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To: Dr David Neasham
Date: 3 May 2004
Dear Dr Neasham
I have been associated with a research ethics project for the EU in my work situation, and have been curious as to the conditions attached to monitoring health risks in previously untested equipment among a sample population, drawn from a much wider population of users who are obliged concurrently to use the same equipment as a condition of their employment. This is the position of the UK police population involved in your longitudinal monitoring study.
We will in fact be monitoring the whole of the UK Police Force with regards to Airwave use (see website: www.police-health.org.uk). One of the important things we are establishing in the initial pilot phase relates to optimal collection of data (Airwave call data, questionnaire data and medical data).
Part of my interest stems from observations from MTHE researchers at King's College London, who remarked that experimental use of TETRA base stations erected for the purpose of epidemiological studies involving placebo and live installations, would require explicit consent by every individual with range of the transmission. Clearly this is a condition unlikely ever to be met. Nevertheless, the same installations can be erected and operated providing they are not subject to research conditions.
I suggest talking to Dr James Rubin at King’s College about this…
This is a curious paradox, so I am genuinely interested in your own position on this. Do you have an ethical statement for example, available to describe the conditions of your own study? How does this differ from the experimental conditions I described to King's researchers?
Our research has been reviewed and approved by an independent NHS Multi Research Ethics Committee (MREC) – www.corec.org.uk (for more detail)
Can you tell me whether your research will also take account of:
1. police officers living near base stations
We are not directly asking questions about proximity to TETRA masts (we do have an ongoing study at Imperial College – see www.mthr.org.uk – investigating proximity to GSM base stations and possible health effects).
2. reports of the effect of equipment being taken into the home (ie off-duty, including family and friends)
We have a section in our questionnaire which allows personal comments about the Airwave equipment and we would indeed pick up “case reports” via this information.
3. general electrical sensitivity/hypersensitivity as well as the long term health concerns?
Yes – we are conducting a long term study looking at potential health outcomes with long latency periods (see www.police-health.org.uk ). At the same time we will be looking at short-term health effects, such as symptoms (including headache, nausea, convulsions, sleep disturbance, epilepsy) and a very comprehensive range of other potential health outcomes. There is a need for research in the area re: sensitivity/ hypersensitivity. I believe Professor Fox (Department of Psychology, Essex University) is doing some work in this area…
The reason I ask is that whilst all the media focus has been on such things as cancer scares, the reality on the ground is that people living near Airwave base stations are significantly reporting sleep disruptions, headaches, nausea, increased epilepsy, nosebleeds etc. (I am sure you are aware).
I have police officers as neighbours as well as an Airwave mast, and the above issues are most certainly a part of the equation.
For those of us suffering these things, research over 15 years is little comfort, and we can't switch our base stations off when we go home. What is more unsettling is that no-one is interested in researching what is called this "anecdotal evidence" of electrical sensitivity, and it would seem that it must be an even more important factor for our police officers.
We will have early evidence for short-term effects (symptoms) but we also have to monitor long-term effects.
This is a genuine enquiry, since I am in receipt of so many reports of these effects from day to day.
No, I quite understand your concerns and rest assured, we are doing all we can to do well designed research to get to the bottom of the issues…
I hope that we have been able to help you.
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