavioural problems during the policing the G20 summit protest. The article also claims that the use of TETRA in vehicles has a ‘microwave oven’ effect, that TETRA causes brain tumours, and that between 3% and 15% of people are sensitive to radio waves experiencing unpleasant symptoms when exposed.

These allegations are all purely speculative and have no basis in scientific fact. Specifically:

Research

• A huge amount of research and a number of expert reviews have been carried out on the potential effects of EMF signals with various frequencies and modulations including the TETRA signal. None has found any evidence of any adverse health effects from exposure to radio waves within the rigorous science-based ICNIRP safety guidelines. For factual information look at our Science pages.

Exposure levels

• When a TETRA radio is awaiting a call or in receive mode, the exposure is so low as to be virtually un-measurable. When the handset is transmitting, the power levels are comparable to a mobile phone - typically around 1 watt for a handset and 3 watts for a terminal installed in a vehicle - and adaptive power control reduces to a minimum the power needed to maintain contact with the base station. Transmissions are typically very short.

Use in Vehicles

• A study by Dr Philip Chadwick (click here to view) looked at exposure to radio waves when a TETRA handset was used inside a vehicle or when a number of officers, each with a handset, were together in a vehicle. The study concluded that the only measurable exposure would be from an individual’s own handset.

Hypersensitivity

• A small percentage of the population claims to be adversely affected by radio waves. However a number of studies have demonstrated that these individuals experience symptoms whether or not a radio signal in the testing chamber is switched on. This is known as a Nocebo effect, with symptoms caused by the expectation or belief that something is harmful.

Effect on brainwaves

• Several cognitive studies, which looked at the impact of exposure to radio waves on various tasks requiring judgement and speed of response, and on feelings of well-being, have found no evidence of an effect on brain function.

Brain Tumours

• No scientific evidence has been found to suggest that short term exposure to radio waves causes tumours. Available data goes back a decade or so, and cohort studies on longer-term use of both mobile phones and TETRA handsets are in progress.

Judge John Deed - BBC TV drama 27 January 2006

An episode of the BBC drama Judge John Deed, aired on 27 January, suggested a link between TETRA radio frequency emissions and motor neurone disease. The Motor Neurone Disease Association published a statement on its website in response to this claim - click here to view the statement.

The programme drew inaccurately and selectively on one or two factual information sources, such as the Stewart Report (click here), and mixed the writers' perspectives on these with fictional views on the issue, to help create its dramatic plotline. For example, the programme wrongly claimed that there is a proven adverse impact of TETRA on calcium signalling in cells, and incorrectly described TETRA transmitters as pulsing at 16 MHz.

Factual information on these and other aspects of TETRA is available on this site in the FAQs page (click here) and via our Links page (click here), from the websites of expert organisations such as WHO and AGNIR.

The Ecologist - October 2004

TIG wrote to The Ecologist following publication of an article by Jay Griffiths on TETRA and health in its October 2004 edition. The TIG letter may be viewed here (). 

Claims about TETRA made to MPs

TIG published an information paper which can be found here in response to various claims about TETRA technology made in a paper circulated to MPs in May 2004 by representatives of Protect Sussex from TETRA which can be found here ().