GUILDERLAND — The debate has raged since the days of mammoth-sized cell phones in the 1980’s, and continues today as sleek, modern palm-sized phones make their way into the hands of millions of Americans each year.
Are cellular telephones dangerous"

Whether cell phones are dangerous or not, one local expert says that preventative measures are the proper recourse when it comes to personal health and safety.
"When you can make some very simple adjustments, then why not do it if the alternative may be harmful"" asked Daniel Driscoll of Knox. "Until we know more about this, certainly with my own daughters, I advise simple precautions."

Driscoll, whose Ph. D thesis was on electrical currents in the brain, studied the possible health effects of power-line electric and magnetic fields as part of his work for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Public Service Commission.

Like many common electrical devices such as radios, television, or remote controls, cellular telephones use radio-frequency energy which emits electromagnetic radiation. In the electromagnetic spectrum, cell phones fall between televisions and microwave ovens, all of which use low frequencies,

Driscoll told The Enterprise using a "flip-phone" or "clamshell" mobile telephone, incorporating an "ear bud" or "hands-free" set, or using the speaker-phone feature will all decrease the proximity of microwaves to the user’s head.
Mobile telephones that are more rectangular in shape and have no external antenna are placed close to the head when in use. With external antennas, the concentration of electromagnetic fields (IMFs") being transmitted and received are held an inch or two away from the head, which produces one-tenth as much EMF in the brain, said Driscoll.

Simply put, the closer the antenna, the greater the exposure.

With either type of design, Driscoll added, conversations lasting more than a few seconds should be continued using either a land-line telephone, a speaker phone, or an ear-bud device. But, he warns, the mobile phone should not rest on the user’s lap — to avoid potentially damaging exposure to genitalia.

The less you use a cellular phone, the less you will be exposed to any potential harm, he said.

Driscoll, who is a professional engineer and has a Ph. D in electrical engineering, retired in 1999 from New York State as a specialist in the environmental aspects of noise and power line electric and magnetic fields. He has also served on a National Academy of Science Committee on health effects of electromagnetic fields.

Driscoll wrote to The Enterprise editor in response to a recent article. (See opinion pages.)

The Federal Comminations Commission (FCC) has maintained that there is no scientific evidence proving microwaves from cellular telephones are harmful to humans.
"I don’t recall the FCC saying that cell phones are safe," Driscoll said. "They may have said there is no proof that cell phones are dangerous."

The FCC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are the lead regulatory agencies in matters concerning radio frequency from cell phone towers.

The FDA has also regularly maintained that there is no scientific proof of cell phones producing negative affects on humans.

According to the New York State Department of Health, cell-phone users are not in any danger.
"Common scientific evidence show no negative health effects from electromagnetic energy emitted from cell phones," said Marc Carey, spokesman for DOH.

Studies show
With so many studies on the potential harm or safety of wireless technology, what is the public to believe"

Driscoll said that consumers need to look at where each study gets its funding and at the selection size and variables used in each study.
Previously, many studies have shown no correlation between cancer and cell phones, like the study published in the American Academy of Neurology scientific journal, which said there was no link. The study found "no increased risk for brain tumors related to cell phone use, frequency of use, or number of years of use."
The study’s author did concede, "We won’t be able to make any firm conclusions until we can confirm these results with studies with more long-term and heavy cell phone users."

The new studies, however, have indicated a correlation between mobile-telephones use and brain tumors on the side of the head where the phone is held. Driscoll brought a German study to the attention of The Enterprise, and, in April of this year, the Swedish National Institute for Working Life issued a report with similar findings.
"The German study showed people getting tumors on the same side of the head that they use cell phones on," said Driscoll.

The study Driscoll referred to was part of the 13-nation Interphone Study, which was sanctioned by the World Health Organization to assess possible health risks from cell-phone radiation. The study was also published by the American Journal of Epidemiology.
The study showed an increased risk of glioma, a deadly type of brain cancer, for cell-phone users. However, the research sample was small and has been deemed "statistically insignificant," by mobile technology advocates.

The German study compared a group of 749 brain-tumor patients with 1,494 similar patients who did not use cell phones. The findings revealed a risk rate that doubled with extensive cell-phone use.

The Swedish study, which had a similar study group, found an increase for acoustic neuromas, non-cancerous brain tumors, after 10 years of cell phone use, but not for glioma.

Microwaves like those found in cell phones heat up tissue just as a microwave oven heats food. Scientist conducting these studies say that the heat can alter cellular DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, which can cause tumors.

According to the National Brain Tumor Foundation, approximately 190,000 people in the United States and 10,000 in Canada will be diagnosed annually with a primary or metastatic brain tumor. Brain tumors are the leading cause of solid tumor death in children under the age of 20, which now surpasses acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Presently, brain tumors are treated by surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, or some combination of those.

There are over 120 different types of brain tumors that make effective treatment complicated, according to the foundation.
What to do"

Reminding The Enterprise throughout his interview that current studies are short on statistical significance, Driscoll said that cellular technology is relatively new and time is needed for more substantial studies.

In many of the 10-year studies, few people have considered themselves heavy or long-time cell-phone users because of how new they are.

Louis Slesin agrees.

Slesin is the publisher of Microwave News, on on-line news agency that has been reporting on the potential health and environmental impacts of electromagnetic fields and radiation for the past 25 years.
"It’s too early. You don’t have the data," Slesin told The Enterprise. "Everyone loves their phones; they don’t want to believe there’s anything wrong with them, but we need to look at this."

Previous studies have been one-sided and funded by the interests of the mobile-phone industry, according to Slesin.
"There’s nothing going on for these studies — nothing. The cell phone industry owns the discussion," he said. "The FDA is in bed with the cell-phone industry and none of the other organizations have the money."
Advocating for more research, Slesin, said the "jury’s still out." He added, though, "Children under the age of 12 should be actively discouraged from using cell phones."

Having a bad signal can be worse than just poor reception.

When a signal is low on the mobile device, cellular towers increase the energy sent to that device in order to accommodate the difference, said Slesin.
"Seventy percent of the radiation from a phone is absorbed by the user"How and where you use the phone is very important," he said. "Everyone’s concerned about the cell towers, but the phones are the real issue. They are a thousand times worse."

Driscoll said there are other problems, too.
"There are other effects besides health issues when it comes to intensity," said Driscoll. He referred to the radio towers with blinking red lights that dot the top of the Helderberg escarpment and told a story to illustrate his point.

As a long-time member of Kiwanais, Driscoll was attending an event at Camp Pinnacle, located in the Helderbergs near some of the towers when he encountered a problem trying to open the trunk of his car.
"I had to walk right up in front of my car with the remote to open it," said Driscoll, this was because of the large amounts of radio frequency interference in the area, he said. Interference from these types of towers can disrupt everything from radios to remote car devices, and, of course cell phones.

He suggested that local governments insist on maps detailing the intensity of electromagnetic radiation before they allow companies to put up towers.

As for the cell-phone debate, both Driscoll and Slesin say more time and money are needed for concrete research studies.
"We have two billion users in the world right now," said Slesin. "I don’t know of any other technology that is so pervasive with so many unanswered questions."