An American scientist who conducted research into the link between cancer and electromagnetic radiation faked his results, according to an article in the New York Times magazine.

Robert P. Liburdy, who won $3.3 million in grants from various departments of the US government to investigate the link, published two papers which reported data indicating a tie between electromagnetic radiation and cancer.

The issue could also impact Bermuda, where a similar debate is swirling around the building of a cellphone tower in the Faraway residential area of Warwick, giving rise to a neighbourhood protest group called CARE.

In June, American public health expert, Dr. David Carpenter visited Bermuda at the invitation of CARE to provide information about the health effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF).

When asked by The Royal Gazette to comment on Liburdy's research, Dr.

Carpenter claimed the headlines had been `deceitful'.

He said, as did the article, that Liburdy claimed the dispute arose because of the way he graphed his figures. Liburdy pointed out that none of his conclusions in the two papers are being retracted, only the data.

Dr. Carpenter said Liburdy had adjusted the scale of his data to normalise his results but did not clearly state this in the `Methods' section of his research.

He said that this made Liburdy legally guilty of misrepresention but reiterated Liburdy's observations were not invalid.

Dr. Carpenter said that the stories reported in the US media did not change his position.

Dr. Carpenter did not rely on Liburdy's data in forming his own opinions on the health effects of exposure to EMFs and he also draws on research performed in Australia and Great Britain.

He added that he felt that attempts in the US to discredit Liburdy had "overstepped the bounds of decency''.

Federal investigators from the Office of Research Integrity, a branch of the Department of Health and Human Services, claim Liburdy eliminated data from his reports which did not support his conclusions.

The ethics probe was begun after someone challenged Liburdy's results. In July 1995, The Lawrence Berkley lab where Liburdy worked determined he had falsified data and it alerted the Office of Research Integrity.

They concluded Liburdy had "engaged in scientific misconduct in biomedical research by falsifying and fabricating data and claims about the purported cellular effects of electric and magnetic fields.'' Liburdy has been asked to withdraw the data and it is understood he is doing that, although he has denied that his research is wrong.

But Federal experts disagreed, saying that it was not a matter of interpretation or graphing but of fabrication.

According to a National Institutes of Health panel, since Liburdy's research, more that 20 studies have found no hard evidence that EMFs cause cancer.

Two years ago, a large study conducted by the National Cancer Institute and childhood leukemia specialists from the US's leading medical centres, found no evidence that EMFs cause leukemia in children.

Meanwhile, the US weekly, The Village Voice , reported a cellular telephone trade organisation, Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, has funded a $27 million research programme designed to answer concerns about cell phone usage and health.

To date, the research claims that of more than 40 studies, only one showed a link between cell phone usage and health effects.

A press release stated "there was one positive finding in the studies indicating a statistically significant risk of a rare tumour called a neurocytoma.'' The Food and Drug Administration agreed with the Association's finding that "more research was required'' but added: "We have no evidence that mobile phones are unsafe.'' Those in the scientific community called the studies' results into question and requests from the Village Voice for audits showing how the money was used were denied.

In 1994, a research professor at the University of Washington performed a study on the effects of radio frequency (RF) on humans. He concluded that radiation can affect brain function, particularly short-term memory.

And research by an Australian telecommunications company in 1997 said that there was a correlation between RF exposure and brain tumours in mice.

A Swedish study also pointed to a correlation between the side of the head where a tumour appears and the hand used to hold a cell phone.

CLUB CLB HEALTH HTH ENVIRONMENT ENV