Cancer Docs Warn Staff Of Cell Phone Risks

University Of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute Advising 3,000 Workers To Limit Exposure

(AP)  The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer.

The warning from Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, is contrary to numerous studies that don't find a link between cancer and cell phone use, and a public lack of worry by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Herberman is basing his alarm on early unpublished data. He says it takes too long to get answers from science and he believes people should take action now - especially when it comes to children.

"Really at the heart of my concern is that we shouldn't wait for a definitive study to come out, but err on the side of being safe rather than sorry later," Herberman said.

No other major academic cancer research institutions have sounded such an alarm about cell phone use. But Herberman's advice is sure to raise concern among many cell phone users and especially parents.

In the memo he sent to about 3,000 faculty and staff Wednesday, he says children should use cell phones only for emergencies because their brains are still developing.

Adults should keep the phone away from the head and use the speakerphone or a wireless headset, he says. He even warns against using cell phones in public places like a bus because it exposes others to the phone's electromagnetic fields.

The issue that concerns some scientists - though nowhere near a consensus - is electromagnetic radiation, especially its possible effects on children. It is not a major topic in conferences of brain specialists.

A 2008 University of Utah analysis looked at nine studies - including some Herberman cites - with thousands of brain tumor patients and concludes "we found no overall increased risk of brain tumors among cellular phone users. The potential elevated risk of brain tumors after long-term cellular phone use awaits confirmation by future studies."

Studies last year in France and Norway concluded the same thing.

"If there is a risk from these products - and at this point we do not know that there is - it is probably very small," the Food and Drug Administration says on an agency Web site.

Still, Herberman cites a "growing body of literature linking long-term cell phone use to possible adverse health effects including cancer."

"Although the evidence is still controversial, I am convinced that there are sufficient data to warrant issuing an advisory to share some precautionary advice on cell phone use," he wrote in his memo.

A driving force behind the memo was Devra Lee Davis, the director of the university's center for environmental oncology.

"The question is do you want to play Russian roulette with your brain," she said in an interview from her cell phone while using the hands-free speaker phone as recommended. "I don't know that cell phones are dangerous. But I don't know that they are safe."

Of concern are the still unknown effects of more than a decade of cell phone use, with some studies raising alarms, said Davis, a former health adviser in the Clinton Administration.

She said 20 different groups have endorsed the advice the Pittsburgh cancer institute gave, and authorities in England, France and India have cautioned children's use of cell phones.

Herberman and Davis point to a massive ongoing research project known as Interphone, involving scientists in 13 nations, mostly in Europe. Results already published in peer-reviewed journals from this project aren't so alarming, but Herberman is citing work not yet published.

The published research focuses on more than 5,000 cases of brain tumors. The National Research Council in the U.S., which isn't participating in the Interphone project, reported in January that the brain tumor research had "selection bias." That means it relied on people with cancer to remember how often they used cell phones. It is not considered the most accurate research approach.

The largest published study, which appeared in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in 2006, tracked 420,000 Danish cell phone users, including thousands that had used the phones for more than 10 years. It found no increased risk of cancer among those using cell phones.

A French study based on Interphone research and published in 2007 concluded that regular cell phone users had "no significant increased risk" for three major types of nervous system tumors. It did note, however, that there was "the possibility of an increased risk among the heaviest users" for one type of brain tumor, but that needs to be verified in future research.

Earlier research also has found no connection.

Joshua E. Muscat of Penn State University, who has studied cancer and cell phones in other research projects partly funded by the cell phone industry, said there are at least a dozen studies that have found no cancer-cell phone link. He said a Swedish study cited by Herberman as support for his warning was biased and flawed.

"We certainly don't know of any mechanism by which radiofrequency exposure would cause a cancerous effect in cells. We just don't know this might possibly occur," Muscat said.

Cell phones emit radiofrequency energy, a type of radiation that is a form of electromagnetic radiation, according to the National Cancer Institute. Though studies are being done to see if there is a link between it and tumors of the brain and central nervous system, there is no definitive link between the two, the institute says on its Web site.

