Schools warning over phone-masts

Children's health and security could be threatened by the growing number of mobile telephone aerials sited on school buildings, a teaching union warns. The National Association of Schoolmasters/ Union of Women Teachers is preparing to issue guidance to all schools advising them not to agree to install the aerial masts amid concerns over their safety.

Research into the effects of the electromagnetic fields emitted by the masts has failed to disprove claims that exposure to the fields can cause cancer. The four mobile phone companies say they are operating within nationally set safety limits and deny any threat to health.

The union also fears that the aerials present a security risk, since schools are obliged to allow engineers on site for servicing and repairs. Lucy Ward