Carcinogen Archives - EMFSA

Environmental radiofrequency radiation at the Järntorget Square in Stockholm Old Town, Sweden in May, 2018 compared with results on brain and heart tumour risks in rats exposed to 1.8 GHz base station environmental emissions

Editor — Tue, 04 Dec 2018 14:02:22 +0000

Abstract:
Radiofrequency (RF) radiation in the frequency range 30 kHz to 300 GHz was evaluated in 2011 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) at WHO to be a ‘possible human carcinogen’ Group 2B. The conclusion was based on human epidemiological studies on an increasedrisk of glioma and acoustic neuroma.

In previous measurement studies, we found high environmental RF radiation levels at certain public places and also in an apartment in Stockholm, Sweden. One such place was the Järntorget square in the Stockholm Old Town. The EME Spy exposimeter was used for these studies. We have now conducted a field spatial distribution measurement with a
radiofrequency broadband analyser. The maximum E-field topped at 11.6 V/m at the centre of the square, where the antenna was focused.

Järntorget’s mean value was 5.2 V/m, median 5.0 V/m, range 1.2-11.6V/m. Of interest is that this level can be compared to a lifespan carcinogenicity study on rats exposed to 1.8 GHz GSM environmental radiation performed at the Ramazzini Institute (RI) in Italy. A
statistically significant increase in the incidence of malignant schwannoma in the heart was found in male rats at the highest dose, 50V/m. In treated female rats at the highest dose, the incidence of malignant glial tumours was increased, although this was not
statistically significant.

On the whole, the findings of this study showed that RF radiation levels at one square, Järntorget, in Sweden, were only one order of magnitude lower than those showing an increased incidence of tumours in the RI animal study. An increased cancer risk cannot be excluded for those working in the proximity of Järntorget for longer time periods.

Excerpt from the Introduction

http://worldacademyofsciences.com/journal/WASJ-104_HARDELL.pdf

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NTP cell phone studies — experts recommend elevated conclusions

Editor — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 21:35:43 +0000

By Virginia Guidry https://factor.niehs.nih.gov/2018/4/feature/feature-2-cell-phone/index.htm

Final report expected this fall

NTP staff will now evaluate each of the recommendations from the panel and prepare a final report, which they expect to complete this fall.

“The director has the authority to accept or reject the advice of the advisory panel. Once she has evaluated these recommendations, the changes will be made public,” Bucher said.

A panel of external scientific experts met March 26-28 at NIEHS and recommended that some National Toxicology Program (NTP) conclusions be changed to indicate stronger levels of evidence that cell phone radiofrequency radiation (RFR) caused tumors in rats.

The panel agreed with NTP conclusions that there was little indication of RFR-related health problems in mice. The panel reviewed the conclusions of two draft technical reports, one in rats and one in mice, based on 10 years and $25 million of research.

“It was gratifying that the members of the expert panel unanimously praised the NTP cell phone studies as very well done, and vitally important research,” said NTP Senior Scientist John Bucher, Ph.D. “They conducted a thorough review, engaged in spirited debate, and grappled with the same uncertainties as did the NTP staff.”

Bucher stressed that the goal of the study was to establish the potential health hazard of exposure to cell phone RFR. He said that to detect a potential effect, the rodents’ whole bodies were exposed to levels equal to and higher than the highest level permitted for local tissue exposure in cell phone emissions today.

Heart, brain, and adrenal tumors

Working from the NTP scale of clear evidence, which is graded as some evidence, equivocal evidence, and no evidence, the panel made several recommendations.

The experts recommended that tumors in tissues surrounding nerves in the hearts of male rats, called malignant schwannomas, be reclassified from some evidence to clear evidence of carcinogenic activity.

In female rats, they recommended reclassification of malignant schwannomas from no evidence to equivocal evidence of carcinogenic activity. The panel agreed that there were unusual patterns of cardiomyopathy, or damage to heart tissue, in exposed male and female rats.

“When I look at these types of studies, I look for high-level signals that can infer mechanisms. I have more questions than answers, but the heart is clearly sending a signal in the rat studies, between the levels of cardiomyopathy and malignant tumors,” said panelist Rick Adler, D.V.M., Ph.D., senior director of discovery and regulatory pathology for GlaxoSmithKline.

