THE MOSS REPORTS Newsletter (09/11/05) ARE CELL PHONES SAFE?

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11 Sep 2005 22:35:21 -0000

" Cancer Decisions " <

THE MOSS REPORTS Newsletter (09/11/05)

 

 

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Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D. Weekly CancerDecisions.com

Newsletter #201 09/11/05

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THE MOSS REPORTS

 

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ARE CELL PHONES SAFE?

 

 

This week I begin a three-part series concerning the safety of devices

such as cell phones that emit radiofrequency energy fields. Do these

energy fields cause or predispose to the development of cancer?

 

To read this week's newsletter, please click or go to:

http://www.cancerdecisions.com/091105.html

 

 

 

--Ralph W. Moss, PhD

 

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DO RADIOFREQUENCY ENERGY FIELDS CAUSE CANCER? PART ONE

 

 

Do devices such as cell or mobile phones, that emit radiofrequency

electromagnetic fields (RFEMF), cause cancer? According to the

American Cancer Society (ACS), this is just another widespread " cancer

myth " that is befuddling the minds of the American public. A recent

ACS " cancer literacy " poll found that 30 percent of the general public

agrees with the proposition that electronic devices, like cell phones,

can cause cancer in people who use them.

 

Ted Gansler, MD, MBA, Director of Medical Content, American Cancer

Society, blames the persistence of this belief on litigious lawyers

and the sensationalist media. " Alarming front-page coverage, " he says,

is primarily to blame. The reality, says Dr. Gansler, is that although

" a few studies have suggested a link with certain rare types of brain

tumors the consensus among well-designed population studies is that

there is no consistent association between cell phone use and brain

cancer " (Gansler 2005).

 

" What has been proven, " Dr. Gansler adds, " is that using a cell phone

while driving increases the risk of having a car accident. So, keeping

your hands free and your eyes on the road is a more significant issue

for people who use cell phones " (Gansler 2005b) - as if one potential

danger canceled out the other!

 

Furthermore, according to Dr. Gansler, " considerable research has also

found no clear association between any other electronic consumer

products and cancer. "

 

Dr. Gansler points out that while ionizing radiation such as gamma

rays and X-rays can increase cancer risk by causing changes to DNA in

cells of the body, low frequency, non-ionizing radiation [such as that

emitted by cell phones, ed.] does not cause these DNA changes.

 

This statement, as far as it goes, is true. However, direct damage to

the DNA is not the only way in which harm could be done. Dr. Gansler

ignores the possibility that exposure to radiofrequency energy might

bring about damage indirectly, through subtle physiological effects on

cellular functions. It has been established, for example, that

radiofrequency electromagnetic fields can induce a wide variety of

physiological changes in cell membranes, signaling pathways, cell

growth cycle regulation, and other metabolic processes within the cell.

 

It has also been suggested that radiofrequency electromagnetic fields

may cause what are called 'epigenetic' changes. Epigenetic changes are

minute alterations in gene expression, which are brought about by

environmental influences. Such alterations in the settings of

individual genes can have far-reaching results – as, for example, when

a protective gene is deactivated, or a dormant gene switched on.

Epigenetic changes, in other words, even though they do not involve

direct damage to the DNA, can cause radical alterations in gene

expression and cellular functions that can last a lifetime, and that

may result in a significantly increased risk of an individual

developing cancer and other diseases.

 

Effects on Melatonin

 

 

Furthermore, radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure may

possibly exert a disruptive effect on the body's hormonal systems,

with wide-ranging consequences. As researchers at the Fred Hutchinson

Cancer Research Center in Seattle have shown, RFEMF is capable of

suppressing pineal gland production of the hormone, melatonin.

Melatonin may exert a protective effect against cancer, and depressed

melatonin levels may in turn predispose towards the development of

cancer (Davis 2001).

 

Other subtle changes in metabolic norms may also be induced by

radiofrequency emissions. This summer, Turkish scientists at Suleyman

Demirel University published a paper showing that exposure to 900 MHz

electrical fields (the kind typically emitted by cellular telephones)

suppresses production of TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) and thyroid

hormones in rats (Koyu 2005).

 

They have also shown that long term RFEMF exposure can lead to

chronically increased levels of free radicals, which, coupled with a

concomitant decrease in key antioxidant systems in the brain, can lead

to a heightened risk of brain cancer. Interestingly, these researchers

found that the increased risk of brain cancer could be substantially

offset by administration of the dietary supplement, gingko biloba

(Ilhan 2004).

 

A weak but consistent association between exposure to RFEMF and the

development of childhood leukemia has been demonstrated. In 1999, the

US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

concluded that although the evidence was not strong, there were still

reasons for caution. The NIEHS rationale, according to its own

website, was that " no individual epidemiological study provided

convincing evidence linking magnetic field exposure with childhood

leukemia, but the overall pattern of results for some methods of

measuring exposure suggested a weak association between increasing

exposure to EMF and increasing risk of childhood leukemia. The small

number of cases in these studies made it impossible to firmly

demonstrate this association. However, the fact that similar results

had been observed in studies of different populations using a variety

of study designs supported this observation. "

 

Clearly therefore, even though the association between RFEMF and

disease is still very much under investigation, there are definite

grounds for concern.

 

 

TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK