Cell Phones: We
Need More Testing
Back in the early 1980s, there were 35 researchers at the Environmental
Protection Agency exploring the biological effects of radiation
from cell phones and other devices. But by 1987, budget cuts had
shut the program down. Since then, the Federal Communications
Commission and the Food & Drug Administration have regulated
wireless communications with a feathery touch.
This hands-off approach no longer seems appropriate. Despite
repeated safety assurances from the cell-phone industry, scientists
keep turning up disturbing signs. On July 31, a survey of recent
safety studies was released by George L. Carlo, a pathologist
and professional research administrator who ran a $25 million
industry-funded risk investigation. Some studies in the survey--which
appeared on the respected medical Web site Medscape--showed evidence
of gene damage in blood cells exposed to cell-phone radiation.
Others indicated heightened tumor rates in cell-phone users. ''At
the very least, the data say that claims of absolute safety would
be irresponsible,'' declares Carlo, who now runs a for-profit
research company called Health Risk Management Group.
LEGAL ACTION. Carlo's report doesn't prove that cell phones cause
cancer or other diseases. But many experts echo his concerns.
Leif G. Salford, a professor of neurosurgery at the University
of Lund in Sweden, found that microwave radiation at cell-phone
frequencies can weaken the blood-brain barrier in rats. In May,
a British government report recommended that children not be exposed
to mobile phones. Italy and Switzerland have slashed allowed radiation
emissions from cellular base stations.
Belatedly, the U.S. government is also taking action. In early
June, partly in response to recent studies, the FDA announced
it would help supervise a new industry-sponsored research program.
And in July, the industry announced plans to provide labels disclosing
how much radiation phones emit.
But for an industry struggling to boost consumer confidence,
these steps may be too little, too late. It is certainly past
time to keep the issue from spilling into the courts. On Aug.
1, Christopher J. Newman, a 41-year-old neurologist who developed
a brain tumor, sued Motorola Inc. and several wireless carriers
in state court in Baltimore. The suit alleges that the companies
failed to disclose known radiation hazards from cell-phone use.
And lawyer Peter G. Angelos, who helped win huge settlements against
the asbestos and tobacco industries, told Business Week he has
been approached by several brain-tumor victims. He won't file
suit unless he's ''90% sure'' of victory, but says he is ''very
intensively'' studying this area.
The FDA's participation in a Cooperative Research & Development
Agreement (CRADA) with the cellular industry is an encouraging
step. Unfortunately, the effort is flawed. It's troubling that
the industry is picking up the bill and will choose which projects
receive funding. With cellular companies adamantly insisting that
the phones are safe, only research that is designed and funded
independently--presumably by the government--would have full credibility.
''How can [the FDA] claim to be impartial if they are taking a
lot of money from industry to do research?'' asks Dr. W. Ross
Adey, distinguished professor of physiology at the Loma Linda
(Calif.) School of Medicine.
The industry, for its part, finds plenty of fault with Carlo,
the man fanning the latest round of concerns. Some of the findings
he posted last week have not yet been replicated. And a top researcher
in the program he administered challenges his interpretation of
the brain-tumor data. What's more, Carlo is on disputed ground
in his claim that low levels of radiation alone--as opposed to
heat from the cellular handset--could cause medical problems.
Motorola director of biological research, Dr. Mays L. Swicord,
insists there is no repeatable or established evidence of biological
effects from cell-phone radiation.
Henry Lai, research professor of bioengineering at the University
of Washington, disagrees: Looking at about 200 research papers
published since 1996 on the impact of microwave radiation, he
found that 80% of them reported biological effects. ''These include
behavioral effects on brain function, effects on the immune system,
and genetic effects,'' he says. Lai has also found DNA damage
in rats exposed to microwave radiation at power levels similar
to those produced by cell phones.
Who's right? There isn't enough information yet to judge. As
Sweden's Salford puts it, cell phones constitute ''the world's
largest biological experiment ever.'' Only well-designed and supervised
science will tell us whether and how cell phones affect human
cells--and calm consumers' increasingly frayed nerves.
Business Week
Journalist: Norm Alster
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