Maine to Consider Cell Phone Cancer Warning

AUGUSTA, Maine – A Maine legislator wants to make the state the first to require cell phones to carry warnings that they can cause brain cancer.

Democratic Rep. Andrea Boland of Sanford says numerous studies point to a risk and she plans to present her proposal to Maine legislators in January. Boland herself uses a cell phone, but with a speaker to keep the phone away from her head.

At issue is radiation emitted by all cell phones. There's little consensus among scientists that the phones pose a cancer risk, but some scientists suggest erring on the side of caution.

Cell phones carry warnings in some countries, although no U.S. states require them. The Federal Communications Commission contends all cell phones sold in the United States are safe, as does the industry.