31 May 2011

WHO / CANCER CELL PHONES

The World Health Organization said today that radiation from cell phones can possibly cause cancer. The agency lists mobile phone use in the same “carcinogenic hazard” category as lead, engine exhaust and chloroform. WHO

Posted at: May 31, 2011 5:53 pm

Duration: 01:07

Available in: SD

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Full script

STORY: FRANCE / ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
TRT: 1.07
SOURCE: WHO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 31 MAY 2011, LYON, FRANCE

SHOTLIST:

1. Close up, WHO / International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Headquarters street sign
2. Tilt down, WHO / IARC headquarters 
3. Wide shot, meeting
4. SOUNDBITE Dr Kurt Straif, Head of International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Monographs:
"You have to see it in the full context of the evaluation scheme. Group one means it is established that it is causing cancer in humans. We are two steps below, which is 2B (Possible), that at the time we cannot confidently say that its clearly causing cancer in humans. This is based on studies of cancer in humans using epidemiological designs just as case control studies, co-host studies and then we look at the totality of the evidence from these epidemiological studies and these studies suggest that there maybe a thirty to forty percent increase in what were the highest users at the time using the technology at the time."
5. Wide shot, WHO / IARC headquarters

STORYLINE:

Exposure to electromagnetic fields emitted by mobile telephones could possibly cause cancer, including an increased risk in a malignant type of brain tumour, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) reported today.

There has been mounting concern the past few years about the possibility of adverse health effects resulting from exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, such as those emitted by wireless communication devices. The number of mobile phone subscriptions is now estimated at 5 billion globally.

A working group of 31 scientists from 14 countries had been meeting at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France, to assess the potential carcinogenic hazards from exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields.

The working group discussed the possibility that these exposures might induce long-term health effects, in particular an increased risk for glioma, a type of brain cancer, according to WHO and IARC. This has relevance for public health, particularly for users of mobile telephones, as the number of users is large and growing, particularly among young adults and children.

The working group discussed and evaluated the available literature on the following exposure categories involving radiofrequency electromagnetic fields – occupational exposures to radar and to microwaves; environmental exposures associated with transmission of signals for radio, television and wireless telecommunication; and personal exposures associated with the use of wireless telephones.