The committee were shown several European studies, particularly surveys from Scandinavia, where the cell phone was first developed, which show that the radiation emitted by cell phones have definite biological consequences.

A woman speaks on her mobile phone in Beiijng in this undated photo. [Agencies]

For example, a 2008 study by Swedish cancer specialist Lennart Hardell found that frequent cell phone users are twice as likely to develop a benign tumor on the auditory nerves of the ear most used with the handset, compared to the other ear.

A separate study in Israel determined that heavy cell phone users had a 50 percent increased likelihood in developing a salivary gland tumor.

In addition, a paper published this month by the Royal Society in London found that adolescents who start using cell phones before the age of 20 were five times more likely to develop brain cancer at the age of 29 than those who didn't use a cell phone.

"It's only on the side of the head where you use the cell phone," Carpenter said.

"Every child is using cell phones all of the time, and there are three billion cell phone users in the world," said Herberman.

He added that, like the messages that warn of health risks on cigarette packs, cell phones "need a precautionary message."

Carpenter described the situation as "a critical public health issue," and called on the US government to support further research and for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in charge of monitoring the use of the radio spectrum, "to review their standards."

Also testifying was Julius Knapp, who heads the FCC office of engineering and technology, responsible for setting limits for human exposure to radio frequency (RF) energy from electronic devices like telephones that they approve, to prevent it from heating up live tissue.

"It is important to understand that we rely on guidance from US health, safety and environmental agencies in setting those limits," Knapp said.

He added: "The FCC staff is not sufficiently qualified to speak with authority to the science of health effects of RF absorption in the body."

(Agencies via China Daily Spetember 27, 2008)