Lawmakers question health effects of cell phones

More research is needed on mobile phone use after some studies suggested radiation from the devices may lead to cancer and other illnesses, lawmakers said.

"A growing number of experts think there is cause for concern," said Sen. Tom Harkin, chairman of the Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies. He spoke at a panel hearing into the health effects of mobile phones.

The U.S. National Toxicology Program is beginning a study designed to simulate exposures of mobile-phone users, said John Bucher, associate director at the program.

"The thing we're concerned about is chronic effects after long-term use, things that may take many years to develop," Bucher said. He said children may "potentially" be at greater risk of ill effects. "Better data are needed to establish any potential risks to humans," Bucher said.

Some researchers believe the low level of radiation from mobile phones may cause cancers of the brain and central nervous system, said Harkin, an Iowa Democrat. "More intensive research needs to be done," he said in an interview.

Harkin told the hearing he was "reminded of this nation's experience with cigarettes." If more people had heeded early warnings, "many lives would have been saved," he said.

"The peer-reviewed scientific evidence has overwhelmingly indicated that wireless devices do not pose a public health risk," John Walls, a spokesman for CTIA-The Wireless Association, said in an e-mailed statement. The Washington-based association represents companies including AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc., the two largest U.S. wireless carriers.

Sen. Arlen Specter, a survivor of Hodgkin's disease, a cancer of the lymphatic system, said possible health effects associated with mobile phones are "a serious question, and a serious question ought to get a serious answer."

"The question I think boils down to, what additional studies are necessary," Specter said.

Israeli research suggested an elevated risk of tumors in a salivary gland near the ear among people who used a mobile phone for more than 10 years, said Siegal Sadetzki, a doctor who advises Israel's Health Ministry, in written testimony.

There's debate over whether the results reflect a true association, or stem from "methodological issues" that arise when studying populations, Sadetzki said.

Use of speakers, earphones and hands-free devices might reduce risk, Sadetzki said.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission and the Food and Drug Administration have concluded science doesn't show health hazards from mobile phone use, said Linda Erdreich, a senior managing scientist at Exponent Inc., a Menlo Park, California- based consulting company. "The current scientific evidence does not demonstrate that wireless phones cause cancer or other health effects," Erdreich said.