Hams Subject of RF Exposure Study
from
The ARRL Letter / ARRL
on
May 18, 2000
Website:
http://www.arrl.org
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RESEARCHER UNDERTAKES STUDY OF RADIO AMATEURS
ARRL RF Safety
Committee Chairman Greg Lapin, N9GL (left), discusses the
epidemiological study of radio amateurs with principal investigator
Kenneth Cantor of the National Cancer Institute during a meeting at ARRL
Headquarters. [Rick Lindquist, N1RL]
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National Cancer Institute researcher Kenneth Cantor has embarked on an
epidemiological study of radio amateurs. Cantor wants to evaluate whether causes
of death among amateurs differ from those of the general population. If it turns
out that they do differ, he then wants to find out whether the individual's
"usual occupation" might explain the differences.
Representatives of the ARRL RF Safety Committee met with Cantor at League
Headquarters April 28 to discuss the project. On hand were Committee Chairman
Greg Lapin, N9GL, Committee members Robert Gold, WB0KIZ, and Kai Siwiak, KE4PT,
and David Sumner, K1ZZ, and Ed Hare, W1RFI, of the ARRL staff.
In addition to identifying ways that the League could assist in improving the
study's accuracy, the meeting was aimed, in part, at educating committee members
and League staff about the specifics of the proposed study.
Cantor described his investigation as an "inexpensive kind of quick
study" that would not yield fine detail. As a result, he told the group, it
would be "wrong" to ascribe the deaths to any particular factor.
The session presented an opportunity for Cantor to learn about influences
amateurs tend to be exposed to in addition to RF energy. Cantor and the amateurs
also were able to gain an appreciation for each other's points of view--Cantor
on the public's sensitivity to the words used to explain the results of such an
epidemiological study, and the amateurs on the significance of different types
of epidemiological studies.
Some discussion at the session focused on a similar study done 15 years ago
by Samuel Milham. Wording in that study's conclusions led many to believe that
the Milham study had presented evidence that RF energy caused "an excess of
leukemia."
Cantor emphasized that his investigation is a preliminary study, based on a
statistical comparison of FCC licensing records and State of California death
records. Additional death records might be included as needed. The initial
"cohort group" for Cantor's study includes more than 100,000 men and
women--seven times larger than the earlier Milham study.
"This type of study can be performed at minimal cost, but it has the
potential for misleading results," said Lapin--himself a research
professional. Lapin explained that in the event of "apparent
associations" in the results of Cantor's study, a follow-up study would be
conducted. The followup would involve individual questionnaires and contact with
the families of Silent Keys--something the Milham study did not attempt to do.
This article has expired. No more comments may be added.
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What is new in this study?
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by N2RD on May 19, 2000
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So what is new in the study other than a larger sample? There have been other studies and experiments that have revealed no statistically significant link between exposure to non-ionizing emf and abnormal incidence of cancers. What extra variables is this study controlling? The curious want to know.
Hi Greg.
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Once again scientists are not being objective.
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by KF2IH on May 20, 2000
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Scientists that work for the government are now politicians and policy makers. It seems that they want to prove that rf, any rf will cause cancer. Wait and see, they will make the data fit the assumption, rather than be unbiased and come up with an assumption from the data. How many remember the second hand smoke court case which showed that data was manipulated to fit the conclusion that second hand smoke, at any level causes cancer. Its just a way for the politicians to further control our lives. I know I seem paranoid and I'm only 34 but I remeber my teachers distincly telling me in the mid 70's that there would be no more gas by 1985. The same group tried to show that after a couple of very cold winters that we are going into an ice age. Now, we have global warming. Well thats it for me. Sorry for ranting and raving.
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Hams Subject Of RF Exposure Study
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by AA4RL on May 21, 2000
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Another wasteful use of money....If they would only take the money used for these studies and direct them at the true reason that we still have cancer after all these years....If they were to find a cure there would be thousands of research scientists in the unemployment lines...and if you really want to study cancer caused by rf just wait a few years and study all those with brain cancer using the cell phones that are transmitting at ultra high frequencies right at the head...nuff said
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RE: What is new in this study?
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by W9YK on May 21, 2000
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Sounds more like covering one's ass. Personally I just like to pound the brass- been since 1967 and the age is 45 - For me, it's a safety issue all right - if more kids blew RF than pot, we'd have a better society and probably less cancer. One final note - there's none better to pound brass with than the very good Doctor Lapin, (one of my PDX heroes.) RF causes cancer, no RF reaces DX.
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RE: What is new in this study?
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by WF0H on May 22, 2000
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I guess I'm concerned - by looking at California hams they will inadvertently include a tremendous number os people who have worked in Silicon Valley where known carcinogens like TE and TF solvents were used for decades. Hams in the electronics industries were exposed to extremely high concentrations of PCB's for decades. Ever looked at the insides of those old 'bathtub' capacitors of days gone by? We thought we were so lucky living in California because we could easily buy 'transformer oil' from Standard Oil of California for use in our dummy loads. That oil was loaded with PCB's. Have you ever seen a Hazardous Materials team respond when a transformer leaks its oil? They treat it like a national disaster. Where is your old Cantenna these days? If there is any truth whatsoever to the claims that PCB's are hazardous, I would expect hams to be dropping like flies .
