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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>Subject:</B> [K9Scoop] USA:
concern raised about microchips<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
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<P>The motivation for this article is exposure of<BR>potentially negative
consequences of using microchips<BR>in humans, but the material contained herein
is worthy<BR>of attention for dog-owners. <BR><BR>Chip Implants Linked to Animal
Tumors -<BR>washingtonpost.<WBR>com<BR><BR>URL: <BR><A
href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/08/AR2007090800997_pf.html">http://www.washingt<WBR>onpost.com/<WBR>wp-dyn/content/<WBR>article/2007/<WBR>09/08/AR20070908<WBR>00997_pf.<WBR>html</A><BR><BR>washingtonpost.<WBR>com<BR>Chip
Implants Linked to Animal Tumors<BR><BR>By TODD LEWAN<BR>The Associated
Press<BR>Saturday, September 8, 2007; 2:04 PM<BR><BR>-- When the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration approved<BR>implanting microchips in humans, the
manufacturer said<BR>it would save lives, letting doctors scan<BR>the tiny
transponders to access patients' medical<BR>records almost instantly. The FDA
found "reasonable<BR>assurance" the device was safe, and a sub-agency<BR>even
called it one of 2005's top "innovative<BR>technologies.<WBR>"<BR><BR>But
neither the company nor the regulators publicly<BR>mentioned this: A series of
veterinary and toxicology<BR>studies, dating to the mid-1990s, stated
that<BR>chip implants had "induced" malignant tumors in some<BR>lab mice and
rats.<BR><BR>"The transponders were the cause of the tumors," said<BR>Keith
Johnson, a retired toxicologic pathologist,<BR>explaining in a phone interview
the findings of<BR>a 1996 study he led at the<BR>Dow Chemical Co.<BR>in Midland,
Mich.<BR><BR>Leading cancer specialists reviewed the research for<BR>The
Associated Press and, while cautioning that animal<BR>test results do not
necessarily apply to humans,<BR>said the findings troubled them. Some said they
would<BR>not allow family members to receive implants, and all<BR>urged further
research before the glass-encased<BR>transponders are widely implanted in
people.<BR><BR>To date, about 2,000 of the so-called radio
frequency<BR>identification, or RFID, devices have been implanted<BR>in humans
worldwide, according to VeriChip Corp.<BR>The company, which sees a target
market of 45 million<BR>Americans for its medical monitoring chips,
insists<BR>the devices are safe, as does its parent company,<BR>Applied Digital
Solutions,<BR>of Delray Beach, Fla.<BR><BR>"We stand by our implantable products
which have been<BR>approved by the FDA and/or other U.S.
regulatory<BR>authorities,<WBR>" Scott Silverman, VeriChip Corp. chairman<BR>and
chief executive officer, said in a written<BR>response to AP
questions.<BR><BR>The company was "not aware of any studies that
have<BR>resulted in malignant tumors in laboratory rats, mice<BR>and certainly
not dogs or cats," but he added<BR>that millions of domestic pets have been
implanted<BR>with microchips, without reports of
significant<BR>problems.<BR><BR>"In fact, for more than 15 years we have used
our<BR>encapsulated glass transponders with FDA approved<BR>anti-migration caps
and received no complaints<BR>regarding<BR>malignant tumors caused by our
product."<BR><BR>The FDA also stands by its approval of the
technology.<BR><BR>Did the agency know of the tumor findings before<BR>approving
the chip implants? The FDA declined repeated<BR>AP requests to specify what
studies it reviewed.<BR><BR>The FDA is overseen by the Department of Health
and<BR>Human Services, which, at the time of VeriChip's<BR>approval, was headed
by Tommy Thompson. Two weeks<BR>after<BR>the device's approval took effect on
Jan. 10, 2005,<BR>Thompson left his Cabinet post, and within five months<BR>was
a board member of VeriChip Corp. and Applied<BR>Digital Solutions. He was
compensated in cash and<BR>stock options.<BR><BR>Thompson, until recently a
candidate for the 2008<BR>Republican presidential nomination, says he had
no<BR>personal relationship with the company as the VeriChip<BR>was being
evaluated, nor did he play any role in FDA's<BR>approval process of the RFID
tag.<BR><BR>"I didn't even know VeriChip before I stepped down<BR>from the
Department of Health and Human Services," he<BR>said in a telephone
interview.<BR><BR>Also making no mention of the findings on animal<BR>tumors was
a June report by the ethics committee of<BR>the American Medical Association,
which touted the<BR>benefits of implantable RFID devices.<BR><BR>Had committee
members reviewed the literature on<BR>cancer in chipped animals?<BR><BR>No, said
Dr. Steven Stack, an AMA board member with<BR>knowledge of the committee's
review.<BR><BR>Was the AMA aware of the studies?<BR><BR>No, he
said.<BR><BR>___<BR><BR>Published in veterinary and toxicology
