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May
22, 2001
Dr. Ruth Kirschstein
Acting Director
National Institutes of Health
Building 1, Room 126
9000 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20892
Dear Dr. Kirschstein:
We write to transmit the
enclosed General Accounting Office (GAO) report on
"Research and Regulatory Efforts on Mobile Phone Health
Issues," and to urge you to implement recommendations that
we feel follow from the report’s conclusions.
As you know, mobile phone use
in the United States has increased exponentially over the last
few years; indeed, the number of cellular subscribers has
already grown from 16 million in 1994 to 110 million in 2001. As
more Americans use wireless phones, wireless service is less and
less perceived as an ancillary, discretionary service. In the
years to come consumers will increasingly be relying on this
technology for business, safety, and everyday personal use.
Lingering concern about potential health risks associated with
these devices has prompted the wireless industry, private
researchers, and government agencies to seek greater information
about the existence, nature and extent of any possible adverse
health effects caused by radiofrequency radiation emitted by
mobile phones.
The
GAO cites a consensus in the world scientific community that
research to date does not show that radiofrequency emissions
from mobile phones have adverse health effects, but that there
is not yet enough information to conclude that the phones pose
no risk. The GAO concludes that "[g]iven the long-term
nature of much of the research being conducted – particularly
the epidemiological and animal studies – it will likely be
many more years before a definitive conclusion can be reached on
whether mobile phone emissions pose any risk to human
health." A number of research priorities have been
identified through an assessment conducted by the World Health
Organization in collaboration with other international
organizations, and the WHO is currently performing a new
assessment of research needs. The GAO report notes that research
supported by the U.S. government "represents a small
portion of the research being done in the area worldwide."
We
are writing to ask that the National Institutes of Health, in
cooperation with the Food and Drug Administration, review
whether the United States government should be supporting more
research into the possible adverse health effects of
radiofrequency radiation emitted by mobile phones. This review
should take into account research needs that have been
identified by the World Health Organization and not yet met. We
further ask that formal procedures be established to ensure that
this question be revisited from time to time, as new global
assessments will be completed in the near future and as new
studies published over the next years will likely provide more
complete information on the possibility of adverse health
effects. Finally, we are interested in learning whether there
are reasons why the United States government sponsored research
represents a small portion of the research being done worldwide.
We
look forward to hearing your views on the GAO report and the
recommendations contained in this letter. Thank you in advance
for your time and attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Senator Joseph
Lieberman
Ranking
Member
Senate Committee
On
Governmental
Affairs
Representative Ed Markey
Ranking Member
House Subcommittee on Telecommunications
and the Internet
cc: Tommy G. Thompson, Secretary of Health and Human Services |
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