In case you’re not aware, Interphone is the largest ever study of the correlation between cellphone use and tumors, both in terms of cost ($15+ million) and reach (13 countries). Since the study was released on May 18, there has been controversy over the results. Microwave News has updated coverage on this. From a recent post at MWN:

“The divisions within the Interphone project are coming out into the open. As the delay in releasing the final results approaches the three-year mark, the tensions within the study team are no longer much of a secret. It’s even becoming clearer who is in which camp —who believes that cell phones present a tumor risk and who thinks the phones are safe.”

The WSJ Numbers Guy gives a good overview of the controversy as it relates to the numbers. This seems to boil down to the data showing that for some levels of cellphone use, the risk of tumors actually decreases, as illustrated by the data represented by the graph below:

From WSJ,

“Even in this analysis, the risk doesn’t steadily increase with use, which is what epidemiologists typically look for—a discernible dose-response relationship. “It’s certainly less compelling than if you saw some kind of graded response,” says David A. Savitz, director of the Disease Prevention and Public Health Institute at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York”

An Additional concern is that this study was published six years after its conclusion. It’s clear these results need much more analysis to reach a clearer consensus. But the fact that cellphone use has only grown in the past six years just makes this kind of research more important.

Kris’ blog on the WWII study of the Bone Conduction Technology known as “Touched Echo” ties to an increasing problem, especially in the U.S., of ringing ear syndrome (known medically as “Tinnitus”). The sensation of ringing/buzzing in the ears is most pronounced among the elderly.

When a person experiences pronounced Tinnitus, often other physical maladies occur including headaches, nausea, and a loss of balance. The condition can be lifestyle inhibiting as it detracts from social interactions, increases fatigue, and causes sleep deprivation.

A recent study by the University of Regensburg, Germany suggests that people who have a hypersensitivity to EMF exposure have a greater risk of Tinnitus (50.72% vs.17.5%). While the study did not link EMF exposure to directly causing Tinnitus, the increased usage of mobiles and ear pods are being researched further to see if these devices contribute to this debilitating condition.

From an article in Microwave News,

“The truth is that there should be no controversy. Children do have higher radiation exposures and if cell phones are indeed doing us harm, then children are at greater risk than their parents.”

According to the article, children have higher SARs (that’s specific absorption rate – not the illness) for radiation than do adults. This is due to the fact that children have thinner skulls and their ears are smaller, meaning less distance and shielding between a cell phone and their brains.

In addition, the article states that the SAR of children’s bone marrow is ten times higher than that of adults. This means that childrens’ bones absorb ten times as much radiation as adults’. Cited is a study in which a testing firm, MCL Technology Ltd., used pigs of different ages as human analogues for the testing of SARs at different ages. Pigs in general, “are regarded as a good substitute for human tissues.”

“They reported that the conductivity of a piglet’s bone marrow was ten times higher than that of an adult pig. The reason for the big difference is that bone marrow has a higher water content in early life. The more water, the higher the conductivity, which in turn leads to a higher SAR. Christ and Kuster then used Peyman and Gabriel’s new numbers to calculate the relative SARs in children and adults. (Follow this link for a look at the SAR arithmetic.)”

The article contains more information and some interesting charts.