Cell phones and the brain

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients,  July, 2002  by John D. MacArthur

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In May, SB1699 was approved by the California Senate. If it becomes law, it will require the State Department of Health Services to conduct a review of existing research concerning the health effects of cellular telephones and to report its findings to the Legislature by July 1, 2001. This Bill would also require the Director of Health Services to advise the Legislature regarding the need for additional research and legislative action regarding the use of cellular telephones. (41)

Transmission Towers

The most contentious issue surrounding cell phones is the safety of long-term, low-dose irradiation from their transmission towers. People throughout the world are expressing their opposition to the presence of these technomonuments in their neighborhood. Often it's simply because the towers are ugly and their flashing red lights are annoying. But that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Unfortunately, our five senses cannot perceive the bulk of the iceberg: invisible radiation from transmitters atop the towers. Our exquisitely sensitive brains probably can, though, and are capable of responding to wireless radiation in subtle yet significant ways.

The Scottish Parliament's Transport and the Environment Committee reviewed research into the health effects associated with wireless radiation. They listened to the concerns of communities and individuals across Scotland, as well as reviewed testimonies submitted from other parts of England and the world.

In March 2000, the Committee recommended that all telecommunication towers, including cell phone transmission towers, should be required to apply for planning permissions, and local authorities should adopt a precautionary approach:

"Based on the evidence received, the Committee considers that there is reasonable doubt about the health risks and recommends that health should be viewed as a material planning consideration and a precautionary approach should be adopted at a national level allowing for local flexibility. The Committee considers that areas such as schools, nurseries, hospitals, and residential areas may be considered sensitive for environmental health reasons." (42)

The Salzburg Resolution

In Austria, on June 7-8, 2000, experts from around the world gathered at a conference on "Cell Tower Siting: Linking Science & Public Health." which was organized on behalf of the government of the federal state of Salzburg. According to the Salzburg Resolution on Mobile Telecommunication Base Stations:

"Presently the assessment of biological effects of exposures from base stations in the low-dose range is difficult but indispensable for protection of public health. There is at present evidence of no threshold for adverse health effects.

"Recommendations of specific exposure limits are prone to considerable uncertainties and should be considered preliminary. For the total of all high-frequency irradiation, a limit value of 100 mW/m2 (10 [micro]W/cm2) is recommended.

"For preventive public health protection a preliminary guideline level for the sum total of all emissions from ELF pulse-modulated high-frequency exposure facilities, such as GSM base stations, of 1 mW/m2 (0.1 [micro]W/cm2) is recommended." (43) [milliwatts per square meter (microwatts per square centimeter)]