Today, the EM Radiation Research Trust sent an urgent letter to key Members of Parliament warning against BT’s aggressive push to fast-track 5G by removing planning controls and doubling available spectrum all in pursuit of a projected £230 billion economic windfall.

But at what cost?

⚠️ Children, AIMD users, cancer patients, and electrosensitive individuals may face growing health risks from increased RF radiation.
⚠️ A 2025 Court of Appeal ruling confirms RF exposure risks must be considered in planning.
⚠️ WHO-backed research shows RF radiation causes cancer in animals calls are growing to reclassify it as a known human carcinogen.
⚠️ Fires linked to phone masts and smart meters are increasing due to overheating, electrical faults, and poor safety standards.
⚠️ No legally enforced exclusion zones. No public consultation. No protection for the vulnerable.

📄 Read our full letter to MPs here: Sent via Email From: Eileen O’Connor, Director and Co-founder EM Radiation Research Trust

Date: 15th July 2025 

Sent To: Michelle Donelan MP,Saqib Bhatti MP, Wes Streeting MP, Andrew Gwynne MP, Angela Rayner MP, Matthew Pennycook MP, Steve Reed MP, Vicky Foxcroft MP, Rachel Reeves MP, Karin Smyth MP, Bill Esterson MP  

Cc: Brian Stein CBE EM Radiation Research Trust Chairman 

Dear Ministers and Members of Parliament,

 I am writing on behalf of the EM Radiation Research Trust (RRT) to raise urgent concerns about BT’s recent call to accelerate the UK’s 5G rollout by removing planning barriers and doubling available spectrum, as reported in Business Matters Magazine on 11 July 2025: BT says UK planning barriers risk £230bn economic windfall from 5G.

We are alarmed by the potential health and social costs overlooked in this push. The following open letter outlines our concerns and recommendations:

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BT Pushes for Faster 5G Rollout – But At What Human Cost?

The EM Radiation Research Trust warns of significant risks to public health amid industry pressure to dismantle vital planning safeguards.

BT’s proposal to accelerate 5G rollout by removing planning controls and expanding spectrum fails to acknowledge serious health risks associated with increased radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic radiation exposure. While the economic benefits are touted at £230 billion by 2035, the potential cost to vulnerable populations and public health may be far greater.

Vulnerable Populations at Risk

We are particularly concerned about the impact on:

1) Children, who absorb up to 10 times more RF radiation than adults due to their developing brains and thinner skulls. RRT’s report “Up to 10x More Radiation: Are Our Children the Unseen Victims of Wireless Technology?” highlights this emerging public health crisis: https://radiationresearch.org/up-to-10x-more-radiation-are-our-children-the-unseen-victims-of-wireless-technology/

2) Electrosensitive individuals, whose lives are severely restricted by chronic RF exposure.

3) People with Active Implantable Medical Devices (AIMDs) such as pacemakers, insulin pumps, cochlear implants, and neurostimulators, who are vulnerable to electromagnetic interference (EMI) from RF-emitting infrastructure. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has recognised the risks and advises AIMD users to avoid exclusion zones around such transmitters. Yet these exclusion zones are not defined in planning policy, enforced through regulation, nor made publicly accessible placing AIMD wearers and others at grave risk.

4) Cancer patients and survivors, whose conditions may be exacerbated by electromagnetic fields.

Legal and Scientific Developments Demand Precaution

In March 2025, the Court of Appeal in Steven Thomas v Cheltenham Borough Council confirmed that failure to consider RF radiation risks especially to AIMD wearers and vulnerable groups in planning decisions constitutes an error of law. This ruling establishes a binding legal precedent for all local authorities to uphold their duty of care.

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Additionally, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has published a comprehensive 2025 systematic review in Environmental Research confirming that RF radiation causes cancer in laboratory animals. This strengthens IARC’s original 2011 classification of RF radiation as a Group 2B “possible human carcinogen,” with growing calls among scientists and doctors to upgrade the classification to Group 1 “known human carcinogen.”
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

Fire Hazards – A Growing Public Safety Crisis

In addition to health risks, the rapid expansion of wireless infrastructure raises urgent safety concerns over fire hazards linked to mobile phone masts and smart meters. The Radiation Research Trust has documented several alarming incidents globally including mast fires in the UK highlighting poor build quality, overheating, electrical faults, and a lack of adequate fire safety standards as contributing factors. These events are no longer isolated. As more powerful infrastructure is deployed in densely populated areas, the risk to property and public safety continues to escalate. These hazards must not be ignored in the pursuit of economic growth.
Reference: Phone Mast & Smart Meter Fires – A Global Public Safety Crisis
https://radiationresearch.org/5g-phone-mast-fire-london-8th-november-2024/

Our Recommendations

Given these facts, we urge policymakers to:

  • Halt any moves to remove or dilute planning controls on telecom infrastructure until independent, comprehensive health and environmental risk assessments including the impact on AIMD users and vulnerable populations are completed.
  • Recognise and protect vulnerable groups, especially AIMD wearers, children, electrosensitive individuals, cancer patients, and others.
  • Restore and uphold local authority powers over mast siting decisions, and guarantee meaningful community consultation.
  • Implement clear exclusion zones around RF infrastructure, fully integrated into planning policies.
  • Commission an urgent, independent review of RF exposure guidelines to align with the latest scientific evidence and protect public health effectively.
  • Conduct a nationwide review of fire safety risks associated with phone masts and smart meters, and introduce mandatory engineering and regulatory standards to prevent overheating, electrical faults, and fire-related incidents.
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 We look forward to your response on how the UK Government intends to address these urgent concerns.

Sincerely,
Eileen O’Connor
EM Radiation Research Trust www.radiationresearch.org

The EM Radiation Research Trust is an educational organisation funded by donations. An independent Charity Registered No. 1106304 © The EM Radiation Research Trust 2003-2004

🛑 We’re calling on YOU to take action.

📬 Write to your MP today and demand:

  • A halt to 5G expansion until full, independent health and fire safety reviews are completed
  • Protection for vulnerable groups including defined, enforced exclusion zones
  • Restoration of local authority planning powers
  • Real public consultation and safety-first policy

👥 Your voice matters. Once this infrastructure is in place, the consequences may be irreversible.

🔗 Find your MP and contact them here: https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP

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