The Influence Of Being Physically Near To A Cell Phone Transmission Mast On The Incidence Of Cancer

The Influence of Being Physically Near to a Cell Phone
Transmission Mast on the Incidence of Cancer

Horst Eger, Klaus Uwe Hagen, Birgitt Lucas, Peter Vogel, Helmut Voit
Published in Umwelt·Medizin·Gesellschaft 17,4 2004, as:

‘Einfluss der räumlichen Nähe von Mobilfunksendeanlagen auf die Krebsinzidenz’
Summary
Following the call by Wolfram König, President of the Bundesamt fürStrahlenschutz (Federal Agency for radiation protection), to all doctors of medicine to collaborate actively in the assessment of the risk posed by cellular radiation, the aim of our study was to examine whether people living close to cellular transmitter antennas were exposed to a heightened risk of taking ill with malignant tumors.
The basis of the data used for the survey were PC files of the casehistories of patients between the years 1994 and 2004. While adhering to data protection, the personal data of almost 1,000 patients were evaluated for this study, which was completed without any external financial support. It is intended to continue the project in the form of a register.
The result of the study shows that the proportion of newly developing cancer cases was significantly higher amongthose patients who had lived during the past ten years at a distance of up to 400 metres from the cellular transmitter site, which has been in operation since 1993, compared to those patients living further away, and that the patients fell ill on average 8 years earlier.
In the years 1999-2004, ie after five years’ operation of the transmitting installation, the relative risk of getting cancerhad trebled for the residents of the area in the proximity of the installation compared to the inhabitants of Naila outside the area.
Key words: cellular radiation, cellular transmitter antennas, malignant tumours

The rapid increase in the use of mobile telephony in the last few years has led to an increasing number of cell phone transmission masts being positioned in or
near to residentialareas. With this in mind, the president of the German governmental department for protection against electromagnetic radiation
(Bundesamtes für Strahlenschutz) Wolfram König, has challenged all doctors to actively help in the work to estimate the risks from such cell phone masts. The goal of this investigation was therefore to prove whether on not people living near to cell phone masts have ahigher risk of developing cancerous tumours.
The basic data was taken from the medical records held by the local medical authority (Krankenkasse) for the years 1994 to 2004. This material is stored on
computer. In this voluntary study the records of roughly 1,000 patients from Naila (Oberfranken) were used, respecting the associated data protection
laws. The results from this study show asignificantly increased likelihood of developing cancer for the patients that have lived within 400 metres of the cell phone transmission mast (active since 1993) over the last ten years, in comparison to those patients that live further away. In addition, the patients that live within 400 metres tend to develop the cancers at a younger age. For the years 1999 to 2004 (ie after five or more years of livingwith the cell phone transmission mast), the risk of developing cancer for those living within 400 metres of the mast in comparison to those living outside this area, was three times as high.

Introduction

A series of studies available before this investigation provided strong evidence of health risks and increased cancer risk associated with physical proximity to radio transmission masts.Haider et al. reported in 1993 in the Moosbrunn study frequent psychovegetive symptoms below the current safety limit for electromagnetic waves
(1). In 1995, Abelin et al. in the Swiss- Schwarzenburg study found dose dependent sleep problems (5:1) and
depression (4:1) at a shortwave transmitter station that
has been in operation since 1939 (2).
In many studies an increased risk of developing...