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Handset Health Hijinx

Europe’s science boffins claim to have evidence that cellphones do not pose a threat to health, a finding the latest victim of Nokia Corp.'s (NYSE: NOK) mysterious exploding handset saga would no doubt dispute (see Nokia's Flaming Fortunes).

The independent Advisory Group on Non-Ionising Radiation (AGNIR) has reviewed research into the health effects of exposure to cellphone radio frequency waves, concluding that “in aggregate, the research published... does not give cause for concern.”

Good news for both consumers and handset vendors -- unless, it appears, you have a penchant for dodgy batteries. Media reports this week suggest yet another hapless soul has fallen victim to an exploding Nokia 8310 handset, this time an unnamed Vietnamese businessman working for a government-owned accountancy firm.

The latest incident follows a spate of reports last year that the Finnish vendor’s cellphones have a tendency to go bang, a fact the company attributed to “unsafe, low-quality, counterfeit” batteries (see Nokia Fights Battery Woes).

Burn, baby burn.

— Justin Springham, Senior Editor, Europe, Unstrung

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