TIG - Public Statements and Documents

TETRA Industry Group

TIG Public Statements and Documents

A range of public statements made by TIG in response to consultation documents, comments by third parties or the media, is available on this page. Some links below are to pdf (Portable Document Format) files and you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader® to download them. If you do not have this installed on your computer, please click the Adobe Reader® icon for a free download.

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 has 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.

NRPB Report "Mobile Phones & Health 2004" - published January 2005

The NRPB published on Tuesday 11 January 2005 a report ‘Mobile Phones and Health 2004’, reflecting the understanding and evaluation of the current scientific evidence and evaluating the progress made in addressing public health concerns since publication of the Stewart Report in May 2000. On 1 April 2005 the NRPB merged with the Health Protection Agency (HPA) forming its new Radiation Protection Division. NRPB documents may now be accessed through the HPA website - the executive summary of the NRPB report can be found here. TIG’s response follows below:

Response

The TETRA Industry Group notes the publication today of the NRPB report 'Mobile Phones and Health 2004', an update of the May 2000 Stewart Report. The new NRPB report states that, since the Stewart Report, the widespread development in the use of mobile phones world-wide has not been accompanied by associated clearly-established increases in adverse health effects, although it continues to recommend a precautionary approach while scientific uncertainties remain.

The report includes a section on TETRA which reaffirms the conclusions of the 2001 report by the Advisory Group on Non-Ionising Radiation - " it is notable that the signals from TETRA base stations are not pulsed, whereas those from mobile terminals and repeaters are. Although areas of uncertainty remain about the biological effects of low level RF in general, including modulated signals, current evidence suggests that it is unlikely that the special features of the signal from TETRA terminals and repeaters pose a hazard to health."

TETRA World Congress - November 2004

TIG gave a presentation at the 2004 TETRA World Congress describing the UK experience in introducing TETRA systems. An annotated copy of the slides used in that presentation may be viewed here.

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.

Responding to claims made about TETRA

TIG has 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.

Advice on Limiting Exposure to radiofrequency emissions – National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) March 2004

Responding to a review requested by the Department of Health, NRPB published a document "Advice on Limiting Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields (0 – 300 GHz)" recommending the adoption of the International Commission for Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines, following a thorough review of the science and an extensive consultation process. The document, which may be accessed through the Health Protection Agency (HPA) web site (the NRPB merged with the HPA on 1 April 2005), can be found here. The NRPB Board recognised the need to adopt a cautious approach in the interpretation of scientific knowledge and the benefits of common international guidelines. This led them to recommend adoption of the ICNIRP guidelines. This means that exposure guidelines for members of the public would be more restrictive than for workers, allowing for greater sensitivity in the general population (infants and children, people on medication and the elderly). The NRPB Board recognised concerns that prolonged low level exposure may be implicated in the development of long term health effects. It said that currently there is no firm evidence of such adverse health effects at the levels of exposure people normally experience, but that the need for further precautionary measures should be considered by Government. TIG's views on the report can be found here.

Health Effects from Radiofrequency Magnetic Fields - Report by the Advisory Group On Non-Ionising Radiation (AGNIR) - January 2004

The AGNIR report "Health Effects from Radiofrequency Magnetic Fields" was a follow up to the 2001 Report of the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (Stewart Inquiry) which can be found here. TIG welcomed the AGNIR report, which can be found here, as a valuable contribution to the extensive body of scientific knowledge on the subject. The TIG statement noted AGNIR's conclusion that research published since the Stewart Report does not give cause for concern. In respect of TETRA, the AGNIR report referred back to a 2001 NRPB report which said “although areas of uncertainty remain about the biological effects of low level RF in general, including modulated signals, current evidence suggests that it is unlikely that the special features of the signal from TETRA terminals and repeaters pose a hazard to health” and “there is no reason to believe that TETRA base station signals should be treated differently from those of other base stations”. The full TIG statement can be found here.

World Health Organisation (WHO) Precautionary Framework

In the summer of 2003, the World Health Organisation (WHO) published proposals for establishing a precautionary framework for dealing with radio frequency emissions. (The WHO work on electromagnetic fields may be found here.) TIG’s response to the WHO proposals dealt with a number of issues including the need for consistency of approach, the importance of science-based standards, a framework based on a full cost benefit analysis, and the concept of proportionality. The full submission made by TIG to the WHO can be found here.

National Radiological Protection Board Consultation – Proposals for limiting exposure to electromagnetic fields

In the summer of 2003 the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) published for comment a consultation document entitled "Proposals for limiting exposure to electromagnetic fields (0 – 300 GHz)". TIG’s comments on this document covered the adoption of ICNIRP standards for both general public and occupational exposure, the application of the developing WHO precautionary framework and the invitation to the scientific community to consider the adoption of induced field strengths and reduction of the partial body occupational exposure limit. The full text of the TIG response can be found here. The NRPB consultation document is no longer available on the NRPB web site, but its March 2004 "Review of the Scientific Evidence for Limiting Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields (0-300GHz)" can be found here.

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