Cell Phone Radiation Science Review on Cancer Risks and Childrens Health.pdf

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Cell Phone Radiation

Science Review on Cancer Risks and Children's Health

Table of Contents

• Executive Summary

• Section 1: Do cell phones cause cancer or other illnesses?

• Section 2: Cell Phone Safety Standards

• Section 3: Government Action on Cell Phone Radiation Levels

• Section 4: Radiation - Bluetooth, Wired Headsets & Cordless Phones

• References

ewg.org/cellphoneradiation/fullreport

HEADQUARTERS 1436 U St. NW, Suite 100 Washington, DC 20009 ❘ P: 202.667.6982 F: 202.232.2592

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Cell Phone Radiation Science Review

Executive Summary

More than 4 billion people around the world use cell phones (ITU 2009). Because cell phone technology has been

around for just two decades, scientists do not yet fully understand long-term health risks from cell phone radiation.

But recent research has prompted serious concerns about exposure to wireless emissions.

Prior to 2003, studies of cancer risk and cell phone

use produced conflicting results. FDA told consumers

that scientists had found no harmful health effects

from exposure to cell phone emissions. (FDA 2003).

Recent studies link cell phone radiation to:

Brain cancer: Two analyses of 25 original publications

identified a 50 to 90 percent increase in risk for two types

of brain tumors: glioma and acoustic neuroma (Hardell

2009, Kundi 2009).

But FDA's assurances were based on studies of

people who had used cell phones for just 3 years, on

an average (FDA 2003), not long enough to develop

cancer. At that time, studies had not addressed the

risks of longer-term exposures.

Salivary gland tumors: An Israeli study found an

increased risk of 50 to 60 percent for salivary gland

tumors among people with highest cell phone use

(Sadetzki 2008).

The research gap is closing. Scientists around the

world have recently associated serious health

problems with using cell phones for 10 years or

longer:

Behavioral problems: A study of 13,159 Danish children

showed 80 percent elevated risk for emotional and

hyperactivity problems among young children who use

cell phones and whose mothers also used cell phones

during pregnancy (Divan 2008).

• A joint study by researchers in Denmark,

Finland, Norway, Sweden and the United

Kingdom found that people who had used cell

phones for more than 10 years had a

significantly increased risk of developing

glioma, a usually malignant brain tumor, on the

side of the head they had favored for cell

phone conversations (International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) 2008; Lahkola 2007).

• French and German scientists reported an increased risk of glioma for long-term cell phone users (Hours

2007; Schuz, Bohler, Berg 2006). Analysis of all published cell phone-brain tumor studies found that people

who had used a cell phone for 10 or more years, the overall risk for developing a glioma on the cell phone

side of the head increased by 90 percent (Hardell 2009; Kundi 2009).

• Cell phone use for 10 years and longer has been also associated with significantly increased risk of

acoustic neuroma, a type of benign brain tumor, on the primary side of cell phone use (IARC 2008;

Schoemaker 2005). An extensive review of published studies of acoustic neuroma found that long-term cell

phone users had a 60 percent greater risk of being diagnosed with the disease (Hardell 2009; Kundi 2009).

• A study from Israel reported an association between frequent and prolonged mobile phone use and parotid

(salivary) gland tumors (Sadetzki 2008). Scientists analyzing data from Sweden and Denmark combined

found that people who had used cell phones for at least 10 years ran an increased risk of benign parotid

gland tumors (IARC 2008; Lonn 2006).

• Multiple studies reported that the brains of young children absorb more radiation than those of adults (de

Salles 2006; Gandhi 1996; Kang 2002; Martinez-Burdalo 2004; Wang 2003; Wiart 2008), potentially

rendering them more vulnerable to brain tumors (NRC 2008b). Researchers in Sweden found the highest

risk of brain tumors among people who started using cell phones during adolescence (Hardell 2009).

Migraines and vertigo: A study of 420,095 Danish adults

showed that long-term cell phone users were 10 to 20

percent more likely to be hospitalized for migraines and

vertigo than people who took up cell phones more

recently. (Schuz 2009).

Scientists have known for decades that high doses of the radiofrequency radiation emitted by cell phones can

penetrate the body, heat tissues, trigger behavioral problems and damage sensitive tissues like the eyeball and

testicle (Heynick 2003; IEEE 2006).

Yet when cell phones went on the market in the 1980s, federal regulators did not require manufacturers to prove

they were safe (GAO 1994).

Recent studies raise particular concerns about the impact of cell phone emissions on children. The National

Research Council (NRC) has observed that "with the rapid advances in technologies and communications utilizing

[radiation in the range of cell phone frequencies], children are increasingly exposed... at earlier ages (starting at

age 6 or before)" (NRC 2008b). The NRC called for "investigation of the potential effects of RF fields in the

development of childhood brain tumor" (NRC 2008b).

• Research by France Telecom scientists showed that under standard conditions of use, twice as much cell

phone radiation would penetrate a child’s thinner, softer skull than an adult’s (Wiart 2008). These results

confirm earlier findings that children’s heads absorb more radiofrequency radiation than adults (Gandhi

1996; Kang 2002; Wang 2003).

• Children will be exposed to cell phone radiation for more years and therefore in greater total amounts than

the current generation of adults (NRC 2008b).

Few research studies have focused on the health hazards of

children’s cell phone use, even though the youth market is

growing. But one recent study of 13,159 Danish children

showed that young children who use cell phones and whose

mothers also used cell phones during pregnancy are 80

percent more likely to suffer emotional and hyperactivity

problems (Divan 2008).

