WIRELESS PHONES AND HEALTH

Scientific Progress

WIRELESS PHONES AND HEALTH

Scientific Progress

Edited by

George L. CarloWireless Technology Research, L.L.C.

Associate Editors

Mary SupleySusan E. Hersemann

Polly Thibodeau

Foreword byGeorge L. Carlo

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eBook ISBN: 0-306-46899-9Print ISBN: 0-792-38347-8

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Contents

ForewordG. L. Carlo ix

Acknowledgments xi

Section I: Dosimetry and Measurements

Editor’s Note

Chapter 1 State of the Science Regarding In Vitro and In Vivo ExposureSystems for RF Studies

C. K. Chou

Chapter 2 Modeling and Experimental Characterization of ExposureSystems

L. Martens

Chapter 3 Dielectric Spectroscopy of Biological Materials: Its Role inDosimetry

C. Gabriel

Chapter 4 Compliance Testing of Handheld Mobile CommunicationsEquipment

N. Kuster

Chapter 5 State of the Science Regarding RF Dosimetry, Measurement, andCertification

O. P. Gandhi

Section II: Biological Responses Indicative of Genetic Effects

Editor’s Note

Chapter 6 Genotoxicity of Radiofrequency RadiationD. Brusick

Chapter 7 Some Considerations on the Genotoxicity of RadiofrequencyRadiation

L. Verschaeve

1

3

23

33

47

55

89

91

99

vi

Chapter 8 Studies on Microwave Induction of Genotoxicity: A LaboratoryReport

M. L. Meltz 105

Chapter 9 Considerations Regarding the Use of In Vitro Transformation andAlkaline Comet Assays to Assess the Carcinogenic Potential ofRadiofrequency Radiation

J. L. Roti Roti, R. S. Malyapa, and E. W. Ahern 113

Chapter 10 Comments on “ Genotoxicity of Radiofrequency Radiation”S. Wolff 127

Section III: Biological Responses Indicative ofCarcinogenic and Other Non-genetic Effects

Editor’s Note 133

Chapter 11 Recent Advances in the Biophyiscal Modeling of RadiofrequencyElectromagnetic Field Interactions with Living Systems

A. E. Chiabrera, B. Bianco, E. Moggia, T. Tomassi, and J. J. Kaufman 135

Chapter 12 Where Does the Energy Go? Microwave Energy Absorption inBiological Objects on the Microscopic and Molecular Scales

A. R. Sheppard 165

Chapter 13 Biological Effects and MechanismsB. Veyret 177

Chapter 14 Electromagnetic Fields and Carcinogenesis: An Analysis ofBiological Mechanisms

T. S. Tenforde 183

Chapter 15 Human Exposure to Radiofrequency Radiation—Public HealthIssues

A. Sivak 197

Section IV: Epidemiology and Radio Frequency Radiation Research

Editor’s Note 203

Chapter 16 State of the Science in RF EpidemiologyK. J. Rothman 205

vii

Chapter 17 Occupational Health StudiesR. W. Morgan

Chapter 18 Review and Discussion of State of the Art, EpidemiologyJ. R. Goldsmith

Chapter 19 The Epidemiology of Small EffectsE. L. Wynder and J. Muscat

225

233

255

Section V: Non-biological Health Risks from Radio Frequency Radiation:Interference with Medical Devices

Editor’s Note

Chapter 20 State of the Science in Wireless Instrument Medical EquipmentInterference

K. H. Joyner 269

Chapter 21 Medical Equipment Interference: Risk and MinimizationB. Segal 283

Chapter 22 In Vitro and In Vivo Observation of Digital and Analog CellularPhone Interference with Cardiac Pacemakers

V. Barbaro, P. Bartolini, A. Donato, and C. Militello 297

Chapter 23 Interference of Cardiac Pacemakers in the Near Fields of PortableDigital Transmitters

J. Silny

Chapter 24 State of the Science in Wireless Instrument Pacemaker andDefibrillator Interference

D. L. Hayes 317

Chapter 25 Unlocking the Secrets of Heart Stopping Phone CallsR. G. Carrillo 337

Appendices

State of the Science ColloquiumUniversity “La Sapienza” of Rome

Rome, Italy13-15 November 1995

Appendix A Colloquium Agenda 343

267

305

viii

Appendix B Colloquium Participants

Appendix C Colloquium Introduction and Charge to ParticipantsG. L. Carlo

Appendix D Rapporteur Summaries and Scientific Discussion

D-l Dosimetry/Measurements/CertificationM. Embrey and M. Cavagnaro

D-2 EpidemiologyR. A. Steffens and M. Zago

D-3 Interference with Medical DevicesG. K. Findlay and A. Donate

D-4 Biological Responses: Genetic EffectsG. Hook and M. Liberti

D-5 Biological Responses: Carcinogenic and OtherK. G. Sund and F. Apollonio

Appendix E Colloquium SummationG. L. Carlo and S. E. Hersemann

Index

349

355

357

369

385

399

403

411

415

Foreword

Since questions about wireless phones and brain cancer were first raised in early 1993,numerous scientific studies and reviews have been conducted and publishedthroughout the world with support from industry and government. The mostcomprehensive colloquium to date covering this science was co-sponsored by theInternational Committee on Wireless Communication Health Research and WirelessTechnology Research, LLC, at the University “La Sapienza” of Rome in November1995. Papers from that colloquium with appropriate updates form the foundation forthe current volume. A follow-up to that colloquium is being planned for the spring of1999 by the same group and the report of that colloquium will be the basis for VolumeII of this series.