journals<BR>between 1996 and 2006, the studies found that lab mice<BR>and rats
injected with microchips sometimes developed<BR>subcutaneous "sarcomas" _
malignant tumors, most of<BR>them encasing the implants.<BR><BR>_ A 1998 study
in Ridgefield, Conn., of 177 mice<BR>reported cancer incidence to be slightly
higher than<BR>10 percent _ a result the researchers described
as<BR>"surprising.<WBR>"<BR><BR>_ A 2006 study in France detected tumors in
4.1<BR>percent of 1,260 microchipped mice. This was one of<BR>six studies in
which the scientists did not set out<BR>to find microchip-induced cancer but
noticed the<BR>growths incidentally. They were testing compounds on<BR>behalf of
chemical and pharmaceutical companies;<BR>but they ruled out the compounds as
the tumors' cause.<BR>Because researchers only noted the most obvious<BR>tumors,
the French study said, "These incidences<BR>may therefore slightly underestimate
the true<BR>occurrence" of cancer.<BR><BR>_ In 1997, a study in Germany found
cancers in 1<BR>percent of 4,279 chipped mice. The tumors "are clearly<BR>due to
the implanted microchips," the authors wrote.<BR><BR>Caveats accompanied the
findings. "Blind leaps from<BR>the detection of tumors to the prediction of
human<BR>health risk should be avoided," one study cautioned.<BR>Also, because
none of the studies had a control group<BR>of animals that did not get chips,
the normal rate of<BR>tumors cannot be determined and compared to<BR>the rate
with chips implanted.<BR><BR>Still, after reviewing the research, specialists
at<BR>some pre-eminent cancer institutions said the findings<BR>raised red
flags.<BR><BR>"There's no way in the world, having read this<BR>information,
that I would have one of those chips<BR>implanted in my skin, or in one of my
family members,"<BR>said Dr. Robert Benezra, head of the Cancer
Biology<BR>Genetics Program at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering<BR>Cancer Center in
New York.<BR><BR>Before microchips are implanted on a large scale in<BR>humans,
he said, testing should be done on larger<BR>animals, such as dogs or monkeys.
"I mean, these are<BR>bad diseases. They are life-threatening. And given
the<BR>preliminary animal data, it looks to me that there's<BR>definitely cause
for concern."<BR><BR>Dr. George Demetri, director of the Center for
Sarcoma<BR>and Bone Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute<BR>in Boston,
agreed. Even though the tumor incidences<BR>were "reasonably small," in his
view, the research<BR>underscored "certainly real risks" in RFID
implants.<BR><BR>In humans, sarcomas, which strike connective tissues,<BR>can
range from the highly curable to "tumors that are<BR>incredibly aggressive and
can kill people in<BR>three to six months," he said.<BR><BR>At the Jackson
Laboratory in Maine, a leader in mouse<BR>genetics research and the initiation
of cancer, Dr.<BR>Oded Foreman, a forensic pathologist, also reviewed<BR>the
studies at the AP's request.<BR><BR>At first he was skeptical, suggesting that
chemicals<BR>administered in some of the studies could have caused<BR>the
cancers and skewed the results. But he took<BR>a different view after seeing
that control mice, which<BR>received no chemicals, also developed the
cancers.<BR>"That might be a little hint that something real<BR>is happening
here," he said. He, too, recommended<BR>further study, using mice, dogs or
non-human primates.<BR><BR>Dr. Cheryl London, a veterinarian oncologist at
Ohio<BR>State University, noted: "It's much easier to cause<BR>cancer in mice
than it is in people. So it may<BR>be that what you're seeing in mice represents
an<BR>exaggerated phenomenon of what may occur in people."<BR><BR>Tens of
thousands of dogs have been chipped, she said,<BR>and veterinary pathologists
haven't reported outbreaks<BR>of related sarcomas in the area of the
neck,<BR>where canine implants are often done. (Published<BR>reports detailing
malignant tumors in two chipped dogs<BR>turned up in AP's four-month examination
of research<BR>on chips and health. In one dog, the researchers said<BR>cancer
appeared linked to the presence of the embedded<BR>chip; in the other, the
cancer's cause was<BR>uncertain.)<BR><BR>Nonetheless, London saw a need for a
20-year study of<BR>chipped canines "to see if you have a biological<BR>effect."
Dr. Chand Khanna, a veterinary oncologist<BR>at the National Cancer Institute,
also backed such a<BR>study, saying current evidence "does suggest
some<BR>reason to be concerned about tumor formations."<BR><BR>Meanwhile, the
animal study findings should be<BR>disclosed to anyone considering a chip
implant, the<BR>cancer specialists agreed.<BR><BR>To date, however, that hasn't
happened.<BR><BR>___<BR><BR>The product that VeriChip Corp. won approval for
use<BR>in humans is an electronic capsule the size of two<BR>grains of rice.