"By all means, if a person feels compelled that they should take precautions in reducing the amount of electromagnetic radio waves through their bodies, by all means they should do so," said Dan Catena, a spokesman for the American Cancer Society. "But at the same time, we have to remember there's no conclusive evidence that links cell phones to cancer, whether it's brain tumors or other forms of cancer."

Joe Farren, a spokesman for the CTIA-The Wireless Association, a trade group for the wireless industry, said the group believes there is a risk of misinforming the public if science isn't used as the ultimate guide on the issue.

"When you look at the overwhelming majority of studies that have been peer reviewed and published in scientific journals around the world, you'll find no relationship between wireless usage and adverse health affects," Farren said.

Frank Barnes, who chaired the January report from the National Research Council, said Wednesday that "the jury is out" on how hazardous long-term cell phone use might be.

Speaking from his cell phone, the professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder said he takes no special precautions in his own phone use. And he offered no specific advice to people worried about the matter.

It's up to each individual to decide what if anything to do. If people use a cell phone instead of having a land line, "that may very well be reasonable for them," he said.

Susan Juffe, a 58-year-old Pittsburgh special education teacher, heard about Herberman's cell phone advice on the radio earlier in the day.

"Now, I'm worried. It's scary," she said.

She says she'll think twice about allowing her 10-year-old daughter Jayne to use the cell phone.

"I don't want to get it (brain cancer) and I certainly don't want you to get it," she explained to her daughter.

Sara Loughran, a 24-year-old doctoral student at the University of Pittsburgh, sat in a bus stop Wednesday chatting on her cell phone with her mother. She also had heard the news earlier in the day, but was not as concerned.

"I think if they gave me specific numbers and specific information and it was scary enough, I would be concerned," Loughran said, planning to call her mother again in a matter of minutes. "Without specific numbers, it's too vague to get me worked up."

[greeneyes222]

"CTIA-The Wireless Association, a group representing the wireless industry, told the newspaper that most studies published in scientific journals show wireless phones don''t pose a health risk. "

And CTIA doesn''t have a vested interest here at all, now do they.

[brianp55]

From CTIA:
"It''s true that you may devlop brain cancer, but isn''t that a small price to pay for the fun and convenience of using a cell phone"?

[hbevis]

greeneyes222

You sure have that right. All of these companies will say whatever it takes to stay in business and get bigger and bigger. I have a cell phone tower on my farm and they have signs on the fence that says that there is a danger. Cell phones operate on the same frequency that microwave ovens use. In the 2 gigahertz range. I spent my whole life doing research and development in electronics, so I do know a little bit about this subject.

[darnedsocks]

I HATE THAT WHEN BUSINESSES LIE AND SAY THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF HEALTH HAZARDS. THEY SHOULD HAVE A CLASS ACTION SUIT AGAINST THEM FOR LYING. PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS BY LAW MUST WARN PEOPLE FOR THE HEALTH HAZARDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DRUGS; WHY SHOULDN''T ELECTRONICS-MAKERS ALSO BE FORCED TO WARN CONSUMERS OF THE DANGERS TO THEIR HEALTH? DUH!

[creeper00]

Finally someone with some credibility goes on the record. Now we''ll see if people are paying attention.

[hawksprings]

Oh, here we go.
Now there''s going to be a campaing against the evils of "Big Phone".

[robaldrich]

Oh, Oh. Let me call my neurologist on her cell phone and ask her about this.

Wait. I already did that.

Well, I guess I''ll get back to drinking my Diet Coke with brain cancer causing aspartame.

[yellow651]

So, what their saying is all those people who drive, walk through the grocery store, sit in the park, etc. on cell phones are actually going to slowly but surely disappear. I can live with that.

[lewiston14]

%u201C"It%u2019s true that you may develop brain cancer, but isn%u2019t that a small price to pay for the fun and convenience of using a cell phone"?

