Scientific American – Fact or Fiction? Cellphones can cause Brain Cancer (1)

The relevance for Airwave (TETRA), by Barrie Trower

In Melinda Wenner’s article, she writes, concerning cellphone use:

‘If cellphone use does, in fact, triple the odds of getting cancer, these statistics would suggest that over 60 years a man’s risk of developing a brain tumour from cellphone use increases from 0.206% to 0.621%, and a woman’s from 0.156% to 0.468%.’ (1)

This suggests an increase of 0.415% and 0.312% respectively, or 4.15 and 3.12 per 1,000 people – or an average of 3.635 for both sexes. If we have 300,000 police officers and associated groups using TETRA (Airwave), this suggests a potential for a possible 1,090 slow-growing cancers.

However, these figures are based on ‘ordinary daily use’ – a figure long argued over – it can range from 20 minutes to 2 hours per day, depending on whom you ask. Police Officers can, in fact, use such a microwave transmitter for a 14-hour shift, and it can have surges of power as a message comes through or is activated. As all electromagnetic waves are, in fact, accumulative – does this seven-fold increase in ‘daily use’ mean that the 1,090 cancers can become 7,630 cancers?

Also, the original figures took into account that the number of tumours would be less, as the dense bone of the skull offers some protection. Police Officers tend to carry their transmitters on their neck (shoulder), which offers no such protection.

Melinda Wenner quotes Professor Challis – former Chairman of the MTHR programme as saying:

‘For people who’ve used cellphone for more than 10 years, and who use their phone on the same side as the tumour, it appears there’s an association’.

The Nobel Prize-winning Irish Doctors Association has recently published details of over 60 recent research papers, showing how microwave radiation can trigger cancer promoters/initiators, change EEG patterns and cause other health problems. (2)

I do not accept the statement often given: ‘for every paper showing harm there is one showing microwaves are safe’. I am still waiting for just one independently financed, peer reviewed study showing no ill-effects from long-term low-level microwaves.

(1) Fact or fiction? Cellphones can cause brain cancer, Scientific American, 21 Nov 2008

(2) Research Studies done on microwave radiation, Irish Doctors Environmental Association 25 Nov 2008
 

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