New studies show cellphone radiation safe
WASHINGTON — Two U.S. government studies that bombarded rats and mice with cellphone radiation found a weak link to some heart tumours, but scientists and federal regulators say don’t worry — it is safe to use your device. They still do.
Previous studies of cellphone users had found little reason for concern, but the newest research took a closer look at the effects of super-high doses in animals to address some lingering questions that could not be tested on humans.
The rat study released Friday found a small increase in an unusual type of heart tumour in male rats, but there were no significant problems in female rats or in a separate study of mice. In particular, scientists could not find hard evidence for concern about brain tumours.
The lead author of the research, John Bucher of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, is not changing his cellphone use.
“I am actually holding my cellphone up to my ear,” Dr. Otis Brawley, the American Cancer Society’s chief medical officer, said in an interview after reading the studies.
The rodent studies do not reflect reallife cellphone use, he cautioned.
“These draft reports are bound to create a lot of concern, but in fact they won’t change what I tell people. The evidence for an association between cellphones and cancer is weak and, so far, we have not seen a higher cancer risk in people. But if you’re concerned about this animal data, wear an earpiece.”
The findings about the rare nerve-tissue tumour discovered in the hearts of male rats do not translate directly into a concern for humans, Bucher stressed.
Adding to the confusion about how to weigh these results, that same study showed the radiated rats somehow lived longer than comparison rats that were not exposed to cellphone radiation.
Bucher’s agency conducted the $25million study at the behest of the Food and Drug Administration, which quickly said cellphones are safe.
“The current safety limits for cellphones are acceptable for protecting the public health,” FDA radiation health chief Dr. Jeffrey Shuren said in a statement. “Even with frequent daily use by the vast majority of adults, we have not seen an increase in events like brain tumours.”
Bucher said the typical cellphone use is “very, very, very much lower than what we studied.”
Rats and mice were bombarded for nine hours a day for up to two years with a radiation level so high that humans would only experience it briefly, such as when a phone with a weak signal expends more energy searching for a stronger one.
The toxicology program released preliminary results two years ago and finalized them Friday. The earlier report showed a hint of increased brain tumours in male rats, but the final results did not bear that out.