By Truman Lewis
ConsumerAffairs.com
September 14, 2009
For years, health researchers have expressed concerns about the widespread use of cell phones, especially by children. Finally, more than a decade after a test funded by the cell phone industry showed a possible link between cell phones and cancer, the Senate held hearings on the question, while engaging in various contortions to avoid offending the industry's powerful lobbyists.
"I will still use my cell phone after the hearing ends," Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) boasted while, in a more serious moment, noting that he did not want to overlook the nation's experience with cigarettes, which were touted as harmless and even helpful for decades after the first indications that they might cause health problems.
The saving grace for the cell phone industry -- for now anyway -- is that the devices have only been in widespread use for the last 10 years or so, which researchers say may not be long enough to get a complete picture of their health effects, since many cancers develop only after years of exposure to carcinogens.
But with an estimated 270 million Americans using cell phones, National Institutes of Health associate director John Bucher said the nation faces a "potentially significant health problem." Studies so far have been inconclusive, partly because of the time element and partly because they rely on users' memories of when and how often they used their wireless devices.
As an interim measure, Bucher suggested regular cell phone users might want to use an ear piece that connects to the phone, rather than holding the phone next to their ear.
Health authorities in Switzerland, Germany, Israel and France have all issued guidelines on cell phone use and have emphasized that the risk may be greater for children, since their brains are smaller and soak up proportionately more radiation than adults' brains. Also, children who start using cell phones at an early age will be exposed to the potentially harmful radiation for many more decades than adults who did not begin using cell phones regularly until they were in their 30s or 40s.
Report warns of dangers
Timed to coincide with the Senate hearing, a new report lists what it says are "15 reasons for concern" about the health effects of cell phones and seeks to debunk a 13-nation industry-funded study, called Interphone. The study was begun in 1999 but has not been published.
The report, compiled by a coalition of U.S. and U.K. organizations, alleges that:
• There is a risk of brain tumors from cellphone use;
• Telecom-funded studies underestimate the risk of brain tumors, and;
• Children have larger risks than adults for brain tumors.
Exposure to cellphone radiation is the largest human health experiment ever undertaken, without informed consent, and has some 4 billion participants enrolled," said Lloyd Morgan, lead author and member of the Bioelectromagnetics Society. "Science has shown increased risk of brain tumors from use of cellphones, as well as increased risk of eye cancer, salivary gland tumors, testicular cancer, non-Hodgkins lymphoma and leukemia. The public must be informed.
The full text of the report is available online at www.radiationresearch.org/pdfs/15reasons.asp.
Industry response
The cell phone industry, meanwhile, issued a statement asserting that no adverse health effects have been proven.
"When it comes to the facts about cell phones and health-related effects, the industry relies on the conclusions of impartial groups such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the American Cancer Society, and the National Institute of Health, which have all concluded that the scientific evidence to date does not demonstrate any adverse health effects associated with the use of wireless phones," said Steve Largent, President of CTIA-The Wireless Association.
In July 2009, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) released a statement addressing the current scientific evidence concerning exposure to high frequency electromagnetic fields (EMF), including frequencies used for modern wireless communications. It said the scientific literature provided no evidence of any adverse effects below the basic restrictions and does not necessitate an immediate revision of its guidance on limiting exposure to high frequency electromagnetic fields, Largent said.
Tests find evidence
Largent did not mention that in 1999, a study conducted at Stanford University and Integrated Laboratory Systems in Research Triangle Park, NC, found both biological indications of cell changes and a statistical link correlating cell phone usage with certain types of brain cancer. The tests, which were funded by the cellular industry, found chromosal changes in blood cells subjected to the same type of electromagnetic radiation emitted by hand-held cell phones.
Since then, there have been numerous studies that have indicated the potential for health problems resulting from cell phone use, including:
• August 2000 Scientists writing in Medscape General Medicine surveyed existing studies and found that "claims of absolute safety [are] no longer supportable."
• October 2004 A study in the international journal Epidemiology finds that people who have used cell phones for at least 10 years may have an increased risk of developing a rare brain tumor.
• January 2005 British researchers warn that cell phone use can produce brain tumors and warn that children under age eight should not use mobile phones. Their report says heavy use can lead to tumors in the brain and ears, and further states that up until now, the risk has largely been understated by most scientists.
• May 2005 A Swedish study finds that users of digital phones in rural areas may be at greater risk of brain cancer. Its authors say the link is troubling, although they acknowledge that the amount of data is small.
• June 2005A British study finds that cell phones may harm sperm cells.
• February 2008 A study reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology suggests that cell phone use contributes to cancer of the salivary gland.
• March 2008 A prominent British health researcher warns that cell phones could be more dangerous than asbestos and smoking.
• May 2008 A study by UCLA and Danish researchers warns that women who use a cell phone while pregnant are much more likely to have unruly children.
• July 2008 The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute warns its faculty and staff of the possible health risk of using cell phones.
