Precautionary principle
In his capacity as Cancer Institute Director at the University of Pittsburg, Dr. Robert Herberman, issued an unequivocal warning to his staff and faculty to limit their cell phone use because of increased risk of brain cancer. He also cautioned that cellphones should be kept away from head and raised a particular concern about the use by children, citing a study which followed students in Sweden and used them for 10yrs or more. For that group there was a 5-fold increase in risk for those with brain tumours compared to those who didn't use them. In this CBS interview Dr Devra Davis explains further.
In 2000, the WHO recommended that the precautionary principle could be voluntarily applied to cell mast radiation. This principle is "a risk management policy applied in circumstances with a high degree of scientific uncertainty, reflecting the need to take action for a potentially serious risk without awaiting the results of scientific research."
In May 2011 the WHO position still comes with this warning: "Where data are scarce, the absence of evidence of harm should not necessarily be interpreted as evidence that no harm exists. Further research should focus on long-term effects and should include children and adolescents." This follows the reclassification of radio frequency radiation as a class 2B carcinogen now that more evidence is available.
And in May 2011 the EU Parliamentary Assembly Report concurred, "One must respect the precautionary principle and revise the current threshold values; waiting for high levels of scientific and clinical proof can lead to very high health and economic costs, as was the case in the past with asbestos, leaded petrol and tobacco.
Everyone in the scientific community agrees that certain levels of radiation are harmful, but are divided on what the safety standards should be. Health and safety experts in every decade are proven wrong and the standards often adjusted after the damage is done. Since its relatively recent introduction into society, cellphone technology has become so entrenched in modern lifestyle that many people don’t pause to consider the necessity of this automatic and instantly gratifying form of communication. In the immediacy of current times, future vision is often sacrificed and we ignore the lessons of the past at our peril.
Consider the fatal effects of thalidomide prescribed to pregnant women due to insufficient scientific testing in the 1950s or the numerous cases of childhood leukaemia near powerlines. According to WHO’s International EMF Project, “studies suggest that children exposed to ELF magnetic fields have an associated increased risk of leukaemia” but this conclusion wasn’t reached until a significant number of lives had been lost.
The World Health Organisation's project also pointed out on their website that “Electromagnetic fields of all frequencies represent one of the most common and fastest growing environmental influences, about which there is anxiety and speculation are spreading.[sic] EMF exposure now occurs to varying degrees to all populations of the world, and the levels will continue to increase with advancing technology. Thus, even a small health consequence from EMF exposure could have a major public health impact.”
One of the key concerns is that cellphones didn’t undergo adequate market testing before being introduced into society and today every population group and economy in the world is heavily reliant on this mode of communication. Instead of continuing to grow the market, we should be seriously considering alternative solutions so that if the earlier decisions need to be reversed down the line the effect won't be too catastrophic.
In April 2011, the RNCNIRP (Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection) updated its recommendations on the safe use of mobile phones. These recommendations are based on the precautionary principle of the World Health Organization, published scientific and medical studies, reviews and recommendations by scientific groups and the expert opinions of RNCNIRP members.
In particular they caution that usage of a mobile phone by children and adolescents under 18 years old is not recommended and the same applies to mobile phone use by pregnant women in order to prevent risk for a foetus. [more]
When Northern Ireland introduced the strictest legislation in the British Isles governing the erection of cell phone masts, they fell under severe criticism from the telephone industry who warned that this country’s telecommunications infrastructure could fall behind the rest of Europe. The fear of “falling behind” in the technology race is a great concern for the majority of people and nations. Like the tobacco industry, the greatest growth in cellphone usage occurs in less educated Africa where the number of subscribers grew from 8 million in 2000 to 100 million in 2006.