| This letter reveals
that the occurrence of brain cancer and certain types of tumors among
cellular phone users is twice that of non-users. Dr. Carlo is requesting
AT&T's assistance to distribute this information to consumers so that
they can make an "informed judgment about how much of this unknown
risk they wish to assume in their use of wireless phones."
A signed copy of this
letter was also sent to a panel of experts convened by the British
Parliament to evaluate the science and health concerns regarding wireless
communications.
7 October 1999
Mr. C. Michael Armstrong
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
AT & T Corporation
32 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 100313-2412
Dear Mr. Armstrong:
After much thought, I am writing this letter to you, personally, to ask
your assistance in solving what I believe is an emerging and serious
problem concerning wireless phones. I write this letter in the interest of
the more than 80 million wireless phone users in the United States and the
more than 200 million worldwide. But I also write this letter in the
interest of your industry, a critical part of our social and economic
infrastructure.
Since 1993, I have headed the WTR surveillance and research program funded
by the wireless industry. The goal of WTR has always been to identify and
solve any problems concerning consumers' health that could arise from the
use of these phones. This past February, at the annual convention of the
CTIA, I met with the full board of that organization to brief them on some
surprising findings from our work. I do not recall if you were there
personally, but my understanding is that all segments of the industry were
represented.
At that briefing, I explained that the well-conducted scientific studies
that WTR was overseeing indicated that the question of wireless phone
safety had become confused.
Specifically, I reported to you that:
The rate of death from brain cancer among handheld phone users was higher
than the rate of brain cancer death among those who used non-handheld
phones that were away from their head;
The risk of acoustic neuroma, a benign tumour of the auditory nerve that
is well in range of the radiation coming from a phone's antenna system,
was fifty percent higher in people who reported using cell phones for six
years or more, moreover, that relationship between the amount of cell
phone use and this tumour appeared to follow a dose-response curve;
The risk of rare neuro epithelial tumours on the outside of the brain was
more than doubled, a statistically significant risk increase, in cell
phone users as compared to people who did not use cell phones;
There appeared to be some correlation between brain tumours occurring on
the right side of the head and the use of the phone on the right side of
the head;
Laboratory studies looking at the ability of radiation from a phone's
antenna system to cause functional genetic damage were definitively
positive, and were following a dose-responsive relationship.
I also indicated that while our overall study of brain cancer occurrence
did not show a correlation with cell phone use, the vast majority of the
tumours that were studied were well out of range of the radiation that one
would expect from a cell phone's antenna. Because of that distance, the
finding of no effect was questionable. (Aegis Note: The entire phone is
an antenna). Such misclassification of radiation exposure would tend
to dilute any real effect that may have been present. In addition, I
reported to you that the genetic damage studies we conducted to look at
the ability of radiation from the phones to break DNA were negative, but
that the positive finding of functional DNA damage could be more
important, perhaps indicating a problem that is not dependent on DNA
breakage, and that these inconsistencies needed to be clarified. I
reported that while none of these findings alone were evidence of a
definitive health hazard from wireless phones, the pattern of potential
health effects evidenced by different types of studies, from different
laboratories and by different investigators, raised serious questions.
Following my presentation, I heard by voice vote of those present, a
pledge to "do the right thing in following up these findings"
and a commitment of the necessary funds.
When I took on the responsibility of doing this work for you, I pledged
five years. I was asked to continue on through the end of a sixth year,
and agreed. My tenure is now completed. My presentation to you and the
CTIA board in February was not an effort to lengthen my tenure at WTR, nor
to lengthen the tenure of WTR itself. I was simply doing my job of letting
you know what we found and what needed to be done following from our
findings. I made this expressly clear during my presentation to you and in
many subsequent conversations with members of your industry and the media.
Today, I sit here extremely frustrated and concerned that appropriate
steps have not been taken by the wireless industry to protect consumers
during this time of uncertainty about safety. The steps I am referring to
were specifically followed from the WTR program and have been recommended
repeatedly in public and private for and by me and other experts from
around the world. As I prepare to move away from the wireless phone issue
and into a different public health direction, I am concerned that the
wireless industry is missing a valuable opportunity by dealing with these
public health concerns through politics, creating illusions that more
research over the next several years helps consumers today, and false
claims that regulatory compliance means safety. The better choice by the
wireless industry would be to implement measured steps aimed at true
consumer protection.
Alarmingly, indications are that some segments of the industry have
ignored the scientific findings suggesting potential health effects, have
repeatedly and falsely claimed that wireless phones are safe for all
consumers including children, and have created an illusion of responsible
follow up by calling for and supporting more research. The most important
measures of consumer protection are missing: complete and honest factual
information to allow informed judgment by consumers about assumption of
risk; the direct tracking and monitoring of what happens to consumers who
use wireless phones; and, the monitoring of changes in the technology that
could impact health.
I am especially concerned about what appear to be actions by a segment of
the industry to conscript the FCC, the FDA and The World Health
Organization with them in following a non-effectual course that will
likely result in a regulatory and consumer backlash.
As an industry, you will have to deal with the fallout from all of your
choices, good and bad, in the long term. But short term, I would like your
help in effectuating an important public health intervention today.
The question of wireless phone safety is unclear. Therefore, from a public
health perspective, it is critical for consumers to have the information
they need to make an informed judgment about how much of this unknown risk
they wish to assume in their use of wireless phones.
Informing consumers
openly and honestly about what is known and not-known about health risks
is not liability laden - it is evidence that your industry is being
responsible, and doing all it can to assure safe use of its products. The
current popular backlash we are witnessing in the United States today
against the tobacco industry is derived in large part from perceived
dishonesty on the part of that industry in not being forthright about
health effects. I urge you to help your industry not repeat that mistake.
As we close out the business of the WTR, I would like to openly ask for
your help in distributing the summary findings we have complied of our
work. This last action is what always has been anticipated and forecast in
the WTR's research agenda. I have asked another organization with which I
am affiliated, The Health Risk Management Group (HRMG), to help us with
this public health intervention step, and to put together a consumer
information package for widespread distribution. Because neither WTR nor
HRMG have the means to effectuate this intervention, I am asking you to
help us do the right thing.
I would be happy to talk to you personally about this.
Sincerely yours
George L. Carlo Ph.D, M.S., J.D
Chairman
Wireless Technology Research LLC
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