Replies to LegCo questions

LCQ3: Radiation of mobile phone repeaters

Following is a question by the Dr Hon Raymond Ho and a reply by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council today (June 7):

Question:

It has been reported that five teaching staff of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology have been diagnosed as suffering from brain tumour, which is suspected to have been caused by radiation from the mobile phone repeater located at the rooftop of their office building. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) whether the authorities have recently conducted any studies on how the radiation of mobile phone repeaters may affect human health; if they have, of the results;

(b) whether similar clinical cases have been found in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; and

(c) of the treatments adopted in Hong Kong for such clinical cases, and how such treatments compare with those adopted in overseas countries?

Reply:

Madam President,

Radiation connected with mobile phone repeaters is generally known as radio frequency radiation, which is a kind of non-ionising radiation on the electromagnetic radiation spectrum. Currently, there is no definite medical evidence showing any causal relations between human exposure to radiofrequency radiation and brain tumour. Neither are there any research findings showing a pathological relation between clusters of brain tumour and exposure to radiofrequency radiation.

In Hong Kong, the Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA), on the professional advice of the Department of Health (DH), has set the safety level of electromagnetic radiation permitted to be emitted from mobile phone repeaters against the safety standards recommended by the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). Founded in 1992, the ICNIRP is comprised of independent scientists and experts and formed mainly to monitor any possible adverse impact of non-ionising radiation on human health. Researches and recommendations on protection against non-ionising radiation aside, the ICNIRP also works with the World Health Organisation (WHO) on risk assessments for the purpose of formulating relevant safety guidelines and standards. Now all mobile phone operators are required by the OFTA to comply with the safety limits laid down by the ICNIRP in 1998 on human exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic field. This set of safety limits has now become an international reference standard and adopted by a number of countries.

Regarding the incident concerning the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) as mentioned in the Hon Ho's question, our understanding is that the RMIT commissioned an independent telecommunication equipment test consultant, an occupational health doctor and the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency to carry out more than 100 tests when it learned that several teaching staff had been suffering from brain tumour in early May in order to find out the occupational safety and health conditions on the floors in question. The test results show that the concentration of radio frequency wave, concentration of volatile organic compounds, radon, micro-organism and surface contamination, etc on the concerned floors were well below the standard limits set by the Australian authorities. The highest measured power of electromagnetic wave from mobile phones or mobile phone stations recorded during the tests was only at the level of 4 in 10 000 of the standard limits.

This is my reply to the Hon Ho's questions seriatim:

(a) The Administration, of late, has not conducted any study on the impact of radiation of mobile phone repeaters on human health. Nevertheless, for the protection of public health, the OFTA has required the mobile phone operators to ensure that the level of electromagnetic radiation of their mobile phone repeaters should, at any time, be kept below the standard limits recommended by the ICNIRP under the current regulation of telecommunication and the licensing system. The OFTA has also issued a Code of Practice for the Protection of Workers and Members of Public Against Non-Ionizing Radiation Hazards from Radio Transmitting Equipment to protect workers and the general public against the hazard of electromagnetic radiation. Radio system designers, radio site operators and maintenance staff should observe the Code in the design, construction, installation, maintenance and operation of the radio systems. The OFTA keeps a close watch on the mobile phone operators from time to time to ensure their compliance with the safety standards. We will continue to keep track of any research findings and recommendations by the WHO, the ICNIRP and other institutions/countries on the safety of radio frequency radiation and revise, if and when necessary, the safety standards and the Code.

(b) The Hospital Authority (HA) has not detected any cluster of brain tumour cases in Hong Kong similar to those in Australia. In fact, no definite case of brain tumour caused by radio frequency radiation has ever been recorded in Hong Kong.

(c) In general, treatments for brain tumour adopted by the HA include excision by surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Such treatments are on a par with those commonly used in other advanced countries.


Ends/Wednesday, June 7, 2006
Issued at HKT 12:35

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