Cell phones and human health an update on research and regulations

Cell Phones and Human Health: An Update on Research and Regulations Presented at AIHCE June 6, 2001 Marty Eroh, CIH Pinnacle West Corporation... Typical and Atypical Base Stations... T

Cell Phones and Human Health:

An Update on Research and

Regulations

Presented at AIHCE

June 6, 2001 Marty Eroh, CIH Pinnacle West Corporation

Cell Phone - Background

✔ Use of cell phones has grown dramatically over the last fifteen years.

✔ Operate at frequencies slightly higher than TV and

FM Radio signals (Nonionizing).

✔ Analog and digital phones operate in the frequency range of 900 - 1800 MHz.

✔ The maximum powers of these phones are 2W and 1W (900 and 1800 MHz respectively) Average

10 kHz

100 kHz

1 MHz

10 MHz

100 MHz

1012Hz

1013Hz

1014Hz

1015Hz

1016Hz

1017Hz

1018Hz

1019Hz

1020Hz

1021Hz

1022Hz

1 GHz

10 GHz

100 GHz

– Microcells - infill, airports, railway stations

Range of few hundred yards.

Sources of Exposure

reduce with distance from the source

of the head for hand held, or to other body parts during hands free use

lower intensity than from handsets

Typical and Atypical Base Stations

Typical and Atypical Base Stations

Typical and Atypical Base Stations

Typical and Atypical Base Stations

Typical and Atypical Base Stations

Typical and Atypical Base Stations

Current Basis of Exposure

Guidelines

IEEE, ICNIRP, NRPB are all based on avoiding thermal effects

in a safety factor for the general public vs workers

Exposure Limits (cont.)

✔ Most exposure limits are now provided in two

forms:

– Basic Restrictions - based on SAR - difficult to measure.

– Reference or Investigation Levels - based on

field strengths (v/m, A/m, or W/m2), more easily measured.

✔ Can exceed the reference levels as long as the basic restrictions are not exceeded.

Example of ICNIRP Guidelines

general public at cell phone frequency

- 9.5 W/m2 (based on

f in MHz/200)

Are there Non-thermal Effects?

limits?

being completed?

report from Great Britain, April 2000

publications

IEGMP Overall Conclusions

specifically relevant to cell phones

are no adverse health effects below current

ICNIRP guidelines (only thermal effects)

guidelines, but not clear that they lead to disease

IEGMP Overall Conclusions

(Cont.)

guidelines are totally without potential adverse health effects; knowledge gaps justify

precautionary approach.

drivers should be dissuaded from using either hand-held or hands-free phones while on the move

Biological Interaction

objects (ions in the body) causes them to move, results in electric currents Currents flowing

through resistance of the material results in

heating Heat input causes increased blood flow for heat dissipation (equilibrium)

to be 0.1 C (to equilibrium)

Biological Interaction

7 micro eV (millionth of eV) Energy needed to break chemical bonds in DNA is 1 eV

Insufficient power to break bonds

produce detectable changes, these fields would

need to be greater than thermal or random noise

Potential Biological Interaction

membrane channels?

adverse health outcome?

Epidemiologic Evidence

health effects

technology, and changes in usage patterns, is an overall weakness in cell phone epidemiology

Two Recent Hospital Based

Case-Control Studies

other than lymphoma and leukemia

Results of Muscat and Inskip

use and risk of brain cancer (total, site specific, or

Cohort Study in Denmark

expected

Denmark Study - Results

Recommended Research

(IEGMP)

Particularly due to latency and changes in

technology

IEGMP Precautionary Approach

general public versus workers, or controlled

versus uncontrolled environments

stations where exposure guidelines may be

exceeded

not open when in use

IEGMP Precautionary (cont.)

where practical to minimize base stations

consumers

IEGMP Precautionary (cont.)

should be discouraged

of cell phone while moving

Cautious Inaction

Karolinska Institute, Editorial in NEJM:

Discussing radio-frequency energy stated:

absence of empirical evidence of a substantial increase in risk legitimize cautious inaction, unless and until a small excess risk is firmly documented.’

non-thermal effects and long term epidemiology

Cautious Inaction

Regulatory / Exposure Guidance

✔ FCC

– 47 C.F.R., Part 1 Subpart I (1.1301 - 1.1319) NEPA– 47 C.F.R.,Part2 Subpart J (2-1091 - 2-1093) RF

Exposure, Mobile and Portable Devices

– OET Bulletin 65, “Evaluating Compliance with

FCC Guidelines for Human Exposure to RF EMF,” 8/97 (http://www.fcc.gov/oet/rfsafety)

– OET Bulletin 56, Q&A About the Biological Effects

& Potential Hazards of RF EMF.

