YORK scientists are to play a crucial part in the major Government investigation into the health effects of mobile phones.

Researchers in the University of York's Department of Electronics will measure radiation from phones in one of a number of projects announced by the Department of Health.

With 40 million mobile phones in circulation in the country, there is concern that there has not been enough research into the potential health hazards that they might pose.

The Government has awarded £4.5 million to 14 projects across the Britain in the first phase of a £7.4 million programme looking at different aspects of phone use, ranging from the effects on behaviour to effects on blood pressure and hearing.

The York team of Dr Stuart Porter, Professor Andy Marvin, Dr Myles Capstick and Dr Ian Flintoft, has been awarded £454,000 to look at the electromagnetic intensity and amount of energy deposited within the body by mobile phones.

Their work aims to provide valid exposure data and to develop reliable methods to test different types of mobile phones.

Dr Porter said: "We hope to provide medical studies with reliable information as they assess the possible health effects of electromagnetic fields and energies within the human body.

"We will also be able to specify hardware that can be used to study any possible health effects. And importantly, we will have a set of methods to accurately test the exposure to potential hazards from new technologies."

Updated: 11:59 Tuesday, February 12, 2002