It's the disquieting question that lurks in the background for a great many mobile
phone users: Will this thing
fry my brain? Or, in technical terms: Does the Specific Absorption
Rate (SAR) of radio frequencies (RF) emitted by this device contribute to the growth of
brain tumors?
So far, the short answer is no. A number of studies published in reputable medical
journals say so.
Nevertheless, this remains a huge health concern worldwide. Some 800 million people use
mobile phones, and reports are that about 400 million handsets will be sold by the end
of this year. Some estimates claim that one billion people will own a mobile phone by
early 2002.
As one might imagine, politicians, consumer groups, wireless carriers and mobile
phone makers are all weighing in on the subject.
"Anything that our customers consider to be important, Nokia takes very seriously,"
Nokia spokesperson Keith Nowak told Wireless NewsFactor.
"This is why we have taken steps to make information regarding RF available to our
customers through our www.nokiausa.com Web site,
where consumers have the opportunity to learn about the issue and to examine data
regarding specific phone models."
Motorola director of global strategic issues
Norman Sandler told Wireless NewsFactor that the company
maintains information on wireless
phone safety at its Web site, too.
Science Says It's Safe
The National
Cancer Institute was clear about this issue in February, when it
published a study that says there is no demonstrable
link between wireless phone use and cancer risk. Even though previously published studies
make similar assertions, this one carries a lot of weight in the medical community because
it was conducted with a huge sample of people in Denmark -- a place where it seems
everyone has a wireless phone.
The journal said doctors at the Danish Cancer Society monitored 420,000 mobile phone
users in Denmark from 1982 to 1995 and found no link between the use of these devices
and any incidents of cancer.
Studies published in the Journal of American Medical Association and
the New England Journal of Medicine in December 2000 also report no connection between
mobile phone use and a cancer threat.
Industry Still Keeps Tabs
Industry
leaders are joining the medical community in supporting further research efforts.
"Manufacturers also support external research efforts on this issue with funding and
access to products," Gartner Dataquest analyst Paul S. Dittner told Wireless NewsFactor.
"They also conduct internal research to monitor the issue." (continued...)
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