Federal Scientists released on Friday partial findings from a $25-million animal study that has tested probability of links between chronic exposure to radiation from wireless device or cell phones and cancer.
The findings has presented evidence which is considered as the strongest up to date that such exposure to the said radiation is associated with the rare cancers formation in at least two cell types of rat's brains and hearts. The results of the findings are poised to reignite controversy about how such exposure might affect overall human health.
Researchers at the National Toxicology Program who led the study have exposed rodents to a carefully calibrated radio-frequency radiation levels designed to emulate roughly what humans could experience with using cell phone and being exposed to radiation.
"This is by far-far and away-the most carefully done cell phone bioassay, a biological assessment. This is a classic study that is done for trying to understand cancers in humans. There will have to be a lot of work after this to assess if it causes problems in humans, but the fact that you can do it in rats will be a big issue. It actually has me concerned, and I'm an expert," says Christopher Portier, a retired head of the NTP who helped launch the study and still sometimes works for the federal government as a consultant scientist.
The NIH told Scientific American in a statement, "This study in mice and rats is under review by additional experts. It is important to note that previous human, observational data collected in earlier, large-scale population-based studies have found limited evidence of an increased risk for developing cancer from cell phone use."
Cell phone industry group CTIA-The Wireless Association issued a statement on Friday saying that they are still reviewing the study's findings.
"Numerous international and U.S. organizations including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, World Health Organization and American Cancer Society have determined that the already existing body of peer-reviewed and published studies shows that there are no established health effects from radio frequency signals used in cellphones," the CTIA statement said.
