EMF Database abstract: OVERALL MORTALITY OF CELLULAR TELEPHONE CUSTOMERS

EMF Database sample abstract

Last modified on: Monday, July 31, 2000
Copyright © 1994-2008, Information Ventures, Inc.

OVERALL MORTALITY OF CELLULAR TELEPHONE CUSTOMERS.
(Eng.) Rothman, K. J.; Loughlin, J. E.; Funch, D. P.; Dreyer, N. A. [Epidemiology Resources Inc., One Newton Executive Park, Newton Lower Falls, MA 02162-1450 (RR/K.J.R.)]
Epidemiology 7(3):303-305; 1996
Funding: Wireless Technology Res. LLC

The preliminary results of a survey of mortality in 770,390 cellular telephone users were reported. The impetus for the study was case reports of brain cancers occurring among cellular telephone users. The final cohort studied consisted of 255,868 persons, 65% males, who were identified as having accounts for cellular telephone use as of 1 January 1994 within one of the larger US cellular telephone markets (Boston, Chicago, Dallas, and Washington, DC). The age range of the subjects was 20 to 85+ yr. Attempts were made to classify the telephones types used as portable (hand-held) or mobile (installed in automobiles) and identify their brand. Portable cellular telephones are of greater concern than mobile phones because the antenna is in the handpiece in close proximity to the head, whereas the antenna for mobile phones is located separately from the handpiece and the radiofrequency (RF) energy dissipates before reaching the body. Data were presented on the overall number of deaths that occurred in the cohort during 1994 and the first quarter of 1995 as determined from the Social Security Administration's Death Master File. A total of 604 deaths occurred in the cohort during the study period. Age-specific mortality rates for users of the 2 types of telephones were similar. For customers who had used cellular phones for at least 2 yr, the mortality rate ratio (MRR) of portable vs. mobile telephone users was 0.93 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.67-1.29) after adjusting for age and gender. For customers who used cellular phones for at least 3 yr, the adjusted MRR for portable vs. mobile phone use was 0.86 (CI 0.47-1.53). The authors concluded that the overall mortality rates of portable and mobile cellular telephone users are similar. The mortality rates found are much lower than corresponding rates for the general population. The low mortality may reflect the higher socioeconomic status of cellular telephone account holders. There may be additional selection factors explaining the low rates. For example, people who are ill and housebound may have little need for a cellular telephone. These preliminary results do have 2 important limitations. They do not directly address the issue of whether cellular telephone use increases the risk of brain cancer, and the time between exposure to RF energy from cellular telephones and the death endpoints measured was comparatively short. The study findings do provide evidence that cellular telephone use causes no short term effect on overall mortality and they provide a starting point for future surveillance efforts. (4 Refs). [Copyright 2000, Information Ventures, Inc.]
AUTHOR KEY WORDS: Cellular telephones, Mortality, Electromagnetic energy, Radio frequency energy

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