Dubai Municipality is studying the matter of mobile phones coming with danger warnings telling users how much harmful radiation they emit.

The European Union is insisting that phone manufacturers clearly print details of how much radiation the body soaks up when the phone is used, especially on the handsets. Radiation levels, or Specific Absorption Rates as they are known in the industry, will be printed in user manuals from October.

Hamdan Al Shaer, Director of the Environment Department at Dubai Municipality, said: "We will study the matter from all aspects and in detail. After considering the appropriate measures, we will issue a decision."

He noted that the matter of radiation absorption is extremely important to the civic body as it concerns public health and safety. The move will give consumers more information when choosing a mobile phone.

The SAR level will tell consumers which phone is the safest according to a rating scale. The maximum safety limit is 2.0 for phones which emit the highest levels. The safest phones are those with an SAR level of less than 1.0.

If printed on the handsets or the packaging, the SAR levels will be more visible to the potential customer and they will be able to compare between various brands and make a more informed choice.

A spokesman for the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation, said: "It was a major step forwards that the phone manufacturers agreed to publish SAR levels in their user manuals.

"But the consumer is likely not to see the figure, much less understand what it means. If SAR levels are given a higher profile and put on handsets, consumers will be better informed when deciding which phone to use."

Some of the most commonly bought models in the world market are rated above 1.0. International research results show the Ericsson T28 is 1.27, while both the Siemens C35i and the Nokia 6210 have levels of 1.19. The Nokia 8850 has an SAR level of just 0.22 and the Ericsson T18s is rated at just 0.61.

The world's largest mobile phone manufacturer, Nokia, together with its closest rivals Motorola and Ericsson, have agreed to print information on SAR levels in user manuals from October. There are mixed claims by scientists about the dangers of radiation emitted by cellphones.

No sufficient evidence has been obtained to establish a direct link but a few researchers claim that users will face health problems such as headaches, migraine and other symptoms of the central nervous system from excessive use of mobiles.