HERE AT THE MOSS REPORTS

This week I begin a three-part series concerning the safety of devices such as cell phones that emit radiofrequency energy fields. Do these energy fields cause or predispose to the development of cancer? Controversy still swirls around the issue. While some researchers have concluded that the risk is minimal, others are less sanguine. A weak but statistically significant link has been established between residential exposure to energy emissions from nearby power lines and the development of a small percentage of childhood leukemias, for example (Greenland 2000; Ahlbom 2000). Researchers have repeatedly demonstrated that radiofrequency electromagnetic fields are capable of disrupting physiological processes at the cellular level, leading, among other things, to the accumulation of free radicals within the cell, and have proposed that such disturbances may in turn create conditions in which malignant change can more easily take place.

Yet agencies such as the American Cancer Society continue to issue blanket reassurances that cell phones, microwave ovens, power lines and other radiofrequency energy-emitting devices are safe, and do not contribute to the incidence of cancer.

What are we to make of these contradictory pronouncements? This is not the only sphere in which the research suggests cause for concern while the agencies charged with protecting the public’s safety insist that there is nothing to worry about. While research is still in progress the debate should remain open, yet all too often the attitude of these agencies can suggest at best a willful complacency, and at worst a stubborn and paternalistic refusal to acknowledge even the need for a continued dialog on the subject.

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DO RADIOFREQUENCY ENERGY FIELDS CAUSE CANCER? PART ONE

Do devices such as cell or mobile phones, that emit radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RFEMF), cause cancer? According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), this is just another widespread "cancer myth" that is befuddling the minds of the American public. A recent ACS "cancer literacy" poll found that 30 percent of the general public agrees with the proposition that electronic devices, like cell phones, can cause cancer in people who use them.

Ted Gansler, MD, MBA, Director of Medical Content, American Cancer Society, blames the persistence of this belief on litigious lawyers and the sensationalist media. "Alarming front-page coverage," he says, is primarily to blame. The reality, says Dr. Gansler, is that although "a few studies have suggested a link with certain rare types of brain tumors the consensus among well-designed population studies is that there is no consistent association between cell phone use and brain cancer" (Gansler 2005).

"What has been proven," Dr. Gansler adds, "is that using a cell phone while driving increases the risk of having a car accident. So, keeping your hands free and your eyes on the road is a more significant issue for people who use cell phones" (Gansler 2005b) - as if one potential danger canceled out the other!

Furthermore, according to Dr. Gansler, "considerable research has also found no clear association between any other electronic consumer products and cancer."

Dr. Gansler points out that while ionizing radiation such as gamma rays and X-rays can increase cancer risk by causing changes to DNA in cells of the body, low frequency, non-ionizing radiation [such as that emitted by cell phones, ed.] does not cause these DNA changes.

This statement, as far as it goes, is true. However, direct damage to the DNA is not the only way in which harm could be done. Dr. Gansler ignores the possibility that exposure to radiofrequency energy might bring about damage indirectly, through subtle physiological effects on cellular functions. It has been established, for example, that radiofrequency electromagnetic fields can induce a wide variety of physiological changes in cell membranes, signaling pathways, cell growth cycle regulation, and other metabolic processes within the cell.

It has also been suggested that radiofrequency electromagnetic fields may cause what are called 'epigenetic’ changes. Epigenetic changes are minute alterations in gene expression, which are brought about by environmental influences. Such alterations in the settings of individual genes can have far-reaching results – as, for example, when a protective gene is deactivated, or a dormant gene switched on. Epigenetic changes, in other words, even though they do not involve direct damage to the DNA, can cause radical alterations in gene expression and cellular functions that can last a lifetime, and that may result in a significantly increased risk of an individual developing cancer and other diseases.

Effects on Melatonin

Furthermore, radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure may possibly exert a disruptive effect on the body’s hormonal systems, with wide-ranging consequences. As researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle have shown, RFEMF is capable of suppressing pineal gland production of the hormone, melatonin. Melatonin may exert a protective effect against cancer, and depressed melatonin levels may in turn predispose towards the development of cancer (Davis 2001).

Other subtle changes in metabolic norms may also be induced by radiofrequency emissions. This summer, Turkish scientists at Suleyman Demirel University published a paper showing that exposure to 900 MHz electrical fields (the kind typically emitted by cellular telephones) suppresses production of TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) and thyroid hormones in rats (Koyu 2005).

They have also shown that long term RFEMF exposure can lead to chronically increased levels of free radicals, which, coupled with a concomitant decrease in key antioxidant systems in the brain, can lead to a heightened risk of brain cancer. Interestingly, these researchers found that the increased risk of brain cancer could be substantially offset by administration of the dietary supplement, gingko biloba (Ilhan 2004).

A weak but consistent association between exposure to RFEMF and the development of childhood leukemia has been demonstrated. In 1999, the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) concluded that although the evidence was not strong, there were still reasons for caution. The NIEHS rationale, according to its own website, was that "no individual epidemiological study provided convincing evidence linking magnetic field exposure with childhood leukemia, but the overall pattern of results for some methods of measuring exposure suggested a weak association between increasing exposure to EMF and increasing risk of childhood leukemia. The small number of cases in these studies made it impossible to firmly demonstrate this association. However, the fact that similar results had been observed in studies of different populations using a variety of study designs supported this observation."

Clearly therefore, even though the association between RFEMF and disease is still very much under investigation, there are definite grounds for concern.

TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER

The news and other items in this newsletter are intended for informational purposes only. Nothing in this newsletter is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice.

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