Leading cancer specialists have found that
microchips implanted in people for medical purposes may pose a cancer risk. When
the
Food and Drug Administration gave the go ahead for implanting
microchips in humans, the organization had "reasonable assurance" the device was safe because of the potential for saving lives. A sub-agency even called the microchip one of 2005's top " innovative technologies " because doctors could pull up key medical information using the transponder. But important studies from the mid-1990s say the chip implants "induced" malignant tumors in lab mice and rats. "The transponders were the cause of the tumors," said Keith Johnson, a retired toxicologic
pathologist, explaining the findings of a 1996 study he led at the Dow Chemical Co. in Midland, Mich. Cancer specialists say even though animal tests do not always apply to people the results are troubling. To date, about 2,000 of the so-called radio frequency identification , or RFID, devices have been implanted in humans worldwide, according to VeriChip Corp. The company, which sees a target market of 45 million Americans for its medical monitoring chips, insists the devices are safe, as does its parent company, Applied Digital Solutions, of Delray Beach, Fla. "We stand by our implantable products which have been approved by the FDA and/or other U.S. regulatory authorities," Scott Silverman, VeriChip Corp. chairman and chief executive officer, said in a written response to AP questions. The company was "not aware of any studies that have resulted in malignant tumors in laboratory rats, mice and certainly not dogs or cats," but he added that millions of domestic pets have been implanted with microchips, without reports of significant problems. The FDA also stands by its approval of the technology.