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Are cell phones safe? Could they contribute to cancer risk? Are fears overblown, or do we face an impending health crisis?

Questions regarding the possible detrimental health effects of cell phone usage are being raised again, a topic that has been fiercely debated in medical and advocacy circles.

At the forefront of publicizing the possible risks is the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute's Center for Environmental Oncology. The Center has a prominent online article entitled "The Case for Precaution in the Use of Cell Phones." The information in the article explains the transmission of electromagnetic fields from cell phones. The site offers ten precautions cell phone users can take, including using the speakerphone or Bluetooth headset attachment, and texting rather than phoning.

In addition, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Domestic Policy held a hearing last week entitled "Cell Phone Use and Tumors: What the Science Says." Witnesses included Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, the Director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, who reiterated in his testimony -- the same concerns expressed in the Center for Environmental Oncology website. The Subcommittee also heard from Dr. David O. Carpenter, the Director of Institute for Health and the Environment for University of Albany. Dr. Carpenter is a co-editor and co-author of a the chapter in the Bioinitiative Report published last year, which deals with the public-health implications of electromagnetic fields. Dr. Carpenter testified that national and international reviews on the dangers are excessively conservative and that current exposure guidelines do not adequately protect the health of the public.

Other experts are more cautious about the potential risks. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) each regulate wireless telephones and the FDA monitors the health effects of wireless telephones. On the FDA's website addressing the question of safety, the Agency states: "The available scientific evidence does not show that any health problems are associated with using wireless phones. There is no proof, however, that wireless phones are absolutely safe.... Many studies of low level RF exposures have not found any biological effects. Some studies have suggested that some biological effects may occur, but such findings have not been confirmed by additional research."

CTIA - The Wireless Association President and CEO Steve Largent issued a statement regarding the controversy and the House hearing. "CTIA and the wireless industry take the health of our customers very seriously. That is why the wireless industry has supported scientific research on these issues, and also supports the Federal Communications Commission's strict safety guidelines that apply to all wireless devices that are sold or marketed in the U.S....The available scientific evidence and expert reviews from leading global health organizations such as the American Cancer Society, National Cancer Institute, United States Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization reflect a consensus based on published scientific research showing that there is no reason for concern."

Largent also pointed out the commentary from a U.S. National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute bulletin. In that bulletin, the NCI states emphatically that the risks of cancer -- are not supported by a growing body of research on the subject.

The bulletin states that the dozen studies that have explored the relationship between the use of cell phones and malignant or benign brain tumors have found little or no overall increased risk of brain tumors within the first 10 years of use. Advisors to the NCI say that they are still not seeing convincing evidence of an increased brain cancer risk. Still unanswered, the NCI says, is how cell phones might contribute to cancer. "While exposure to high levels of radio frequency energy can heat body tissues," the website says, "the amount of radiofrequency energy produced by cell phones is too low to cause significant heating of tissue."

Center for Environmental Oncology's website: http://www.environmentaloncology.org/node/201
NCI Bulletin: http://www.cancer.gov/ncicancerbulletin/NCI_Cancer_Bulletin_092308/page7
House Committee website: http://domesticpolicy.oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=2199

Ed note: Many DOTmed users are expert biomedical engineers or clinicians. We we welcome your comments about the relative dangers or safety of RF exposure. Click below to send us your comments.