As the scientific story about wireless phones and health effects continues tounfold over the next several years, it is important to evaluate the work in a context thatis beneficial to the enhancement of public health. Two themes are critical to anappropriate contextual understanding of this science.

First, no amount of science can ever prove that wireless phones are absolutelysafe. While thoughtful and comprehensive batteries of in vitro and in vivo animalexperiments can be predictive of both harm in humans and relative safety, andepidemiological studies can indicate what has happened in the human experience,assurance of the definite absence of harm is unattainable. For this reason, all thescientific work addressing wireless technology health questions that has beencompleted—much of it presented in this volume—or that which is underway (to bepresented in future volumes), must necessarily be viewed in the context of post-marketsurveillance. Post-market surveillance is a search for problems following from the useof wireless technology so that interventions to solve those problems can beimplemented. Timely intervention minimizes the adverse impact on the public ofidentified risks.

Second, wireless technology is perhaps the most rapidly evolving technology inour history. As such, it is nearly impossible to keep ahead of the technology evolutionwith our current tools of health risk evaluation and intervention. Within the two tothree years it takes to complete a whole-life animal experiment or an epidemiologicalstudy, turnover in technology would have occurred to some degree. From a practicalperspective, this suggests that scientific findings of today are variably relevant totoday’s technology and variably efficient at predicting tomorrow’s risks. This dilemmafurther underscores the necessity of ongoing post-market surveillance, including bothanimal experiments and human epidemiology.

As you review the science presented in this and subsequent volumes of thisscientific progress series, I urge you to think practically about what value each of thesescientific findings has with regard to the protection of public health. That, after all, iswhy this work is being done.

G. L. Carlo

Acknowledgments

The papers included in this volume represent recent scientific progress in the study ofpotential health effects from wireless communication technology.

I would like to thank each of the presenters at the State of the ScienceColloquium (Rome, Italy, 1995) for their contribution to both this volume and thescientific database on radio frequency radiation. Additionally, I would like to thankthose individuals who chaired the colloquium sessions, as well as all who attended fortheir participation in this important scientific exchange.

The colloquium was co-sponsored by the International Committee on WirelessCommunication Health Research, specifically Dr. Jorgen Bach Andersen, Dr. PaoloBernardi, Dr. Guglielmo D’Inzeo, Gerd E. Friedrich, Dr. Zlatko Koren (deceased), Dr.Alastair F. McKinlay, Dr. Michael H. Repacholi, Dr. Paolo Vecchia, and Dr. Gary M.Williams. Dr. Guglielmo D’Inzeo graciously hosted and co-chaired the colloquium atthe University “La Sapienza” of Rome, and was assisted in his efforts by Dr.Alessandro Palombo, Carlo Argiolas, Anna Bianchi, Sonia Bogliolo, Marina Breccia,Flavia Carmenini, Federica Censi, Stefano Cesare, Luca Ciminelli, Elena Cimino,Alessandro Ganci, Nora Grazioli, Federico Iori, Daniela Ippoliti, Luna Lazzarini,Fabio Mastrantonio, Stefano Pisao, and Aldo Vincenzi. Dr. Dina T. Simuniccoordinated the participation of members of the COST 244 working group.

I would like to thank the staff of Wireless Technology Research (WTR), LLCresponsible for organizing the colloquium: Mary Supley, Susan E. O’Donnell, andPatricia H. Carlo. The following WTR staff also provided support for the colloquium:Bryan W. Eddins, Michael Niemeyer, Jody Dosberg, Anita Sperling, Atticus Reaser,Claudine M. Valmonte, Elizabeth Estes Adams, Peter Sebeny, and Brian Jones.

I would like to thank the following individuals who served as rapporteurs for thecolloquium: Kelly G. Sund, Martha Embrey, Gretchen K. Findlay, Dr. Graham H.Hook, Rebecca A. Steffens, Francesca Apollonio, Marta Cavagnaro, Andrea Donato,Mirka Zago, andMicaela Liberti. They were responsible for coordinating their respective sessions andthe assembly of papers. Claudine M. Valmonte and Kathleen Kapetanovic providedadditional assistance in assembling sections for this volume.

I would like to thank Mary Supley and Susan Hersemann for editing this volume.Polly Thibodeau and Sherry Farr also contributed to the editing process, and Eric Chroland Jennifer Rumbaugh assisted in proofreading. This volume was formatted by MarySupley and Polly Thibodeau, with the assistance of Jennifer Rumbaugh, Eric Chrol,Lisa Joson, Rebecca A. Steffens, Claudine M Valmonte, and Marissa Gandee. LindaT. Solheim provided legal counsel on copyright and contractual issues related to thispublication.

The wireless industry, through their financial support of WTR, provided supportfor the 1995 colloquium and this publication.

G. L. Carlo