More Study
On Cell Phone Health Effects Urged
CNN
May 22, 2001
With more
than 110 million cell phones in use in the United States, two congressmen
Tuesday urged more study on the health effects of radiation from wireless
phones after a government report showed research on the issue is inconclusive.
"When
millions of Americans put this phone up next to their ear, even if only for
brief periods of time, there are millions of them who wonder whether they may
be hurting their own health or their children's health," said Rep. Edward
Markey, D.-Massachusetts, at a news conference.
Markey and
Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D.-Connecticut, in 1999 asked the General Accounting
Office to research the issue amid growing concern over the effect of cell
phone radiation on health.
The GAO
report found "that research to date does not show radio frequency energy
emitted from mobile phones to have adverse health effects, but there is not
yet enough information to conclude that they pose no risk."
Based on that
finding, Lieberman called for more research and education.
"Until
we know more we've got to continue to pursue research, ensure effective
regulation of cell phones, and most importantly inform the public as quickly
and as clearly as possible about what we do know and what precautions are
available so the public itself can make informed choices," he said.
More
attention, Lieberman said, needs to be given to regulations requiring
manufacturers to test the safety of their phones.
"The
phones are tested for how much radiation is absorbed by the body to make sure
they fall below the FCC standard," he said. "But the entire system
rests on self-testing by manufacturers. But there are no standards for those
tests. What I learned from the report is that slight differences in testing
procedures can cause significant discrepancies in results."
Lieberman and
Markey also urged the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal
Communications Commission to jointly sponsor a Web site to provide consumers
with the latest information on research into cell phone dangers and safety
tips.
