ARPANSA - Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency

By: Lahkola A et al
Published in: Int J Epidemiol. 2008 Aug 2; [Epub ahead of print]

INTERPHONE case-control study of 1209 meningioma cases and 3299 population-based controls evaluating the effect of mobile phones on risk of meningioma. Risk of meningioma among regular users of mobile phones was lower than among never or non-regular users (odds ratio = 0.76, 95% confidence interval = 0.65 - 0.89). The risk was not increased in relation to years since first use, lifetime years of use, cumulative hours of use or cumulative number of calls. The findings were similar regardless of telephone network type (analogue/digital), age or sex. The authors conclude that the results do not provide support for an association between mobile phone use and risk of meningioma.

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This study forms part of the INTERPHONE project which is a multi-national series of epidemiological studies (from 13 different countries) testing whether using mobile phones increases the risk of various cancers in the head and neck. The project is coordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an agency of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Further information on the project is available from the IARC website at http://www.iarc.fr/en/research-groups/RAD/RCAd.html The INTERPHONE studies are based on a common core protocol to enable valid data pooling. Results from a pooled analysis of all the studies are expected at a later stage. An update on the INTERPHONE studies that have been published to date is available at: http://www.iarc.fr/en/research-groups/RAD/Interphone8oct08.pdf

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By: Andrzejak R et al
Published in: Ind Health 2008; 46 (4): 409 – 417

The aim of the study was to estimate the influence of the call with a mobile phone on heart rate variability in young healthy people. Electrocardiogram recordings were performed on 32 volunteers in standardized conditions from 08:00 to 09:00 in the morning in a sitting position, within 20 min periods: before the telephone call, during the call with use of mobile phone, and after the telephone call. The authors conclude that changes in heart rate variability during the call with a mobile phone could be affected by electromagnetic field but the influence of speaking cannot be excluded.

This paper is freely available at: http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/indhealth/46/4/409/_pdf

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By: Joseph W et al
Published in: Health Phys 2008 Sep;95(3):317-30

Personal radiofrequency radiation measurements were performed for 28 different realistic exposure scenarios based upon time, environment, activity, and location. Based on these measurements the authors develop a method to relate the exposure to the actual whole-body absorption in the human body.

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By: Breckenkamp J et al
Published in: Radiat Prot Dosimetry. 2008 Aug 2. [Epub ahead of print]

A model developed to estimate residential radiofrequency radiation levels from  mobile phone base stations was compared to personal exposure measurements performed in 1332 households as part of an epidemiological study. The results showed only a weak agreement between the two. The authors conclude that the model can only be applied in epidemiological studies, when the uncertainty of the input data is considerably reduced. Otherwise, the use of personal exposure measurements in epidemiological studies is recommended.

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By: Dyrda K and Khairy P
Published in: Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther. 2008 Jul;6(6):823-32

This review provides a contemporary overview of the current state of knowledge regarding risks attributable to electromagnetic interference, highlights current limitations of implantable rhythm devices and attempts to distinguish myths from realities.

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