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                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, January 30, 1993                   TAG: 9301300079
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

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CELLULAR INDUSTRY OFFERS TO PAY FOR SAFETY STUDY

The cellular telephone industry said Friday it would pay for government-approved research to determine whether radio waves from cellular phones pose a cancer risk.

"We recognize that some may find industry-sponsored research is suspect," said Tom Wheeler, president of the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association.

"Therefore, we are asking the federal government to appoint a blue-ribbon panel to review the methodology and findings of this research."

He said he expects the research to be costly but the cellular phone industry would pay for all of it.

He said his association has asked the Department of Health and Human Services, Federal Communications Commission and Environmental Protection Agency to appoint the oversight panel.

The announcement follows an earlier one by Craig McCaw, chairman of McCaw Cellular Communications Inc., the nation's largest cellular phone service company, that his firm was commissioning a study on how cellular phone antennas affect users.

Public anxiety about cellular phones erupted after David Reynard of St. Petersburg, Fla., said on CNN's "Larry King Live" last week that he was suing phone maker NEC America and GTE Mobilnet of Tampa for causing his wife's fatal brain cancer. He said the tumor developed near the spot where the antenna of her phone was during typical use.

The stock of cellular phone companies dropped after Reynard's appearance, and dealers have said many of their customers have expressed fears.

Several cellular stocks dropped further Friday, including McCaw, down $2.87 1/2 to $33, and Fleet Call, $1.62 1/2 to $20.52 1/2, both on the over-the-counter market.

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