The New Straits Times, August 6, 2000
By Professor Dzulkifli Abdul Razak
THE mobile phone has become a handy communication tool - and it can even save lives.
Last week when a man fell about 200ft while scaling the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, he was rescued after calling 911 on his mobile phone. (NST, July 31).
But "safety" is still an on-going issue when it comes to mobile phones. The newspaper USA Today (Aug 1) headlined a researcher's call to be cautious.
George Carlo, director of Wireless Technology Research programme reviewed 75 studies over the past six years.
He was quoted saying: "There is enough (evidence) to raise some serious questions about the safety of cell phones". His findings appeared in a recent issue of Medscape, an online medical journal.
While there is no conclusive proof that mobile phones pose serious health risks, the World Health Organization recently urged further research on safety aspects.
Mobile phones came to be widely used only recently and it it, therefore, too early to state with certainty that they are "absolutely" safe.
According sources from the US Food and Drug Administration, which oversees the safety of radiation-emitting consumer products, mobile phones emit low levels of radiofrequency energy or radiation (RF) in the microwave range when in used. They also emit very low levels of RF, considered non-significant, when in the stand-by mode.
Hand-held mobile phone has a built-in antenna which is the primary source of RF. These types of mobile phones are of concern because of the short distance between the antenna and the caller's head.
RF at higher levels is known to produce biological damage through heating effects (similar to microwave cooking).
But, not as much is known when it comes to the health implications of lower levels RF _ to what extent, or through what mechanism, it might cause adverse effects, if at all.
This is complicated by the fact that not all cell phones emit the same amount of radio waves. The WHO call followed a recent announcement by FDA that it planned to undertake such safety studies.
Theoretically children who are involved are worst off due to their early developmental stages.
Thus a British panel recommended that children limit their conversations on cell phones because of safety questions although according to an industry spokesperson, the "vast majority of scientific evidence shows that there is no public health concern from people using wireless phones."
One important question that needs to be urgently resolved would be the relationship between low-level radiation and the possible cellular toxic effects, like cancer. If at all, at what levels.
While some scientific studies do indicate cancerous effect in experimental animals, others showed changes in human brain activity, reaction times and sleep patterns. How these impact human health is still vague.
A two-year study by researchers from Orebro Medical Centre's department of oncology and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm found an increased risk in areas of the brain exposed to microwaves during a mobile phone call.
The result seems to hold even when statistical adjustments are made for other risk factors including ionizing radiation and laboratory exposures, according to Dr Lennart Hardell, the team leader.
It was pointed out, though, that most of the people in the study "used the older analog system, which gives two to three times higher exposure than the digital system".
Indeed, "there are some conflicting pieces of information" that require more research, said Harvey Rudolph, deputy director of FDA's Office of Science and Technology. Currently various agencies are doing just that.
While the confusion is being sorted out through further studies, a good rule of thumb is to minimise, and prudently avoid unwarranted exposure to the radiation associated to mobile phone antennae. According to FDA: use a headset with a remote antenna to a mobile phone carried at the waist.
Especially in a car, use an external fixed antenna, otherwise "your exposure to microwaves might even be higher than using the phone outside the car", Hardell adds.
The exposure to RF from mobile phones in which the antenna is located at greater distances (such as outside of a car) from the caller is drastically lower than that from hand-held phones, because a person's RF exposure decreases rapidly with distance from the source.
WHO adds, users "might choose to limit their own or their children's exposure by limiting the length of calls, or using "hands-free" devices to keep mobile phones away from the head and body".
For extended conversations, conventional telephone is preferred. Another useful tip is to find out the specific absorption rate (SAR) value of various mobile phone types. The SAR may differ greatly between the various brands, reminds Hardell.
However, radiation "absorbing devices" and "shields" are said to be dubious or of "no value" in providing protection.
In fact critics say the latter might actually increase exposure due to some phones needing more RF to communicate with nearby towers.
By 2004, about 4 millions Malaysians are expected to be mobile phone users. Indeed, for a sector of Malaysians, mobile phone is now a way of life.
However, there is little systematic information or guidelines provided to the public about issues related to their "safe" use. Neither are there leaflets on precautions that should be considered.
While we wait over the next few years, for a more conclusive verdict from new research, in the interim it is prudent to take precautionary measures.
This is because, as WHO cautioned, with the increasingly large numbers of users of mobile phones, "even small adverse effects on health could have major public health implications" The public must be kept abreast at all stages by all concerned _ regulators, vendors and manufacturers alike. This is to prevent the repeat of tragic events that might unfold later like that against the tobacco industry (NST, Poison Control, July 30).
For this reason, we need greater product transparency and accountability, in earnestly protecting the health of the public.
Website: http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Wireless/News_Releases/1999/nrwl9044.html
