Dr Sheila A Johnstone
Neuroscience Consultant London
The Research on Mobile Phones & Health
SACTA

THE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE
When reviewing scientific research it is necessary to consider ALL the scientific evidence that meets the WHO criteria for good research, not just the negative results or the positive results which vested interests may be inclined to do. The total review gives us a look at "the WEIGHT of scientific evidence" referred to by expert groups.

The Weight of Scientific Evidence
"Overall the existing scientific literature encompassing toxicology, epidemiology and other data relevant to health risk assessment, while providing useful information, provides no convincing evidence that radiotelephones pose a long-term public health hazard."
COST Project Final Report, Possible Health Effects Related to the Use of Radiotelephones. September 1999.(+140 papers 1996-1999) (EC Expert Group +270 papers -1996) total 410 papers

The RF Bioeffects Being Researched
RF Bioeffects
-Cancer-epidemiology
-Cancer-in vivo in vitro
-Genotoxicity
-Nervous system
-Thermal
-Anecdotal
-Interference
Scientific Reviews
-Elwood, J. M. ‘99.
-Harrison ‘97
-Brusick, D. ‘98.
-Hermann D. M. ‘97.
-NRPB 4: 5 ‘93. (‘99)
-Bergquist et al, ‘97.
-Medical Devices Agency, ’97, UK

Human Cancer: Epidemiology
"…the consideration of the epidemiologic data relating RFs to cancer occurrence in humans must be balanced against this uncertain background: there is no clear evidence for a carcinogenic action relevant to intact humans but similarly, it is difficult to argue that a carcinogenic mechanism can be ruled out."
Elwood J. 1999. (69 papers) A critical review of epidemiologic studies of radiofrequency exposure and human cancers. Environmental Health Perspectives 107:1:155-168.
IARC Head & Neck tumours:13 countries: 2000-2004, +9M WHO, + 13 national budgets- industry +50%

Cancer- In Vivo-In Vitro- RF Effects
-"Compared to the literature base of laboratory studies of direct neoplastic endpoints…the.. reports cited above (in vivo) are inadequate to confirm the neoplastic activity of radiofrequency radiation in any form.
-(In vitro) investigations ...may be regarded as useful to elucidate possible carcinogenic mechanisms of action, but they .. seek to explain an effect which is not confirmed to exist, due to an agent whose metric is unknown."
Explanation:Animal laboratory reports -in vivo reports- have not proved RF causes cancer.
In vitro studies are useful to look for mechanisms at the cellular level but in this case they are looking for cancer caused by RF when, to date, cancer has not been shown to be caused by RF. SJ
research underway: +8, 2 yr, bioassays, many species

Genotoxicity In Vivo & In Vitro
-"The data from a wide range of standard genetic test methods involving both mammalian and non-mammalian assays do not support the concern that RFR poses nonthermal genotoxic risk to somatic or germ cells of humans under normal exposure scenarios." Genotoxicity of radiofrequency radiation, Brusick’98, +100 papers
-Additional new studies are in press & underway Perform B, nationally, CRADA(USA) EC .

Human Nervous System
· "At the present state of knowledge there is no positive evidence that pulsed or continuous microwave exposure in the non-thermal range confers elevated risk to the health of the brain."

· Hermann D. M. and Hossmann, K-A. 1997. Neurological effects of microwave exposure related to mobile communication, Journal of Neurological Sciences, 152:1-14 (120 papers) -8-10 human studies planned & underway

Thermal RF effects
· "Heating is the major effect of exposure at frequencies greater than 100KHz; restrictions on whole body heat loads expressed as SAR are proposed which avoid adverse responses." NRPB ’93. (436 papers- includes ELF)
· Foster’99, Van Leeuwen ‘99 -new thermal evidence to confirm SAR at guideline limits is non thermal
· -further research, Brooks AF.USA

Anecdotal Evidence- RF Effects
-An EC report was not able to establish a relationship between low or high frequency fields and "electromagnetic hypersensitivity". The possibility that the risk perception /worry could be a causal factor for certain symptoms must be considered.-new study Finland, confirms this
- Possible health implications of subjective symptoms and electromagnetic fields, European Commission DG V, Ulf Bergqvist, ‘97- 15 EC countries- Q-138 health centres, 119 references; Hietenan ’00 BEMS

