Scottish Government

Key Point

Conflicting reports about the health risks of mobile phones appeared in the late 1990s.

Key Point

Millions of pounds have now been invested in scientific research to investigate the effects of mobile phones.

1.

Radio waves given off by mobile phones can heat up body tissue, having damaging effects.

Radio waves are not powerful enough to cause heat damage to the body.

2.

Magnetic fields created by mobile phones can affect the way that your body cells work.

The magnetic fields are incredibly weak, and so unlikely to affect cells in our body.

3.

People who make long mobile phone calls sometimes complain of fatigue, headaches, and loss of concentration.

These effects have never been observed under laboratory conditions and may be due to other factors in modern lifestyles.

4.

Mobile phone users are 2.5 times more likely to develop cancer in areas of the brain adjacent to their phone ears.

Researchers admit it's unclear this increase is linked to using mobile phones.

5.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer found a link between childhood cancer and power lines. Like mobile phones, power lines also emit radiation.

The radiation produced by power lines is a different kind of radiation, with much more energy than that coming from mobile phones.

6.

Radio frequency waves similar to those in mobile phones altered the gene expression in nematode worms.

Worms are not humans, so there is no guarantee that our brain cells will react in the same way.

Key Point

Given the immense numbers of mobile phone users, even small adverse effects on health could have major public health implications.

Key Point

In 2000, the Stewart Report (a British report) found no known health problems caused by mobile phones, but advised caution, especially among the young, until more research was carried out. A further report in 2004 backed this up.

Keep the calls short.

Don't use your mobile phone when the reception is weak, as the phone needs more power to communicate with the base station, and so the radio-wave emissions are higher.

Carry the mobile phone away from your body when it is on standby.

Don't buy a mobile phone with a high " SAR" value ¹. This means that it emits more radiation.

Buy a mobile phone with a long "talk time". It is more efficient, and has less powerful emissions.

Don't buy protective gadgets unless they have been independently tested.

Question 1: What is the purpose of the Key points?

A To describe the dangers of using mobile phones.

B To suggest that debate about mobile phone safety is ongoing.

C To describe the precautions that people who use mobile phones should take.

D To suggest that there are no known health problems caused by mobile phones.

The correct answer was B.

This was considered a Level 4 question. 52 per cent of students in Scotland correctly answered this, compared to the OECD average of 46 per cent.

Question 2: "It is difficult to prove that one thing has definitely caused another."

What is the relationship of this piece of information to the Point 4 Yes and No statements in the table Are mobile phones dangerous?

A It supports the Yes argument but does not prove it.

B It proves the Yes argument.

C It supports the No argument but does not prove it.

D It shows that the No argument is wrong.

The correct answer was C.

This was considered a Level 4 question. 40 per cent of students in Scotland correctly answered this, compared to the OECD average of 36 per cent.

Question 3: Look at Point 3 in the No column of the table. In this context, what might one of these "other factors" be? Give a reason for your answer.

Mark awarded if the student identifies a factor in modern lifestyles that could be related to fatigue, headaches, or loss of concentration. The explanation may be self evident, or explicitly stated.

This was considered a Level 3 question. Answers which were correct but too vague, such as "lifestyle", or just repeated information from the text, such as "loss of concentration" were given no marks. 52 per cent of students in Scotland correctly answered this, compared to the OECD average of 55 per cent.

Question 4: Look at the table with the heading If you use a mobile phone …

Which of these ideas is the table based on?

A There is no danger involved in using mobile phones.

B There is a proven risk involved in using mobile phones.

C There may or may not be danger involved in using mobile phones, but it is worth taking precautions.

D There may or may not be danger involved in using mobile phones, but they should not be used until we know for sure.

E The Do instructions are for those who take the threat seriously, and the Don't instructions are for everyone else.

The correct answer was C.

This was considered a Level 3 question. 70 per cent of students in Scotland correctly answered this, compared to the OECD average of 63 per cent.