Cellphone health study on hold

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Cellphone health study on hold

December 14, 2008

Tyler Hamilton

Business Reporter

http://www.healthzone.ca/health/article/553500

It's supposed to be the mother of all studies into cellphones and their potential link to head cancers, a definitive report that the multibillion-dollar wireless industry has partially funded.

But the published analysis of the 13-country Interphone study is two years late and likely to be delayed further as the more than 50 scientists involved bicker over how to interpret the results, knowing full well that any hint at health risks would have a profound impact on the industry.

The stakes are high, and the steps toward the final outcome are being closely watched. More than three billion people around the world use a cellphone, and while sales next year are expected to fall slightly amid tough economic times, wireless gadgets like the BlackBerry and iPhone are woven into the fabric of our daily lives.

Participating countries are free to publish their individual national results, and eight countries have.

Among Nordic countries, there are already hints that cellphone use for 10 years or longer increases the risk of developing glioma and acoustic neurinoma tumours on the side of the head where a handset is held.

It's far from definitive, but suggestive enough to spark closer scrutiny from some scientific corners. Growing impatient and citing the public's right to get "the whole pattern," a group of scientists calling themselves The BioInitiative Working Group are urging the remaining five countries – including Canada – to hand over their results "without further delay."

"There is a lot of data that's been obtained, but not all of it, and the people sitting on it are being obstructionists for a particular reason," said Dr. Blank, a professor of cellular biophysics at Columbia University in New York City and one of 11 scientists who signed a letter earlier this month asking for speedy release of the data.

None of the five countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Israel and Italy, has complied with the request. The scientists heading up Canada's portion of Interphone haven't even responded.

"They don't want the results to come out. It's as simple as that," said Blank.

Three cities are part of the Canadian study: Ottawa, Montreal and Vancouver. The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, which has consistently maintained that cellphones are not harmful to use and comply with all Canadian safety standards, contributed $1 million to the Ottawa portion through a third-party organization.

However, the association said it isn't aware of when the results will be published and doesn't know the reason for the delay.

"I have no idea why the full Interphone study has not been released," said spokesperson Marc Choma. "Interphone does not report to us."

Dr. Krewski, a professor in the department of epidemiology and community medicine at the University of Ottawa, is heading up the Ottawa study. He did not reply to an interview request, either directly or through his office.

In a May interview, however, Krewski told the Star there was a concern that certain biases in the Interphone results – such as study subjects overestimating their long-term cellphone use – may be skewing the analysis.

His counterpart in Montreal, Dr. Jack Siemiatycki at the University of Montreal, told the Star in an e-mail exchange last week that the BioInitiative Working Group has no greater or lesser claim to the data than anyone else.

"There are no people in the world who want to see the Interphone results published more than the Interphone collaborators ourselves," Siemiatycki said.

"It has proven very difficult to achieve an agreed upon manuscript for publication."

The reasons are "not sinister," he assured. "They have to do with facts and data that can legitimately be interpreted in different ways."

Asked why Canada hasn't released an analysis of its own data as eight other countries have, Siemiatycki said it was agreed at the outset that Canada would release its study after Interphone is published. For this reason the Canadian data, while collected, has not yet been analyzed.

"And doing so won't be a trivial task," he added.

Australia and Israel have also not published their national Interphone results, but the scientists heading up each country's research have said publicly, including in interviews with the Star, that there are concerning patterns emerging for long-term use.

It's part of the reason why Toronto Public Health and the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, in what some considered a controversial move, both recommended this summer that children minimize their use of cellphones and use headsets as a precaution.

Blank isn't surprised there's a concern.

"I think there's going to be a building up of momentum," he said.

Toronto Star

FACTS ABOUT INTERPHONE STUDY

Members: Canada, Australia, Italy, Israel, Japan, Denmark, Sweden, France, Germany, Finland, New Zealand, Norway, United Kingdom.

Cancers studied: gliomas, meningiomas, acoustic neurinomas and parotid gland tumours.

Participating Canadian cities: Ottawa, Vancouver, Montreal.

Study period: 2000 to 2004.

Complete published analysis: Expected in 2006. Still waiting.

Age group studied: 39 to 50 year olds.

Countries that have published own results: Japan, Denmark, Sweden, France, Germany, Norway, United Kingdom, Finland.

Countries that haven't published: Canada, Israel, Australia, Italy, New Zealand.

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