The panel recommended that findings for a type of brain tumor, called malignant glioma, and a tumor in the adrenal gland, called pheochromocytoma, be reclassified as some evidence of carcinogenic activity in male rats.

Tissue changes and lower body weights

NTP researchers also looked for noncancerous health effects in rats and mice. The panel agreed that there were increases in damage to brain tissue in exposed male and female rats, which further supported the classifications of cancerous effects in the brain.

For several other tissues, including the prostate and pituitary glands, the panel agreed that tissue changes were equivocal, meaning it was unclear if any of these tumor increases were related to RFR.

NTP also reported lower body weights among newborn rats and their mothers, especially when exposed to high levels of RFR during pregnancy and lactation, but these animals later grew to normal size.

“I want to highlight that we don’t rely on one specific item for determining response,” said NTP toxicologist Chad Blystone, Ph.D. He explained that NTP staff review numerous factors when determining conclusions, including those listed below.

Statistics.
Dose-response relationship.
Commonality of tumors and tissue changes.
Comparison to concurrent and historical controls.
Findings across sexes and species.

Most expensive, technically challenging studies

To conduct the studies, NTP worked with collaborators at the IT’IS Foundation to design special chambers that exposed rats and mice to different levels of RFR for up to two years, including exposure to pups while in the womb.

Myles Capstick, Ph.D., of the IT’IS Foundation explained that they wanted to expose the whole animals because they were not sure where health effects might occur. “We were aiming to expose as many tissues as possible, not mimic a phone next to the head,” said Capstick.

Exposure levels ranged from 1.5 to 6 watts per kilogram in rats and 2.5 to 10 watts per kilogram in mice. The low power level for rats was equal to the highest level permitted for local tissue exposures to cell phone emissions today. The animals were exposed for 10-minute on, 10-minute off cycles that totaled more than 9 hours each day.

The studies used 2G and 3G frequencies and modulations that are still used in voice calls and texting in the United States. More recent 4G, 4G-LTE, and 5G networks for streaming video and downloading attachments use different cell phone signal frequencies and modulations than NTP used in these studies. Niels Kuster, Ph.D., of the IT’IS Foundation added that their studies of 4G technologies are very similar.

There were approximately 3,000 animals in the study, and pathologists examined 50 tissues in each animal to look for signs of cancer or other changes.

Bucher cautioned that the findings tell us that we should take a closer look, but they should not be directly extrapolated to human cell phone usage. (Photo courtesy of Steve McCaw)

Michael Wyde, Ph.D., was the lead toxicologist on the study and presented the NTP findings to the panel. (Image courtesy of Steve McCaw)

Panel chair David Eaton, Ph.D., of the University of Washington, said NTP was clairvoyant for including in utero exposure long before this was commonly considered in toxicology. (Photo courtesy of Steve McCaw)

Blystone oversaw internal scientific reviews with NTP staff. (Photo courtesy of Steve McCaw)

(Virginia Guidry, Ph.D., is a technical writer and public information specialist in the NIEHS Office of Communications and Public Liaison and a regular contributor to the Environmental Factor.)

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Comments by Hardell and Carlberg to the National Toxicology Program Cell Phone Study Draft Reports.

Editor — Thu, 15 Mar 2018 14:48:24 +0000

National Toxicology Program March 12, 2018
National Institutes of Health
Public Health Service
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Comments on:
NTP TECHNICAL REPORT ON THE TOXICOLOGY AND CARCINOGENESIS STUDIES IN Hsd: SPRAGUE DAWLEY SD RATS
EXPOSED TO WHOLE-BODY RADIO FREQUENCY RADIATION
AT A FREQUENCY (900 MHz) AND MODULATIONS (GSM AND CDMA) USED BY CELL PHONES
NTP TECHNICAL REPORT ON THE TOXICOLOGY AND CARCINOGENESIS STUDIES IN B6C3F1/N MICE EXPOSED
TO WHOLE-BODY RADIO FREQUENCY RADIATION AT A FREQUENCY (1,900 MHz) AND MODULATIONS (GSM AND CDMA) USED BY CELL PHONES

We have read these two reports with interest. They show increased incidence of malignant schwannoma in the heart and brain glioma in male rats exposed either to GSM-modulated or CDMA modulated cell phone radiofrequency (RF) radiation for two years. There are also increased incidences of some other tumor types and diseases. We discuss in the following some of the major findings.

