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The cell phone industry: Big Tobacco 2.0? By Molly Wood, senior editor, CNET.com So, there's this incredibly popular product that has widespread consumer use and a massive marketing presence. Nearly everyone uses it, and it has very high social acceptance, even though some people find it annoying when it's used in public. It's highly habit-forming; people who use the product on a regular basis find it almost impossible to live without. Unfortunately, studies start to appear showing that the product might be harmful to its users--even cancer-causing. The product's manufacturers deny the presence of any danger and even spend millions of dollars trying to discredit the research that points to problems. Then, an insider emerges, seemingly with proof that the product could be dangerous. The industry agrees to publish warning data about the product, but continues to maintain that the product itself is safe for use. Lawsuits against the product's manufacturers are filed, but all are dismissed. Industry analysts know that any case that does succeed could start a domino effect of future lawsuits, which keeps the industry determined to maintain that the product is harmless, despite increasing evidence to the contrary. TalkBack Well, put down your lighter, I'm talking about cell phones. I've already maintained that I don't like the cell phone industry's iron-clad control over phone releases and pricing, its ever-lengthening contracts, and the annoying habit it has of crippling Bluetooth phones so that I can't use them the way I want to. But it takes only a few minutes of looking into the cell phone radiation quagmire before I start to think, man, these guys have Big Tobacco 2.0 written all over them. Actually, I'm not the first to think of it, but a recent article in the University of Washington alumni magazine indicates that the behaviors aren't going away, even as the potentially damning research continues to mount. OK, I know the obvious differences: I'm sure cell phone manufacturers are not deliberately making their products more addictive, for example--although they are, of course, always offering new and improved services and ever-increasing buckets of minutes, which can't help but encourage us to use our phones more and more frequently. But, just as Big Tobacco did, the cell phone industry seems bound and determined to thwart and deny any suggestion that its product might be dangerous. A history of bad news The biggest Russell Crowe-style insider in this case, though, is Dr. George Carlo, who was hired by the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association to head up a $28 million research program into possible health effects from cellular phones. Unfortunately, he now says his findings show an increased rate of brain cancer deaths, development of tumors, and genetic damage among heavy cell phone users. He wrote this letter of concern to the president of AT&T Corporation and later went public with his findings after what he considered to be neglect by the industry. He's since broken with the industry, become a vocal critic, and coauthored a book called Cell Phones: Invisible Hazards in the Wireless Age--so you can tell he's on the "cell phones could cause cancer" side of things.
Meanwhile, more studies keep coming, and they seem to be getting worse. A study funded by the European Union reported last December that radio waves from mobile phones do, definitively, damage DNA and other cells in the body--and that the damage extended to the next generation of cells. Even though mutated cells are considered a possible cause of cancer, the UK National Radiological Protection Board said that since the study didn't show that the damage definitely led to disease, consumers shouldn't worry too much about the findings. Uh, right. In the meantime, the report recommended that children use mobile phones only in emergency situations. You know, just in case. How reassuring. The cell phone industry hasn't commissioned another large-scale study--at least not publicly--since its fateful encounter with Dr. Carlo--and why would they? They're in a catch-22. It's a multibillion dollar industry, and they simply can't afford to find out, definitively, that cell phones are dangerous. Worse, just like the tobacco companies, if they start issuing warnings and precautionary tales now, it'll look like they knew all along that the radio waves were dangerous, opening them up to major liability claims. They've already dodged one big, big bullet--an $800 million lawsuit against Motorola and cell phone carriers was thrown out in 2002, with the judge ruling that there wasn't sufficient evidence for trial. Since then, neurologist Dr. Christopher Newman, who filed the lawsuit, has died of brain cancer.
