NEWINGTON, CT, May 9, 2000--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.
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] |
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.
"We are very interested in knowing" if there's a relationship, Sumner said.
Cantor--whose father was a ham and who was once licensed himself--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. "A lot of cancer risks correlate to socioeconomic status," said Cantor, pointing out one possible variable.
The session also presented an opportunity for Cantor, as the study's principal investigator, 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. Cantor, who was familiar with some of Lapin's RF Safety articles, also expressed agreement with the stated dangers of misinterpretation of epidemiological results.
ARRL RF Safety Committee members Bob Gold, WB0KIZ (left), and Kai Siwiak, KE4PT (right), compare notes during the meeting at ARRL Headquarters. [Rick Lindquist, N1RL] |
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 that involves individual questionnaires and contact with the families of Silent Keys.
That's something the Milham study did not attempt to do, Cantor pointed out during the session.
Possible roles for the League in Cantor's study could involve survey preparation and data collection.
During the discussions, Gold suggested members of the Quarter Century Wireless Association as an additional source of information. He explained that the 30,000-member organization keeps death records and has expressed an interest in participating.
Siwiak suggested the possibility of a collateral study of radio amateurs that would delve into positive statistics associated with that population group.
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