The reports the results on schwannoma and glioma are of special concern since they corroborate human epidemiology findings. Thus, it is noteworthy that similar tumors were found in the NTP study as in epidemiological studies on human use of wireless phones; mobile phones or cordless phones (DECT). Malignant schwannoma in the heart is a similar type of tumor as vestibular schwannoma in humans, also called acoustic neuroma, although acoustic neuroma is usually benign and may rarely undergo malignant transformation.

In the following we give an updated evaluation on the scientific evidence for increased risk for glioma and vestibular schwannoma (acoustic neuroma) associated with use of wireless phones. In our opinion also certain aspects on human epidemiology on this issue need to be further clarified and elaborated in the NTP report.

Our study group has since the end of the 1990’s published results from case- control studies on use of wireless phones and brain tumor risk (Hardell et al 1999). An increased risk for brain tumors was found for ipsilateral use of mobile phones, the same side of the brain as the phone was used. A statistically significant increased risk was published for malignant brain tumors (Hardell et al 2002) and vestibular schwannoma (Hardell et al 2003). Further scientific evidence on the association has more recently been discussed by Carlberg and Hardell (2017).

Link to the pdf for the full comment Comment on NTP study

By now carcinogenicity has been shown in human epidemiological studies replicated in animal studies. Laboratory studies on RF radiation have shown increased ROS production that can cause DNA strand brakes. We published in 2013 the conclusion that RF radiation should be regarded as a human carcinogen Group 1 according to IARC definition, based on scientific evidence (Hardell, Carlberg 2013b) further supported in our up-dated article (Carlberg, Hardell 2017). That conclusion is reinforced by the current evaluation.

Overall evaluation of levels of evidence of carcinogenic activity
Glioma: Clear evidence
Meningioma: Equivocal evidence
Vestibular schwannoma (acoustic neuroma): Clear evidence
Pituitary tumor (adenoma): Equivocal evidence
Thyroid cancer: Some evidence
Malignant lymphoma: Equivocal evidence
Skin (cutaneous tissue): Equivocal evidence
Multi-site carcinogen: Some evidence

Based on the IARC preamble to the monographs, RF radiation should be classified as Group 1: The agent is carcinogenic to humans.

’This category is used when there is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in humans. Exceptionally, an agent may be placed in this category when evidence of carcinogenicity in humans is less than sufficient but there is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals and strong evidence in exposed humans that the agent acts through a relevant mechanism of carcinogenicity.’ (http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Preamble/currentb6evalrationale0706.php)

Respectfully submitted
Pro Bono Publico
Lennart Hardell, MD, PhD
Department of Oncology, University Hospital
SE-701 85 Örebro, Sweden
Present address:
The Environment and Cancer Research Foundation
Studievägen 35
SE 702 17 Örebro, Sweden
www.environmentandcancer.com

Michael Carlberg,MSc
Department of Oncology, University Hospital
SE-701 85 Örebro, Sweden

Lena Hedendahl, MD
Independent Environment and Health Research Luleå
Östra Skolgatan 12, 972 53 Luleå, Sweden

Draft Reports, Public Comments, and Related Information: TR Peer Review Panel https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/about/org/sep/trpanel/meetings/docs/2018/march/index.html

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Radio frequency radiation-related cancer: assessing causation in the occupational/military setting.

Editor — Fri, 23 Feb 2018 20:15:53 +0000

Environ Res. 2018 Feb 9;163:123-133. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2018.01.003. [Epub ahead of print]

Peleg M¹, Nativ O², Richter ED³.

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIM:

We reexamine whether radio frequency radiation (RFR) in the occupational and military settings is a human carcinogen.

METHODS:

We extended an analysis of an already-reported case series of patients with cancer previously exposed to whole-body prolonged RFR, mainly from communication equipment and radar. We focused on hematolymphatic (HL) cancers. We used analysis by percentage frequency (PF) of a cancer type, which is the proportion of a specific cancer type relative to the total number of cancer cases. We also examined and analyzed the published data on three other cohort studies from similar military settings from different countries.

