To All -
This article is from the Aug 14 issue of Business
Week.
NEWS: ANALYSIS
& COMMENTARY
Commentary: 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
proj-ects 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.
By Norm Alster
Alster covers technology for Business Week
in Boston.
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