Yea very fun As and Ex cancer patient for skin cancer I spent 7 weeks 5 times a week getting hit with a powerful electron beam. Must have been a reason the walls were 12 inches of lead. I met many who had the brain spider. Where the body of the spider could be removed but the legs were in to deep to remove. So down to what we called the bunker we went. Mine was easy theirs was not. A couple made it for a couple of years most did not so enjoy the fun and convenience. Maybe after your head is cut open and your hair is gone you may be able to come back and tell us just how much fun you had. I ditched my cell phone years ago after never really needing it. It turned into an electronic leash and everybody knew where I was until I turned it off. No tower contact means no idea where I was or what I was doing. So do enjoy what may be coming and please how much you enjoyed it. If you have never been there you will never know.

[lewiston14]

yellow651: Wonder if we can get a class action going as their cell phone radation also hits us.

[noprejudice]

NO connection between cell phones and brain cancer. don''t you think we''d all have cancer like crazy, if this were the case, from microwaves, which have been around longer and put out more radiation? come on.

[lewiston14]

Well, I guess I''''ll get back to drinking my Diet Coke with brain cancer causing aspartame. robaldrich4

Try ice water

[lewiston14]

noprejudice: brain cancer is on the rise big time. Do yourself a favor dont use it around me you will not like the outcome

The more likely cause of cancer that is associated with cell phone use stems from the arrogance and presumptuousness invariably manifested by cell phone users. I wouldn''t be caught dead using one of these worthless contraptions that, by the way, are also implicated in quite a few death by motor vehicle cases.

[newsjunky5]

In theory, cell phones should be able to cause brain cancer. EM radiation mutates chromosomes. The right (or wrong I guess) mutation, and cells lose contact inhibition, etc. and you''ve got cancer. There is big money that sponsors bogus research all the time to try to disprove it.
Also consider that every nearby cell phone, every TV and radio broadcast, CB conversation, etc. that you could receive, is beaming some energy through your head, all the time. The tinfoil helmet folks it turns out, were right. The inverse square law says cell phones - right next to your head - should be the worst offender by far. But not to fear, the president is ready to veto that law.

[cynic1950]

And we are all surprised because? Microwaves disrupted pacemakers - so they had to be shielded. There are enough signals arounds us everyday to disrupt man''s basic electrical patterns. Some people are more susceptible than others. So why not hold a device, that emits those encrypted signals - close to your brain and get it good and scrambled!

[newsjunky5]

"NO connection between cell phones and brain cancer. don''''t you think we''''d all have cancer like crazy, if this were the case, from microwaves, which have been around longer and put out more radiation? come on. "
-----------------------------------------

It''s a matter of increased incidence, not a guaranteed result. You can close your eyes and cross the street. You might not get hit. Really, try it.

As for microwaves, they''re shielded, but not perfectly. When they came out there was serious concern over what would happen when everyone in an apartment building uses one at dinnertime. Some are made safer than others. And now some doctors are saying kids shouldn''t be standing near one when it''s on. I nominate you for a Darwin Award.

[isotron-2009]

The inverse square law holds for electromagnetic radiation. So why take a chance when the avoidance is so easy. As an added benefit- a cell phone with a bluetooth headset is even safer especially if you are driving while talking. Yes, I know the studies......... but you are clearly "safer" if you have 2 hands on the wheel than just one, even if that safety is not 100%.

[au_fait]

noprejudice: brain cancer is on the rise big time. Do yourself a favor dont use it around me you will not like the outcome

Posted by lewiston14

U have to be kidding me. I jus love it when someone tells me I cannot do something. It only makes me want to do it more. It is bad I don''t smoke, as I would be sure to do it around you.

[newsjunky5]

"I jus love it when someone tells me I cannot do something. It only makes me want to do it more. It is bad I don''''t smoke"
-------------------------
Don''t take up smoking.