Listen, I use a cell phone, and I'm not trying to scare the bejesus out of everyone. But I do use a headset when I'm talking for any long period of time, and I carry that sucker in my purse, not my pocket. (I know you guys don't have that luxury, but reconsider the briefcase, OK?) And if you're shopping for a new phone, you might want to check our cell phone radiation chart to see which ones carry a low dose
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In a few more years, we'll either know for sure that cell phones can cause cancer, or we'll know they can't. I just hope we don't find out the hard way--through subpoenaed documents from cell phone makers and carriers who've been trying to minimize their damages and maximize their profits for more than a decade By Molly Wood, senior editor, CNET.com Long-Term Cell Phone Use
Spurs Tumor Growth Interestingly enough, studies found that the risk was confined to the side of the head that was used most often while talking on the phone. As a matter of fact, the risk of acoustic neuroma was nearly four times greater on the side of the head that the phone was most frequently held compared to the other side, which appeared normal. A study revealed that the number of years of phone usage seemed to play a factor in the development of the tumor, as those using their phone 10 years or more were shown to nearly double their risk of acoustic neuroma. On the other hand, those who used their phone for less than 10 years didn't show any signs of increases risk. Participants of the study included 150 people with acoustic neuroma and 600 healthy people. Since the only types of phones used during the study were analog mobile phones, researchers questioned whether or not the same results would apply to long-term use of the digital phones, which have since replaced the bulkier and less advanced analog phones. In response to the study results, the mobile phone industry claimed there wasn't any scientific evidence to supporting findings showing that using mobile phones causes negative health effects. USA Today October 14, 2004 According to a four-year research project focused on studying the effect of radiation on human and animal cells, researchers found that the radio waves emitted from a cellular phone may harm body cells and damage DNA in laboratory conditions. Although the study did not prove that mobile phones are a risk to one's health, it did indicate that cells exposed to electromagnetic fields, similar to those of mobile phones, showed a significant increase in single and double-strand DNA breaks. This damage could be permanent, not to mention that remaining damage could set the stage for future degeneration of cells. Additional research could take another four or five years. In the meantime, researchers recommend against using a mobile phone when a fixed line phone is available, as well as using a headset connected to a cell phone whenever possible. USA Today December 21, 2004 Cell Phones May Harm Blood
Cells The conventional theory states the only way radio waves could harm a cell would be if they were powerful enough to break chemical bonds or heat the tissue, like microwaves. However, it was discovered the radiation given off by the handsets on mobile phones was too weak to result in either of these effects. Research has shown that water molecules have poles of positive and negative electric charges referred to as van der Waals forces, which are known to produce attractive forces between cells. In a study using a very simplified mathematical model of two red blood cells, the effect of electromagnetic fields with different frequencies of radiation was calculated. This study determined that the water molecules within the cells tried to reposition their negative and positive poles by altering the field created by the radiation. The results of this study didn’t prove negative effects from mobile phone radiation, however if the effect could be proven based on experimentation, it could provide the basis of an explanation for tissue damage. Future studies will be conducted to check the dielectric properties of various types of biological tissue during exposure to radiation across the range of frequencies normally used by mobile phones. New Scientist April 6, 2004
Cell Phones
and Brain Tumors Scientists have found the first evidence linking brain cancer with mobile phone use. It was found that users who spend more than an hour a day talking on a mobile phone have a close to one-third higher risk of developing a rare form of brain tumor. Most frequently, the cancers were found on the side of the head that the user held the phone up to. The association was found with digital mobile phones, old-style analogue mobile phones and digital enhanced cordless phones. Although radiation from mobile phones has been shown to alter the brain and affect memory, past studies have found no evidence of a link between brain cancer and mobile phone use. |
In the current study, researchers looked at the medical records of 1,600 patients with tumors who had used mobile phones for up to 10 years before diagnosis. They found that the more mobile phones were used, and the more years they were used, the higher the risk of brain tumors. Further, spending more than an hour on a mobile phone per day increased the risk of acoustic neuroma, a type of tumor, by some 30 percent. This type of tumor, usually curable by surgery, can occur in a nerve in the brain and lead to deafness in one ear. Incidences of this type of cancer, though rare, have increased from one tumor per 100,000 people in 1980 to one per 80,000 today. Researchers say that the findings appear to show a link, but further studies are needed to confirm the results. International Journal of Oncology February 2003;22(2):399-407 More Mobile
Phone Users Report Symptoms Researchers sent questionnaires to 17,000 people in Sweden and Norway who use mobile phones as part of their job. Nearly one of every four experienced at least one symptom associated with mobile phone use Warmth sensations were mostly experienced during mobile phone calls. Other symptoms, such as headaches, most often began within half an hour after the call and usually lasted for up to 2 hours Most of the respondents had not seen a physician, but about 45% had taken steps to relieve their symptoms, such as reducing the duration of calls and using "hands free equipment." Most people experienced a reduction of their symptoms as a result of the reported steps. Symptoms were more likely to happen with calls lasting longer than 5 minutes Occupational Medicine 2000;50:237-245. |