Study: Cellphone Radiation Links to Cancer in Male Rats
Public News Service,Trimmel Gomes, Public News Service – MD
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – A federal agency has released the final results of what could be the world’s largest and most costly experiment linking cancer in male rats to cellphone radiation.
The National Toxicology Program concluded there’s “clear evidence” that prolonged exposure to high levels of radio-frequency radiation, like that used in 2-G and 3-G cellphones, triggers cancerous brain and heart tumors in lab rats.
Dr. Ronald Melnick designed the exposure systems used in the study before his retirement from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. He believes the final peer-reviewed data should serve as a public health warning.
“Consequently,” says Melnick, “I believe that new wireless technologies, including 5G, should be adequately tested before their implementation leads to unacceptable levels of human exposures and increased health risks.”
However, scientists at the agency cautioned that the exposure levels and durations were far greater than what people typically encounter, and the experiment used what is now outdated cell technology. The $30 million NTP studies took more than 10 years to complete and are the most comprehensive assessment, to date.
While some experts, including those at the Food and Drug Administration, debate the level of concern between “clear evidence” and using terms like “some evidence” of adverse risk, Theodora Scarato – executive director of the Environmental Health Trust – says even a small cancer risk could have wide implications on world health.
Her advice is that everyone should take precautions to limit their exposure.
“Not carrying the phone in your pants, or your bra or your shirt pocket, and not allowing children to use cellphones, because they’re most vulnerable to this radiation; it penetrates deeper into their bodies,” says Scarato.
The rodents used in the study were exposed to radiation up to nine hours per day for two years – far longer than heavy users of cellphones.
Trimmel Gomes, Public News Service – MD
