Tobacco Documents Online

0 . 0 Scientists Urge More Cellular Phone Stuclies No Proof of Cancer Link, Hill Panel Told By Cind Skrzycld w~~esmw~ A panel of scientists said yester- day there's no trod that pottahle cellular phones cpusQ cancer, but catled for more studies to allAy~ lic cuncems aboUlfhealth risks the phones, .. . In the meantime, aetentists fror~ the Food andDrng ,eldmin9stratios~ and the National Cancer 3nstitute yesterday adyisld,j(~e millions qt Americans who h$ye c~lly~ar phoues, to limit their use.. : " The cautiofuit`y+ noqe"vras sounded at a congressipnal br>efing prompted by a scare thatfiaa qwept the ~elhitarw plwtte indug~ si`ncy a Florida mi~ blamed -his e's braitrcancer on rOP din waves emitted by her cellulat phone. Since then, three other peoi ple have alleged a link between cef; lular phones and bYam tumors. The cellular phone industry, which has grown rapidly to about 10 million subscribers dtter the last def cade, has assured thepublic that ce1= lular phones are aW and wilE com- mission a study to pn3k!e' lts point. Appearing bef tiottse Energy and Commerce ~tp~iuttee yes- terday, six scientiat8 4mphasized that there is no caasC for alaim be- cause it has not beeq that the electromagr76tiet r'~ . tion emitted by cellular pitoties c6zt catise or pro- mote cancer. But they all a, ,that more re- search is nedded' and'eotne of the scientists said & id the meantime people should not use cellular phones excissivety. The Food and Drug Admhilstraam~t,~s,~a~id~ ~i,t~ was pre~ p~eepl8 ~ uw' q+e~C tl..+. •~6t cellular phones. 'There is no proaf there is a prob CSLLULAIt, Froo Al le between cancer and cellular ph es, but there are these studies th4 elevate concerns and wariant f4ter study," said Mays Swicord, i4f of the Center for Radiological at the FDA. 'ime and distance is your friend," Sw~•ord added. "Less risk, if there is will be incurred. You don't neQ to be on your cellular phone for twiltonrs." Achard Adamson, director of can- cea:etiology at the Natlonal Cancer In~itufe, urged "moderation in all thi{igs." 'I~ere has been a growing debate the effect on the body of electro- m~netic fields.(EMFs) associated wilfy such devices as microwave ov- high-voltage power transmis- siot lines, but only in the last few 9 ks have cellular phones been wn into the controversv. date, no conclusive evidence has"&-en found that EMFs are able to cade or promote cancer. 'the controversy is over portable phtes with antennas attached. About 3Ollion of them have been sold, ac- coz$ing to industry estimates. Ihey contain transmitters in the h4sets, which are operated close to thiChead when people are talking on ar phones, which have antennas mounted outside the vehicle, and household cordless phones, which op- erate at much lower frequencies and use less power, are not involved in the debate. Small, hand-held portable phones now account for about 60 percent of cellular sales and are especially pop- ular in major metropolitan areas Small, hand-held portable phones now account for about 6Q percent of cellular sales and are especially popular in major metropolitan areas. such as Washington. Most cellular service is priced on the assumption that customers will be on the phone an average of 2I/2 hours a month. The cellular industry has been on- the verge of panic over the past few weeks in the wake of publicity over a lawsuit fded by a Florida man who alleged that his wife died of brain

• 0 -2- cancer caused by radio waves emit- ted by her portable cellular phone. The husband, who took his case nationwide on CNN's "Larry King Live," is suing three companies in connection with his wife's death. "My concern, like most Americans who use cellular phones, is 'are they safe?' " said Rep. Edward J. Markey (IYMass.), chairman of the House telecommunications and finance sub- committee, who brandished his own Motorola Corp. portable cellular phone at the briefing. . Rep. Lynn Schenk (D-Cahf.), who asked if duration of use mattered, admitted that she and her husband "can be on our personal cellular phones for hours at a time." The experts said that more re- search, aimed directly at cellular phones and electromagnetic radia• tion, needs to be done. Thomas Stanley, chief of enqi- neering and, technology for the FaF~ eral Communications Commission, said his agency was not expert in . evaluating the effects, of radio fre- quency radiation, but that hand-held' cellular phones do not exceed the 1'tmits set for safe exposure. Stanley said the guidelines adopt- ed by the FCC recently have been adjusted to lower the level for ac- ceptablf.emissions. Some cellular phone instruction manuals from manufacturers warn OZOtib6tiLOZ t6TUN POST ... WEDNESDAY, F>seuexY 3,1993 A7 ANATOMY OF AN ANGST A ll cellular telephones use antennas to broadcast radio signals to a receiving tower, which then routes calls via regular phone lines. A caller's exposure to the radio waves emitted from the antenna varies with different types of phones. A M..dReM ouYalar phoem must emit a signal strong enough to travel several miles to the nearest receiver. S.om)• of the radio waves hit the caller's head, which is behind the fiiarp of health risks. While cellular car phonu also broadcast strong signals capable of traveling several miles, the antenna is located outside the car, minimizing the caller's direct exposure to the radio waves. °rs t,4 avoid direct contact , However, Stephen Clery, profes- V vlth",the antppas of thepbonets,, -sur of physics and biophysics at the Ademson, who said the National Medical College of Virginia, said he Cwtcvsr Institute would begin an in; • believes there may be a'potential depth study of the effects of various relation" between exposure to elea k'uxlu,of exposure to eledtrorimagneic tromagnetic fields emitted by cellu- radiation, noted that the rate of lar phones and cancer. brain cancer in people under 65 was Experiments he has done are not declining and its incidence was far precisely in the frequencies that cel- outstripped by lung cancer. lular phones operate on, however. Adamson said he did not believe When he irradiated two types of cellular phones cause cancer. "Is it. cells in the laboratory for two hours possible? Yes. Is there a great proba- at radio frequencies found in indus- bility? In my estimation, no," he said. trial equipment and microwave ov- Condlm phorros broadcast much weaker signals. They need only travel as far as the receiving unit in ~ the house. That unit then sends calls over traditional phone lines. 9v1WiNN1~FR50N-TIEWAS/lUMnqlroR T ~ I ens, he d*o,Yered:tltaYtQKdblte showed abnormal growth, He said results from defh+itive studies woyld qot be ready fortwo to three years. David Klefman, deputy office di- rector in the Environmental Ptetee~ tion Agency's Office of Researbla vs1 Development, suggested that other lifestyle changes, such as stopping . smoking or changing otuo's.diet, might have more beneficiai, health effects than worrying about emis- I siore from eellular phares,