"Are mobile phones the new tobacco? Could your calls be killing you? Are those long talks actually 'boiling your brain'?" There have been a disturbing number of cases in which cancer victims have been frequent mobile users, and there is an increasing worldwide concern over the possible link.

Heavy users may be damaging more than their image. Research reveals that the head absorbs 70% of microwave radiation emitted, prompting fears that mobile phones are a health risk. This percentage comes as the European commission prepares to publish the first recommended 'safe' levels for radiation emitted by mobile phones and other telecommunications devices. Nearly all phones on the market exceed these limits. There have been three unpublished studies, by leading academics from different countries that agree that there are major safety concerns with using mobile phones. According to their findings, energy absorbed by the head during use creates 'hot spots' in the brain.

Criterion B: IT BACKGROUND OF THE ISSUE

There are millions and millions of mobile phone users around the world, with 5 million in Britain alone. However, the industry insists tha

Scientists warn that mobile phones can cause headaches, memory problems, ear and eye conditions - and cancer. Also, biologist Roger Coghill, a radioactivity specialist who runs an independent laboratory, wants all mobiles to carry a cigarette-style government health warning. He believes the high frequency radio-like waves can limit white blood cells' ability to fight disease. It happens because the brain's fluid absorbs radiation when the phone is held to the ear.

Dr Camelia Gabriel, an expert in microwave radiation, said there was increasing evidence that heavy use was not recommended. "Certainly, for young people, prolonged mobile phone use is unadvisable." She also said that Cenelec recommended a safe limit in late 1998 for emissions of 20 milliwatts compared with the 100-600 milliwatts currently put out.

Mobile phones, both analogue and digital, use microwaves, similar to those in microwave ovens, although they are at a slightly different frequency and much lower power. The concerns stem from their closeness to heads when calls are made or received. Scientists previously assumed that energy absorbed by the head was evenly distributed, but the latest research suggests that waves concentrate on the skull, creating 'hot spots'.

Could your calls be killing you? The fact is, nobody knows. And many people believe that isn't good enough. There should be an immediate scientific inquiry into the risks. Manufacturers should be forced to do one of two things: sell their phones with anti-radiation 'shields' fitted free - not as an extra; and give people free earpieces so the phones can be held away from people's heads.

t emissions are too low to be hazardous.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Roger Coghill, IMPACT ISSUE, DESCRIBING ISSUE, BACKGROUND ISSUE, ARISING ISSUE, Radiation Biology, Camelia Gabriel, mobile phones, Dr Adey, Ross Adey, Henry Lai, radiation emitted, mobile phone, microwave radiation, health people, energy absorbed head, phones market, phones health, fitted free, emitted mobile, headaches memory, issue mobile phones, microwave radiation emitted, emitted mobile phones, mobile phones health,
Approximate Word count = 1143
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)