RF can cause problems. It heats the body tissues. I can attest to the fact that standing in front of a microwave dish used for transmitting is probably not a real good idea. I've seen birds knocked out of the air in mid-flight when passing in front of a radar antenna. But carcinogenic? Nah....
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Reply to "Why?"
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by N9GL on May 23, 2000
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I received an email from a ham who didn't think that our involvement in the NCI study (or the study itself) was a good idea. Here is much of my reply:
If long-term exposure to RF energy has any deleterious effects, the population of hams would be the first in which they would appear. I have always found it suspicious that people could accuse cellular telephones of causing their various maladies; that technology has not been available for very long. Most diseases, such as cancer, take very long (on the order of decades) exposures to the things that cause them before they occur (such as cigarette smoke, PCBs, ultraviolet sunlight). Thus, hams are the most logical people to look at to see if RF causes any diseases.
The NCI study was already in progress when it was suggested (by the FCC) that ARRL be contacted to help. If we had declined, the study would have continued anyway, and would be less likely to be as accurate. We already have had an inaccurate epidemiological study of hams (by Samual Milham 15 years ago) that left many people with the unsubstantiated impression that ham radio causes leukemia. By helping to make sure that the NCI study is accurate, we are helping to counteract that prior study.
<Regarding a concern that ham radio will end up like the industries that have gone out of business because of their work with dangerous substances> I have seen two types of these: The industries in which there were actual risks (such as those that used PCBs) and those in which there was an unfounded perceived risk (such as silicon breast implants). In the former, if those industries could not adapt to safer materials and practices, it was not unreasonable that they went out of business. In the latter, lack of good science led to the demise of the companies.
If exposure to RF is life threatening, I think that we would all like to know. If any dangers exist and we learn exactly what they are, we should be clever enough to adapt the hobby to remove those dangers.
If exposure to RF is not life threatening, but smooth talking lawyers and bad science convince juries that it is, we could see the demise of ham radio more rapidly than if it actually was dangerous. By helping NCI do better science, we will have more ammunition to fight the bad science.
<In response to concerns that I have seen about other factors that may affect death rates>
The NCI study is a preliminary one, and Dr. Cantor is fully aware of this. A preliminary study is fast and cheap, and prone to error. What this means is that any apparent links between the population of hams and disease in the preliminary study will prompt a more detailed study which will get as much information about the hams as possible, including what other exposures they had and specific details about their RF exposures. It will also include family health histories, which can show genetic propensities toward given diseases.
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RF Study and Radio Amateurs
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by KK9H on May 23, 2000
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I have no problem with performing the study. I personally doubt
that the power levels used by radio amateurs and the sporatic,
hobby type use of their equipment will lead to any significant
RF caused health correlations. Amateurs predominantly utilize
CW and SSB modes at the higher power levels which helps to
reduce overall exposure due to their non-continuous duty cycle
nature. I suspect the previously published ARRL RF exposure
guidelines are sufficient for reasonable RF safety precautions.
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RE: What is new in this study?
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by KF6OTP on May 31, 2000
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In response to W9YK's "...if more kids blew RF than pot, we'd have a better society and probably less cancer." I'm sorry for being upfront, but that's inapropriate. I know this is off of the topic of RF safety, but people, especially hams need to treat kids and new-comers to ham radio with more respect. Too many people are stereotyping. I'm 15, and it would be nice if those hams who feel that younger hams get in the way and don't follow the rules treated us with more respect.
(I apologize for posting this since it is off topic, but this is an important subject too).
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RE: Once again scientists are not being objective.
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by WR8Y on December 23, 2002
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KF2IH,
FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT's about DAMF #%##% time!
Someone other than ME that remembers the drival about the next Ice Age: "and it will be bad for you kids, when you get to adulthood in the '90s the ice age will have begun to set in, and by then the oil will be gone."
The same type of people now tell me the earth is warming and it's been doing so for decades.....and I'm to blame for driving my car?!?!
(I graduated from High School in 1978, so the mis-information I speak of was from 1973 or so...
Back to the subject ... why not study the guys with the VOA, they lived in that field for years?
What about people who worked for your local 5,000 to 50,000 watt AM station? (THose with the tower just outside the office, not common at 50,000 watts, but common from 10,000 and down.)
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Hams Subject of RF Exposure Study
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by WA2JJH on August 30, 2003
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TRUE STORY.... A MICROWAVE engineer that worked on the 86th floor of the empire state building, died of a very rare cancer. He was working for A.T.T. TELCO.
His wife sued in the early 70's about her husbands early death. SHE WON THE CASE! She was awarded 10 million dollars!
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RE: Hams Subject of RF Exposure Study
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by KB2IUA on May 31, 2006
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There is not, and never has been a ATT telco office or any microwave equipment on the 86th floor at Empire. That floor is the public observation deck. I have equipment at Empire and know the space well.
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