Federal standard for cellphone radiation underestimates impact on kids -- report

(Monday, October 17, 2011) Jeremy P. Jacobs, E&E reporter
Reprinted with permission from Greenwire, a division of E&E Publishing, LLC

The federal standard for measuring how much radiation humans absorb from cellphones is outdated and grossly underestimates the amount smaller adults and children retain, according to a study released today by a nonprofit advocacy group.

Researchers from the Environmental Health Trust say the finding raises significant questions about the potential health risks associated with cellphone use, particularly in children.

Devra Davis, formerly a Clinton administration adviser at the Health and Human Services Department and one of the paper's authors, said the Federal Communications Commission's current exposure limit for the maximum amount of cellphone radiation that will be absorbed into the brain and other parts of the body is based on a model using a 6-foot-2-inch 220-pound male.

That test, which Davis said was designed by industry, fails to take into account the larger impact radiation has on smaller adults and children.

"Right now the standards for all cellphones are based on a large and tall man," Davis said. "It's not relevant to toddlers and babies. ... They have absolutely no idea that they phones were never tested for them."

Davis also pointed out other flaws in the test's methodologies.

"The current standard is based on how long it takes to heat up a starving rat to get it to stop trying to find food," Davis said.

The study, which is published today in Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine, also found that children may absorb twice as much radiation in their heads than adults.

The research comes as there has been increased focus on whether cellphone radiation may cause cancer and other illnesses.

In May, the World Health Organization (WHO) said the radiation is "possibly carcinogenic" in humans, putting it third in WHO's risk hierarchy behind "carcinogenic" and "probably carcinogenic," (E&ENews PM, May 31).

That finding sent shock waves through the environmental and public health community. Scientific experts, however, have questioned whether cellphone radiation is associated with cancer. They have noted that the rate of brain cancers worldwide has not risen in correlation with the uptick in cellphone use. They have also said it is unclear how cellphone radiation affects human cells and, therefore, causes cancer.

Davis said FCC should switch to another radiation testing model that is already employed by the Food and Drug Administration. The alternative process uses an MRI to scan for radiation in every human tissue. It also uses a "virtual family" of test subjects, including children of multiple ages, adult men and women, as well as women who are at different stages of pregnancy.

FCC reviewed that process in 2001, Davis said, but has yet to implement it.

"They've approved a new standard and reviewed it," Davis said. "It's more precise and uses anatomically correct models."