[superdem]

Look how long it took to associate smoking tobacco with cancer. I wouldn''t be at all surprised if cell phones gave you brain cancern. Time will tell. They certainly make people stupid - I was almost killed by a driver who was on the phone. When you are on the phone, you are NOT IN THIS MOMENT, your attention is somewhere else so you are not in your own life. You are literally wasting the precious moments of your life. NOW is all you have.

[rwsmith29456]

How about people that have their cellphones glued to their ear? Seems like we went through this once about 10 years ago and it just died on the vine. I even knew of a company that was going to market ''shield'' earpieces to put between the cellphone and the ear to block out radiation.

[dnamj]

When Japanese people start getting cancer from this, I''ll start worrying. They talk on the cell phone much more, starting much younger.

[erasmus81]

I have never had a cell phone and never will.
I know of 7 people now, who have died from brain tumors. Five of them were people that my kids knew. Kids have their cell phones glued to their ears. What am I saying? There are adults that have them glued to their ears too. You can''t even enjoy a quiet meal in a restaurant without someone yakking on their cell phone.

[erasmus81]

"NO connection between cell phones and brain cancer. don''''t you think we''''d all have cancer like crazy, if this were the case..." Posted by noprejudice at 12:01 PM : Jul 23, 2008

Everyone is different. Some people will get it and some won''t. Just like smoking, some will get lung cancer and some won''t.

[sharednotion]

If cell phones pose a health concern valid enough to justify this warning to staff by the university and by cancer centers, then shouldn''t ALL sales of cell phones be accompanied by a health warning to the public? There seems to be an inconsistency here.

[husein_pasha]

We won`t use cell phones, we will write letters, we will use normal phones

[johnpatrick9]

...and let us not forget the Scandanavian studies which showed that pregnant women working in front of their computers for 8 bloody hours a day suffered a greater proportion of miscarriages than women who were not chained in front of the wonderful computers....too much is invested in these technologies and people are expendable.

[yongamerica]

Every time you put a cell phone up to your ear you are in a sense putting a weak microwave oven to your ear. That''s right, cell phones operate in the microwave radio wave band.

Considering the hundreds of millions of people using cell phones, one would think there would be enough statistical data to address this question.

My truth and science overcome fear and superstition.

[lewiston14]

U have to be kidding me. I jus love it when someone tells me I cannot do something. It only makes me want to do it more. It is bad I don''''t smoke, as I would be sure to do it

Good it will only take a couple of seconds

[husein_pasha]

Smoke, drink and don`t worry

[johnpatrick9]

..cancer of the brain...fascinating experience..God help the human race for our run is sooooo hazardous and the end result is always the same: "Au revoir, mon ami."

[newsjunky5]

"When Japanese people start getting cancer from this, I''''ll start worrying. They talk on the cell phone much more, starting much younger. "
-----------------------------------------

First, do you keep an eye on Japanese cancer rates?
(I don''t)
You''d have to, you can''t rely on the chance a news story will pick up on it. It could be up already,

Second, as with most cancers, you don''t find out what caused it. Was it more coal burning? Benzene in gasoline? The cigarette you tried when you were 15? Airborne dust from exploded depleted uranium shells from half-way around the world? Can''t tell.
There is plausable deniability for any single cause.
AND the cancer may be the additive effect of many causes. Industry relies on this.
So anecdotal evidence can be inaccurate. You have to rely on the potential for something to cause cancer, and statistical evidence (not eyeballed or intuition) and avoid those things. (Forgetting for a minute about your inherited risk factors)
Europe often bans things if they have some evidence it''s bad. In the US, we have to PROVE it''s bad, so one crooked study by the industry, and there is reasonable doubt.

[jackie0428]

Absurd.
Its like telling us all to stop drinking tap water.

[jackie0428]

Husein_Pasha, typing on his little Dell from his mini-cave in Eastern Afghanistan.

[husein_pasha]

Few tousand of miles west from Afghanistan

[husein_pasha]

And I have a comfortable flat and mazda

[newsjunky5]

"Absurd.
Its like telling us all to stop drinking tap water."
-------------------------
Don''t even get me started on disinfectant by-products, chlorine in particular. Unless you''re on a well.