Regulatory / Exposure Guidance (cont.)

✔ IEEE C95.1-1991 (1999 Edition), IEEE Standard for Safety Levels with Respect to Human Exposure

to Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields, 3 kHz

to 300 GHz

✔ IEEE C95.2-1999, IEEE Standard for

Radiofrequency Energy and Current Flow Symbols

✔ IEEE C95.3-1991, IEEE Recommended Practice for the Measurement of Potentially Hazardous

Selected Bibliography

nitrosoursea-induced primary tumors of the central nervous

system in Fischer 344 Rats exposed to frequency modulated microwave fields Cancer Research, 60: 1857-1863, 2000

Studies of Radiofrequency Exposure and Human Cancers Environ Health Perspectives, 1999:107 (suppl 1): 155-168

Selected Bibliography (Cont.)

✔ Inskip, PD et al Cellular telephone use and brain tumors New England Journal of Medicine,

January 11, 2001

✔ Inskip, PD Frequent radiation exposures and

frequency-dependent effects: the eyes have it.”

Epidemiology, 12(1):1-4, 2001

✔ Johansen, C et al Cellular telephones and cancer –

a nationwide study in Denmark Journal of the

Selected Bibliography (Cont.)

✔ Lai, H; Singh, NP Acute low-intensity microwave exposure increases DNA single-stranded breaks in rat brain cells Bioelectromagnetics 16(3):207-210, 1995.

✔ Lai, H; Singh, NP DNA single- and double-strand

DNA breaks in rat brain cells after acute exposure to low-level radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation International Journal of Radiation Biology, 69:513-

521, 1996.

Selected Bibliography (Cont.)

✔ Krewski, D et al Potential health risks of

radiofrequency fields from wireless

telecommunications Journal of Toxicology &

Enviornmental Health Part B: Critical reviews, 4(1):

1-143, 2001

✔ Krewski, D et al Recent advances in research on

radiofrequency fields and health Journal of Toxicology

& Enviornmental Health Part B: Critical reviews, 4(1):

Selected Bibliography (Cont.)

✔ Morgan, RW et al Radiofrequency exposure and

mortality from cancer of the brain and

lymphatic/hematopoietic systems Epidemiology,

vol 11(2): 118-27, 2000.

✔ Moulder, JE et al Cell phones and cancer: what is

the evidence for a connection? Radiation Research; 151(5): 513, 1999.

✔ Muscat, JE et al Handheld cellular telephone use and risk of brain cancer JAMA, 284(23): 3001-7, 2000.

Selected Bibliography (Cont.)

should science respond? Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 93(3): 166-67, 2001

Eu-PIM-1 transgenic mice exposed to 50 Hz magnetic fields for up to 18 months: experimental

methodology and exposure system 17th Annual Meeting of the Bioelectromagnetics Society, June

Selected Bibliography (Cont.)

radiofrequency radiation in the development of uveal melanoma Epidemiology, 12:7-12, 2001

pulsed 900 MHz microwave radiation does not cause deficits in the performance of a spatial

learning task in mice Bioelectromagnetics, vol 21: 151-158, 2000

Selected Bibliography (Cont.)

✔ Stewart, W Mobile phones and health Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (IEGMP) //

Website: http://www.iegpm org.uk/IEGMPtxt.htm//

✔ Vijayalaxmi et al Cytogenetic studies in human

blood lymphocytes exposed in vitro to radiofrequency radiation at a cellular telephone frequency ( 835.62 Mhz, FDMA) Radiation research, 155: 113-121 2001

Selected Bibliography (Cont.)

Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia,

Report of the Senate Environment,

Communications, Information Technology and the Arts References Committee, May 2001,

http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/ecita ctte/EMR/contents.htm