Government actions: radiation standards and

public education

Health agencies in six nations — Switzerland,

Germany, Israel, France, United Kingdom, and

Finland — have recommended reducing children’s

exposures to cell phone radiation.

In response to the growing debate over the safety of cell

phone emissions, government agencies in Germany,

Switzerland, Israel, United Kingdom, France, and Finland and

the European Parliament have recommended actions to help

consumers reduce exposures to cell phone radiation,

especially for young children.

In 2008, the European Parliament passed a

resolution urging member countries to develop

lower radiation emission limits for cell phones.

Legislation introduced in the French Senate would

ban marketing and sales of phones for children

under age 6.

Brussels, Belgium; Salzburg, Austria; and

Christchurch, New Zealand have proposed strict

local cell phone radiation standards. Toronto has

issued guidance to parents on reducing children’s

cell phone use.

In contrast, the two U.S. federal agencies that regulate cell

phones, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the

Federal Communication Commission (FCC), have all but

ignored evidence that long term cell phone use may be risky.

The FCC adopted radiation standards developed by the cell phone industry 17 years ago. These standards, still in

use, allow 20 times more radiation to reach the head than the rest of the body. They do not account for risks to

children.

While compiling a database of radiation emitted by more than 1,000 cell phones sold in the U.S., the

Environmental Working Group has found that emissions can vary by a factor of up to 8 from one phone to another.

The cell phone industry has reported 270 million wireless subscriptions by the end of 2008, equivalent to 87

percent of the U.S. population (CTIA 2009, ITU 2009). This number is only expected to grow. Consumers need —

at a minimum — easy access to cell phone radiation information so that they can make informed purchasing

decisions and protect themselves and their families from potential health concerns.

Studies: Cell phone radiation may cause tissue damage

Cell phones communicate via electromagnetic waves. During signal transmission, a comparable amount of

radiation travels outward, towards the base station, and inward, towards the ear or head of the cell phone user.

(IEGMP 2000).

Cell phone waves are in the “radiofrequency” range. They lack the penetrating energy of X-rays and radioactivity.

Scientists are still exploring how cell phone radiation may cause the harmful effects that some studies have

described.

Scientific research conducted over the past decade has

associated cell phone radiation with increased risk of

developing brain and salivary gland tumors, neurological

symptoms such as migraine and vertigo, and

neurodevelopmental effects observed as behavioral problems

in young children (BioInitiative 2007; Divan 2008; Kundi 2009;

Sadetzki 2008; Schuz 2009).

Cell phones, radios and TV transmissions emit

non-ionizing radiation that has a longer

wavelength, lower frequency and lower overall

energy per photon than UV light, X-rays and

gamma rays (a form of radioactivity), which are

known as ionizing radiation because they have

enough power to eject an electron from its orbit

and leave behind a charged ion that can damage

cells and tissues.

The National Research Council has reported that exposure to

cell phone radiation may affect the immune, endocrine and

nervous systems, fetal development and overall metabolism

(NRC 2008b). Children are likely to be more susceptible than adults to effects from cell phone radiation, since the

brain of a child is still developing and its nervous tissues absorb a greater portion of incoming radiation compared

to that of an adult (Gandhi 1996; Kang 2002; Kheifets 2005; Schuz 2005; Wang 2003; Wiart 2008).

FCC industry radiation standards have little margin of safety

The FCC’s cell phone radiation standards closely follow the recommendations of the Institute of Electrical and

Electronics Engineers (IEEE) (FCC 1997). These standards allow 20 times more radiation to penetrate the head

than the rest of the body and do not account for risks to children.

FCC standards limit the radiation absorbed by a cell phone user’s brain and body to a specific absorption rate, or

SAR, measured by the amount of the phone’s radiation energy (in watts, W) absorbed per kilogram of tissue

(W/kg).

Current FCC regulations permit SAR levels of up to 1.6 W/kg for partial body (head) exposure, 0.08 W/kg for

whole-body exposure, and 4 W/kg for exposure to the hands, wrists, feet and ankles (FCC 1997, 1999).

The FCC standards are based on animal studies conducted in late 1970s and early 1980s (Osepchuk 2003).

FCC, on the recommendation of the IEEE, adopted SAR level of 4 W/kg as the point of departure for determining

legal SAR limits for cell phones. In contrast to the FCC decision, an independent analysis by the EPA scientists

concluded, on the basis of the same body of data, that biological effects occur at SAR levels of 1 W/kg, 4 times

lower than the SAR level chosen by IEEE (U.S. EPA 1984). Exposure to radiofrequency radiation at these SAR

levels induces tissue heating that leads to behavioral alterations in mice, rats, and monkeys, that may be a

“potentially adverse effect in human beings” (IEEE 2006).

Current FCC standards fail to provide an adequate margin of safety for cell phone radiation exposure and lack a

meaningful biological basis.

For example, the FCC standard for the head is just 2.5 times lower than the level that caused behavioral changes

in animals. The standard that applies to hands, wrists, feet, and ankles has no safety margin whatsoever.

The FCC adopted IEEE’s proposal to allow 20 times more radiation to the head than the average amount allowed

for the whole body, even though the brain may well be one of the most sensitive parts of human body with respect

to radiofrequency radiation and should have more protection.

To receive the FCC approval for selling a cell phone in the U.S. market, manufacturers typically conduct the

phone's SAR tests themselves or contract with the private industry. Private industry organizations

(Telecommunication Certification Bodies) are also actively involved in all steps of determining the compliance of

cell phones and other wireless devices with the FCC rules (FCC OET 2008f).

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