RESULTS:

The PF of HL cancers in the case series was very high, at 40% with only 23% expected for the series age and gender profile, confidence interval CI95%: 26-56%, p<0.01, 19 out of 47 patients had HL cancers. We also found high PF for multiple primaries. As for the three other cohort studies: In the Polish military sector, the PF of HL cancers was 36% in the exposed population as compared to 12% in the unexposed population, p<0.001. In a small group of employees exposed to RFR in Israeli defense industry, the PF of HL cancers was 60% versus 17% expected for the group age and gender profile, p<0.05. In Belgian radar battalions the HL PF was 8.3% versus 1.4% in the control battalions as shown in a causes of deaths study and HL cancer mortality rate ratio was 7.2 and statistically significant. Similar findings were reported on radio amateurs and Korean war technicians. Elevated risk ratios were previously reported in most of the above studies.

CONCLUSIONS:

The consistent association of RFR and highly elevated HL cancer risk in the four groups spread over three countries, operating different RFR equipment types and analyzed by different research protocols, suggests a cause-effect relationship between RFR and HL cancers in military/occupational settings. While complete measurements of RFR exposures were not available and rough exposure assessments from patients interviews and from partial exposure data were used instead, we have demonstrated increased HL cancers in occupational groups with relatively high RFR exposures. Our findings, combined with other studies, indicate that exposures incurred in the military settings evaluated here significantly increased the risk of HL cancers. Accordingly, the RFR military exposures in these occupations should be substantially reduced and further efforts should be undertaken to monitor and measure those exposures and to follow cohorts exposed to RFR for cancers and other health effects. Overall, the epidemiological studies on excess risk for HL and other cancers together with brain tumors in cellphone users and experimental studies on RFR and carcinogenicity make a coherent case for a cause-effect relationship and classifying RFR exposure as a human carcinogen (IARC group 1). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29433020

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BioInitiative Report: Medical concerns intensify over deadly brain tumors from cell phone use / Orebro University Hospital, Orebro, Sweden/November 17, 2017

Editor — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 12:42:45 +0000

17 th November 2017: Press Announcement BioInitiative Working Group 2017

A new update from the the BioInitiative Working Group 2017 shows the evidence has strengthened for brain cancers related to wireless phone use. The Group has released an update analyzing scientific results of case-control studies published between 2010 and 2017 on cancers of the brain.

For glioma, a malignant brain cancer with a very poor survival rate especially for high-grade
glioma, there is nearly a doubling of the risk overall if the cell phone is used for 1,640 hours or
more. If the cell phone is used primarily on the same side of the head however, the odds of
getting a tumor on that side of the head increase to more than two and a half times compared to
those with no wireless phone exposure.
Survival time after brain tumor diagnosis is also shorter with wireless phone use in patients with
glioblastoma multiforme, compared to patients with no use.

“There is a consistent pattern of increased risk for glioma (a malignant brain tumor) and
acoustic neuroma with use of mobile and cordless phones” says Lennart Hardell, MD, PhD,
Orebro University, Sweden, according to publications through mid-2017. “Epidemiological
evidence shows that radiofrequency should be classified as a Group 1 (Known) Human
Carcinogen. The evidence for risks to health from brain tumors has substantially increased since
2010. The existing FCC/IEEE and ICNIRP public safety limits are not adequate to protect public
health.”
An increased risk in acoustic neuroma (a non-malignant tumor of the auditory nerve) is also
reported. Cell phone users with 1,640 hours or more of use are nearly two and three-quarters
more likely than non-users to develop an acoustic neuroma when the phone is used primarily on
the side of the head where the tumor occurs.
Both cell phones and cordless phones pose a risk of brain tumors.

Link to the Bioinitiative Press Announcement below:

http://www.bioinitiative.org/bioinitiative-report-medical-concerns-intensify-over-deadly-brain-tumors-from-cell-phone-use-orebro-university-hospital-sweden-november-17-2017/

BioInitiative Report Supplement 11, 2017, Hardell and Carlberg) Hardell-2017-Sec11-Update-Use_of_Wireless_Phones

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