Aug. 7, 2000
New York - Seventy-five studies over the past six years have failed to prove that cellphones cause brain cancer, but the 400 million cellphone users worldwide would be wise to take precautions anyway, says a researcher who reviewed the studies.
His conclusion is at odds with the Food and Drug Administration's stance and has angered cellular industry officials, who say the science doesn't warrant such a warning.
Pathologist and lawyer George Carlo, director of the Wireless Technology Research program, a $27 million project funded by the cellular industry, reviewed 50 studies done by his group and 25 done by others. His findings are published in the online scientific journal Medscape (medscape.com).
''There is enough (evidence) to raise some serious questions about the safety of cellphones,'' Carlo says. ''While we can't prove that cellphones cause cancer, we can't prove that they are absolutely safe.''
Jo-Anne Basile of the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association says the science clearly contradicts Carlo's warnings. ''It is the opinion of policymakers and the scientific community that there are no adverse health effects from cellphones,'' she says. ''You can't make all sorts of extrapolations from the science that is out there.''
Russell Owen, chief of the radiation biology branch of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, says the federal agency's position is that there ''are no adverse health effects'' from cellphones and that there is no need to issue any type of warning to the public.
In 1993, a Florida man claimed that his cancer was caused by his cellphone, triggering a mini-panic within and outside the cellphone industry.
The industry put $27 million into a blind trust, and government auditors looked over the funding of the studies.
Carlo says there is ''strong evidence'' that cellular radiation can cause genetic damage to blood cells that could prevent them from repairing broken DNA. Such damage could lead to tumors and breakdowns in the immune system.
He also notes three studies that found that people who used cellphones were more likely to get tumors on the outside of their brains. Another study showed that people who had used a cellphone for more than six years were 50% more likely to get benign tumors behind the ears.
He recommends keeping cellphone antennas at least 2 inches from your head or using a headset. The antennas emit low levels of radiation that are strongest when the phone is ringing or being dialed.
All sides agree on one thing: More study is needed. ''These are test-tube tests,'' Basile says. ''We are a long way from determining anything.
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