Interference- RF Effects
-Electromagnetic Compatibility of Medical Devices with Mobile Communications, Medical Devices Agency, March 1997, London, UK.
-"only 4% of medical devices(178) suffered interference from cellphones at a distance of 1 metre, with less than 0.1% showing serious effects... Cellular base sites are unlikely to interfere with medical devices."18 locations- further research-
-Pacemakers, Hayes,USA,‘97 No interference@ 6"

The Weight That An Authority Should Give To The Health Issue-
-"Overall there is no convincing evidence that radiotelephones pose a long-term public health hazard."
- The WEIGHT of 410 good scientific papers related to radiotelephones reviewed by EC Experts

Criterion Research
· There are 410 published papers related to mobile phones & health reviewed of scientific merit.
· Lists of positive studies are biased as are lists of negative full expert reviews of the literature are required for good judgement. studies-
· In14 studies on 1 topic when 11 are negative and 3 positive- statistically likely- the 3+ may be chance.
· Check web information from NRPB, WHO, Industry, FEI, & independent experts, FMK Science Help Desk for weight of scientific evidence.

New Research Papers
· Around 400 mobile phones & health effects research projects are underway in the next 4 years co-ord by the WHO EMF Project and IARC (int.agency cancer research).
· Studies published independently still need to fulfill the WHO criteria for research.

New Research Projects
· Perform A: 8 ongoing in-vivo bioassays
· Perform B: memory, ODC, genotoxicity
· CEMFEC(comb eff of EMFs with environ Carcinogens:Germ Fin Italy Bel)
· REFLEX(Risk eval from low energy emf ex germ,italy,swiz, Austria)
· IARC: 14 countries
USA: WTR,CRADA & Brooks AFB & Motorola, UK, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Korea, China, Russia, Greece, Australia, Canada, South Africa.

The Partners Planning the Perform B Research
· EU part of the 5th Framework Project (COST244)
·  reviewed by WHO independent panel
· Þ Funded by MMF & GSM Association + National Institutions & Research Foundations
· 2-year project 
cross validation by the 2 research teams working on each topic

BASE Sites- Risks -TODAY
-Currently PUBLIC exposure is 100X-1000X below the SAR guideline limits (ICNIRP 98;EC ’99; NRPB’00, Ireland’00, Sweden’00, Netherlands ‘00) .
-if you question if the exposure level is still below the guidelines, ask for measurements.
-the Government license industry and monitor public exposure and continue to improve field measurement technology. (Stellenbosch: Stuckley)
-The Public SAR exposure limit from base sites is 0.08 W/kg harmonised almost worldwide & is based on Scientific Research not unfounded conjecture (EC Parliament June 1999).

HUMAN HEAD DOSIMETRY
· The World Wide Standard Phantom-IEEE, EC, Japan
· The SAR measurement standard phantom will be the worst case combination of tissue conductivity, head size together with a homogenous tissue model, a compressed pinna and without the hand holding the phone, & will result in an SAR that represents the highest possible value in a human head expected during normal operation of the wireless phone. The shape and dimensions of the head model used for testing handsets will represent that of the average user including men, women and children.
· "Since larger heads have higher SARs when the pinna is kept at the same thickness [Schönborn et al., 1998], a large male head (larger than more than 90% of the population) with a compressed pinna represents a worst case for smaller men, women and children."

· "Gandhi et al. [1996] show higher peak SAR in children (scaled down model) compared with adults, which is due to smaller ear spacing. In this recommended practice, the compressed pinna provides a worst case distance for both large and small heads." IEEE on SAR measurement

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Latest
· Swiss Sleep Study: Hietenan ’00
· Bruce Hocking 72 year old man:anecdotal, 1 person, 72 years of intervening variables.
· Paredi and Barnes National Lung Institute unpublished but written and sent for review.
(Van Leeuwen ’99: Hietenan Bems ’00)
Gerald Hyland, Theoretical Physicist, chick eggs & device