Hands-free kits for mobile phones can reduce users' exposure to radiation by 92 per cent, according to research released yesterday which contradicts the findings of a recent British study.
The Australian Consumers' Association said the amount of radiation absorbed by tissue in the head was significantly lower when ear-pieces were used.
In the latest issue of its Choice magazine, the association urged the use of hands-free kits, saying tests on two digital handsets and one analogue phone found a 92 per cent drop in radiation at the head. But levels recorded at the waist were still high when the handset was clipped on a belt and used in hands-free mode.
In April, the British Consumers' Association said its tests showed hands-free kits acted like an aerial and could send three times as much radiation to the brain as a normal handset.
There is no proof radiation from mobile phones is harmful, but medical studies have suggested it is linked to brain tumours, genetic damage and Alzheimer's disease. Inconclusive research has linked mobiles to premature ageing, headaches, nausea and memory loss.
More than 70 per cent of adults in Hong Kong have at least one mobile phone, and the use of hands-free kits is growing. Under new laws in force since July 1, motorists caught using a hand-held mobile while driving face a $2,000 fine.