Urgent Public Health Questions Rejected by Sefton Council and Now Made Public
On behalf of the EM Radiation Research Trust, I submitted urgent public health questions to Sefton Council regarding the risks associated with RF radiation from mobile phone masts and 5G infrastructure. These questions addressed growing concerns about the impact on vulnerable populations, including cancer patients, children, and individuals living near schools, care homes, hospitals, and homes.
The questions were submitted by email at 16:22 on Wednesday, 2nd July 2025. Like many members of the public, I believed that the deadline for public questions was seven days before the Council meeting that is, Thursday, 3rd July. However, I was later informed that the official cut-off was 12 noon on 2nd July, and my submission has therefore been rejected.
This is deeply disappointing, given the urgency of the issue and the new scientific evidence published by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Environmental Research (2025). Their systematic review concludes that RF radiation causes cancer in animals, reinforcing earlier warnings and prompting many scientists and doctors to call for its reclassification as a Group 1 known human carcinogen.
These findings raise serious questions about the adequacy of current public exposure limits and the lack of transparency and precaution in local planning decisions.
Although my questions will not be heard at the 10th July 2025 Council meeting, I believe this information must be made public.
We are therefore publishing the full statement and formal question below, and we encourage all Sefton councillors and members of the public to review and raise these issues as a matter of urgency.
đź”— Read the full statement and questions submitted below:
EM Radiation Research Trust
For the attention of Sefton Council
Please find enclosed my submitted questions for the Full Council meeting to be held at Southport Town Hall on Thursday, 10th July 2025. I would be grateful if these could be formally accepted for inclusion in the agenda and responded to at the meeting.
Question for Council Meeting: Phone Masts, 5G, and Public Health Risks to Vulnerable Groups
Public Health Concern: RF Radiation and Active Implantable Medical Devices (AIMDs)
Formal Question for Sefton Council:
An increasing number of residents now rely on Active Implantable Medical Devices (AIMDs), such as pacemakers, insulin pumps, cochlear implants, and deep brain or spinal cord stimulators. These life-saving technologies are known to be vulnerable to electromagnetic interference (EMI) from radiofrequency (RF)-emitting infrastructure, including mobile phone masts and 5G transmitters.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has acknowledged this risk and advises that AIMD users must avoid exclusion zones around RF-emitting infrastructure. However, these zones are neither defined in planning documents, enforced through regulation, nor made publicly accessible. This lack of clarity poses a serious risk to AIMD wearers, children, people with metal implants, and individuals with pre-existing health conditions, many of whom may be unknowingly exposed to harmful levels of RF radiation.
In March 2025, the Court of Appeal addressed this issue in the case of Steven Thomas v Cheltenham Borough Council. The judgment confirmed that failure to consider the known risks of RF radiation especially in relation to AIMD wearers and other vulnerable individuals constitutes an error of law in planning decisions. This ruling establishes a legal precedent all councils must now observe.
In light of: The UKHSA’s position on exclusion zones for AIMD wearers, and the Court of Appeal’s ruling in Thomas v Cheltenham Borough Council, How does Sefton Council intend to fulfil its duty of care to AIMD wearers, people with metal implants, children, and others at increased risk of biological harm when considering planning applications for RF-emitting infrastructure particularly near schools, care homes, hospitals, and private homes given that: ICNIRP certification does not account for medical vulnerabilities, cumulative exposures, and no official exclusion zones are currently enforced or made public?
Supplementary Question:
Public Health Statement: WHO Confirms Cancer Risk from RF Radiation
The EM Radiation Research Trust wishes to bring to the Council’s urgent attention the latest findings from the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), published in Environmental Research (2025).
This comprehensive systematic review concludes that radiofrequency (RF) radiation causes cancer in laboratory animals. The findings significantly strengthen IARC’s original 2011 classification of RF radiation as a Group 2B “possible human carcinogen.”
In light of this new evidence, many doctors and scientists are now calling for RF radiation to be reclassified as a Group 1 “known human carcinogen,” raising serious concerns about the adequacy of existing public exposure limits and the need for precaution in policy and planning decisions.
Reference: Effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure on cancer in laboratory animal studies – a systematic review, Environmental Research, 2025 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412025002338
How will Sefton Council take this new scientific evidence into account when approving planning applications for phone masts and 5G infrastructure, especially near vulnerable groups such as people living with cancer, cancer survivors, children, and residents in schools, care homes, hospitals, or private homes? In light of this emerging scientific evidence, will the Council review and update its planning policies to better protect public health?
Sincerely,
Eileen O’Connor
Charity Director
EM Radiation Research Trust
www.radiationresearch.org