Mobile Phone Firms Named
In Lawsuit Over Alleged Heath Risks
Ananova
April 20, 2001
Several companies have been named as defendants in two US class action lawsuits alleging links between mobile phones and possible health risks.
The Washington Post reports that the lawsuits name as defendants 25 of the largest companies in the industry. They include mobile phone carriers Verizon Communications, Sprint PCS Group and Nextel Communications, as well as manufacturers such as Motorola, Nokia and Ericsson.
The lawsuits allege links between mobile phones and damage to basic brain function, genetic irregularities and increased vulnerability to toxins and infections.
In a pair of class-action lawsuits filed in state courts in Baltimore, New York and Philadelphia, lawyer Peter Angelos accuses mobile telephone companies and equipment manufacturers of knowingly peddling dangerous products that have inflicted damaging radiation on their customers.
The suits do not claim that anyone has actually suffered an illness.
Rather, they seek money for headsets to mitigate exposure to radiation, plus unspecified punitive damages. Aegis Note: Click here to learn why headsets do not mitigate exposure.
Industry representatives dispute claims of possible health risks linked to mobile phones.
Norman Sandler, Motorola's director of global strategic issues, says: "There is absolutely no credible scientific evidence of any health risks associated with the use of wireless phones."
And Verizon spokeswoman Nancy Stark says: "The available scientific evidence doesn't demonstrate any adverse health effects."