Councillor Roy Pennington's assertions that mobile phone masts are safe (The Argus, August 25) are extremely irresponsible.

There are now thousands of independent studies showing huge cumulative damage to health.

The recent four-year Reflex study, conducted in seven EU countries, found irrefutable and widespread double-strand DNA damage of the sort which causes cancer.

The long-term Freiberger (40,000 signatories), IDEA, Lichtenfelser, Hofer, Bamberger, Santini, Helsinki, and Californian studies all detail widespread DNA damage, cancers, tumours, epilepsy, sleep disorders, increased cholesterol and blood pressure, blood clots and strokes from intensive exposure to masts and cell and DECT cordless phones.

They are pleading for the health effects of this technology to be taken very seriously.

Government and industry constantly quote ICNIRP compliance as assurance of safety for any mast, yet these international guidelines were formulated in 1998 solely by observing the immediate thermal effects on rats' brains from 20 minutes of exposure.

They completely ignore the longer-term pulsed microwaves, which independent researchers agree cause the damage. Eminent researcher Dr Neil Cherry said the safe level for microwave exposure was nil.

The currently unfurling 3G system is, according to researcher Glynn Hughes, 30 times more powerful than the conventional network, which is itself responsible for massive health damage.

Then you have microwave burglar alarms, baby monitors, and wireless laptop and local computer networks.

I have measured emissions throughout central Brighton and am extremely concerned.

As vice chairman of Brighton and Hove City Council's planning committee, Councillor Pennington should be recommending an investigation into the health effects of this technology.

-Graham Parfitt, Brighton