[eggy1620]

This sounds like a decision that came out of the %u201CWhat can we think of for grant money next?%u201D committee.

[jackie0428]

"Mazda" is a funny name for a camel.
No matter, my dog is named "BMW".

[husein_pasha]

No matter, my dog is named "BMW".
--------
because you don`t have even a camel

[TommyCraig]

Actually, I would be more concerned with the fact that the phone is strapped to your side for many hours. A cell phone is in contact or searching for cell towers continuously thus emitting radiation against your body. No one knows the long term effects to the body organs (kidneys, etc.)
I would advise limiting the wearing or strapping of your cell phone against your body. Remember, small cell phones have only been used for about 12 -15 years.
Just a thought...

[jackie0428]

I think my 2-yo toddler speaks better English than you.

[forthepeopl1]

this say''''''''s it all. it''''''''s all about the wall street investors and mainly china,japan investor. the one''''''''s mr potatohead paulson sold them in his many years.

his head is on the chopping block and he is useing the americans tax payers to bail him out.
July 22 (Bloomberg) -- Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, trying to persuade Congress to approve his rescue plan for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, said U.S. financial market stability is at stake and international investors are awaiting the outcome.

``This is about not only our housing markets, but it''''''''s about our capital markets more broadly,'''''''''''''''' Paulson said in an interview with Bloomberg Television today. ``This goes well beyond the two institutions -- Fannie and Freddie -- it has to do with investors in the United States and investors all over the world.''''''''''''''''

yep, we the people get f by whitehouse and congress again..thanks to americans not telling congress to get f on this idear. everyone should hold town by town rally,city by city rally,state by state rallys or completely stop working stop buying,stop them in their tracks.

come on america what will it take for you to stand up for your kids and grandkids futures..

[e-mail]



americans need to tell congress that the same investors that are putting americans on the streets, need to be told that it goes both ways, and americans are not going to bailout the same investors that started this whole thing in the first place

[jackie0428]

newsjunky5 , I won''t get YOU started because all this nagging re water, air, cell phones, EMR, cancer, beef, salt, sugar, cholesterol, on and on and on is insane. Americans are living longer than ever, yet the environmental whack jobs have nothing better to do than whine-whine-whine on every little perceived imperfection in modern culture. And if even if you got all your crazy ideas nailed into society, what''s that give us all, 2 more weeks of life expectancy? Or maybe even nothing at all? And look at the price we''ve paid. I%u2019ll have nothing to do with it, thank you. Absurd.

[newsjunky5]

I''m gonna buy a gaussmeter. If the reading is too high at the coffeehouse, I ain''t goin'' in.

[husein_pasha]

possible, I`m not interested in your toddler

[husein_pasha]

is he/she of your husband?

[cyinzl8r]

Totally unacceptable for this doctor and organization to make this call. They are scaring the general public, who by the way, don''t know their azz from a whole in the ground, with this non substantiated information. If the small amount of power generated from a cell phone causes brain cancer then we have a much greater problem since the area around each one of us is filled with radio frequency radiation on a multitude of frequencies and of much greater power levels then generated by a cell phone. These idiots confuse the RF power in the 2.2 gigahertz region with the RF power used in a microwave oven that cooks food and they think that the cell phone will "cook" their brain and therefor cause cancer. They also think that the microwave "nukes" their food.Nothing could be further from the truth. Even if the power from the phone was strong enough to cook your brain, a cooked brain will not become cancerous. To be cancerous you need some kind of ionizing radiation to knock electrons from their orbits to change the molecular structure of the atoms that make up your DNA. Sorry to inform you all but a cell phone does not put out ionizing radiation. The one thing that will not happen is that you will get cancer.

[neenga]

To heck with health issues ... just stop using cell phones in public because you''re annoying 99% of the people around you. You stand more chance of being decked or shot than of dying from phone-related cancer.