Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones: Records

HP 4

1999-2000

Records of meetings and discussions of the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones Group; communications and presentations by scientists and interested organisations; records of public meetings; drafts of the report.

Digital records originally in this series were transferred to HP 5 as part of the programme of migration of digital records at The National Archives in March 2008:

HP 5

Public Record(s)

English

192 bundles, files and electronic documents

Open unless otherwise stated

2002-2003 National Radiological Protection Board

Topics

Communications

Transferred to the National Radiological Protection Board in 2000

No future accruals expected

The following records were selected: records of meetings and discussions of the group; communications and presentations by scientists and interested organisations; correspondence from interested parties, including members of the general public; records of public meetings; drafts of the report, and a copy of the website. Records which related to purely administrative matters, duplicates, and copies of material from publications (especially academic journals) which informed the work of the group were not selected for permanent preservation. It was intended that tape and video recordings of public meetings were selected but they were found to be inaudible.

In April 1999, the Minister for Public Health announced that she had requested the chairman of the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) to set up an Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (IEGMP), and that this request was supported by ministers of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Sir William Stewart was appointed chairman of IEGMP in June 1999, and the nine members were announced in August. Two additional members were appointed in October 1999. Membership of IEGMP encompassed those with expert knowledge in the fields of epidemiology, electromagnetic exposure, oncology, the social sciences, related scientific fields, and lay members.

Terms of reference for IEGMP were: to consider existing concerns about possible health effects from the use of mobile phones, base stations and transmitters; to conduct a rigorous assessment of existing research, and to give advice on the current state of knowledge; and to make recommendations on further work that should be carried out to improve the basis for sound advice.

IEGMP engaged in formal meetings at which presentations were given by representatives of environmental groups and industry, as well as individual scientists. IEGMP also held open meetings throughout the United Kingdom to allow members of the public to present their views in person.

The report of the group, entitled"Mobile Phones and Health", was published on 11 May 2000. Summaries of the meetings of the group were placed on its website, along with details of its work and information about its membership and terms of reference.