Most people would regard it as a scientific report. A professor and a doctor have both given their opinions and they are highly qualified scientists. Moreover, it has been reported in a broadsheet newspaper by a science correspondent who it must be presumed has viewed the report from a critical standpoint before accepting it. The fact that there has been no peer-reviewed paper is neither here nor there; don't forget, the general public is constantly being told to trust scientists over matters such as global warming on the strength of far less evidence being presented.
If you want to know why the public is increasingly wary of scientific pronouncements, here's an example why.
