Scientists warn US Congress of cancer risk for cell phone use

Scientists warn US Congress of cancer risk for cell phone use

AFP - Friday, September 26

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The potential link between mobile telephones and
brain cancer could be similar to the link between lung cancer and
smoking -- something tobacco companies took 50 years to recognize,
according to US scientists' warning.

Scientists are currently split on the level of danger the biological
effects of the magnetic field emitted by cellular telephones poses to
humans.

However, society "must not repeat the situation we had with the
relationship between smoking and lung cancer where we ... waited until
every 'i' was dotted and 't' was crossed before warnings were issued,"
said David Carpenter, director of the Institute of Health and
Environment at the University of Albany, in testimony before a
subcommittee of the US House of Representatives Committee on Oversight
and Reform.

"Precaution is warranted even in the absence of absolutely final
evidence concerning the magnitude of the risk" -- especially for
children, said Carpenter.

Ronald Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer
Institute -- one of the top US cancer research centers -- said that
most studies "claiming that there is no link between cell phones and
brain tumors are outdated, had methodological concerns and did not
include sufficient numbers of long-term cell phone users."

Many studies denying a link defined regular cell phone use as "once a
week," he said.

"Recalling the 70 years that it took to remove lead from paint and
gasoline and the 50 years that it took to convincingly establish the
link between smoking and lung cancer, I argue that we must learn from
our past to do a better job of interpreting evidence of potential
risk," said Herberman.

A brain tumor can take dozens of years to develop, the scientists
said.

Carpenter and Herberman both told the committee the brain cancer risk
from cell phone use is far greater for children than for adults.

Herberman held up a model for lawmakers showing how radiation from a
cell phone penetrates far deeper into the brain of a five-year-old
than that of an adult.

The committee were shown several European studies, particularly
surveys from Scandinavia -- where the cell phone was first developed
-- which show that the radiation emitted by cell phones have definite
biological consequences.

For example, a 2008 study by Swedish cancer specialist Lennart Hardell
found that frequent cell phone users are twice as likely to develop a
benign tumor on the auditory nerves of the ear most used with the
handset, compared to the other ear.

A separate study in Israel determined that heavy cell phone users had
a 50 percent increased likelihood in developing a salivary gland
tumor.

In addition, a paper published this month by the Royal Society in
London found that adolescents who start using cell phones before the
age of 20 were five times more likely to develop brain cancer at the
age of 29 than those who didn't use a cell phone.

"It's only on the side of the head where you use the cell phone,"
Carpenter said.

"Every child is using cell phones all of the time, and there are three
billion cell phone users in the world," said Herberman.

He added that, like the messages that warn of health risks on
cigarette packs, cell phones "need a precautionary message."

Carpenter described the situation as "a critical public health issue,"
and called on the US government to support further research and for
the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in charge of monitoring
the use of the radio spectrum, "to review their standards."

Also testifying was Julius Knapp, who heads the FCC office of
engineering and technology -- responsible for setting limits for human
exposure to radio frequency (RF) energy from electronic devices like
telephones that they approve, to prevent it from heating up live
tissue.

"It is important to understand that we rely on guidance from US
health, safety and environmental agencies in setting those limits,"
Knapp said.

He added: "The FCC staff is not sufficiently qualified to speak with
authority to the science of health effects of RF absorption in the
body."

Source:

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20080926/tts-us-health-cancer-telephone-972e412.html
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