Generally, it is implanted with<BR>a syringe into an anesthetized portion of the
upper<BR>arm.<BR><BR>When prompted by an electromagnetic scanner, the
chip<BR>transmits a unique code. With the code, hospital staff<BR>can go on the
Internet and access a patient's<BR>medical profile that is maintained in a
database by<BR>VeriChip Corp. for an annual fee.<BR><BR>VeriChip Corp., whose
parent company has been<BR>marketing radio tags for animals for more than
a<BR>decade, sees an initial market of diabetics and people<BR>with<BR>heart
conditions or Alzheimer's disease, according to<BR>a Securities and Exchange
Commission filing.<BR><BR>The company is spending millions to assemble
a<BR>national network of hospitals equipped to scan
chipped<BR>patients.<BR><BR>But in its SEC filings, product labels and
press<BR>releases, VeriChip Corp. has not mentioned the<BR>existence of research
linking embedded transponders to<BR>tumors<BR>in test animals.<BR><BR>When the
FDA approved the device, it noted some<BR>Verichip risks: The capsules could
migrate around the<BR>body, making them difficult to extract; they
might<BR>interfere with defibrillators, or be incompatible with<BR>MRI scans,
causing burns. While also warning that the<BR>chips could cause "adverse tissue
reaction,"<BR>FDA made no reference to malignant growths in
animal<BR>studies.<BR><BR>Did the agency review literature on microchip
implants<BR>and animal cancer?<BR><BR>Dr. Katherine Albrecht, a privacy advocate
and RFID<BR>expert, asked shortly after VeriChip's approval what<BR>evidence the
agency had reviewed. When FDA declined<BR>to provide information, she filed a
Freedom of<BR>Information Act request. More than a year later, she<BR>received a
letter stating there were no documents<BR>matching<BR>her request.<BR><BR>"The
public relies on the FDA to evaluate all the data<BR>and make sure the devices
it approves are safe," she<BR>says, "but if they're not doing that,
who's<BR>covering our backs?"<BR><BR>Late last year, Albrecht unearthed at the
Harvard<BR>medical library three studies noting cancerous tumors<BR>in some
chipped mice and rats, plus a reference<BR>in another study to a chipped dog
with a tumor. She<BR>forwarded them to the AP, which subsequently found<BR>three
additional mice studies with similar findings,<BR>plus another report of a
chipped dog with a tumor.<BR><BR>Asked if it had taken these studies into
account, the<BR>FDA said VeriChip documents were being kept<BR>confidential to
protect trade secrets. After AP filed<BR>a FOIA request, the FDA made available
for a phone<BR>interview Anthony Watson, who was in charge of the<BR>VeriChip
approval process.<BR><BR>"At the time we reviewed this, I don't remember
seeing<BR>anything like that," he said of animal studies linking<BR>microchips
to cancer. A literature search<BR>"didn't turn up anything that would be of
concern."<BR><BR>In general, Watson said, companies are expected to<BR>provide
safety-and-effectiv<WBR>eness data during the<BR>approval process, "even if it's
adverse information.<WBR>"<BR><BR>Watson added: "The few articles from the
literature<BR>that did discuss adverse tissue reactions similar to<BR>those in
the articles you provided, describe the<BR>responses as foreign body reactions
that are typical<BR>of other implantable devices. The balance of the
data<BR>provided in the submission supported approval<BR>of the
device."<BR><BR>Another implantable device could be a pacemaker, and<BR>indeed,
tumors have in some cases attached to foreign<BR>bodies inside humans. But Dr.
Neil Lipman, director<BR>of the Research Animal Resource Center at
Memorial<BR>Sloan-Kettering, said it's not the same. The microchip<BR>isn't like
a pacemaker that's vital to keeping<BR>someone alive, he added, "so at this
stage, the payoff<BR>doesn't justify the risks."<BR><BR>Silverman, VeriChip
Corp.'s chief executive,<BR>disagreed. "Each month pet microchips reunite
over<BR>8,000 dogs and cats with their owners," he said. "We<BR>believe<BR>the
VeriMed Patient Identification System will provide<BR>similar positive benefits
for at-risk patients who are<BR>unable to communicate for themselves in
an<BR>emergency."<BR><BR>___<BR><BR>And what of former HHS secretary
Thompson?<BR><BR>When asked what role, if any, he played in
VeriChip's<BR>approval, Thompson replied: "I had nothing to do with<BR>it. And
if you look back at my record, you will<BR>find that there has never been any
improprieties<BR>whatsoever."<BR><BR>FDA's Watson said: "I have no recollection
of him<BR>being involved in it at all." VeriChip Corp.
declined<BR>comment.<BR><BR>Thompson vigorously campaigned for electronic
medical<BR>records and healthcare technology both as governor of<BR>Wisconsin
and at HHS. While in President Bush's<BR>Cabinet, he formed a "medical
innovation" task force<BR>that worked to partner FDA with companies
developing<BR>medical information technologies.<BR><BR>At a "Medical Innovation
Summit" on Oct. 20, 2004,<BR>Lester Crawford, the FDA's acting
commissioner,<BR>thanked the secretary for getting the agency
"deeply<BR>involved in the use of new information technology to<BR>help prevent
medication error." One notable example he<BR>cited: "the implantable chips and
scanners<BR>of the VeriChip system our agency approved last week."<BR><BR>After
leaving the Cabinet and joining the company<BR>board, Thompson received options
on 166,667 shares of<BR>VeriChip Corp. stock, and options on an
additional<BR>100,000 shares of stock from its parent company,<BR>Applied
Digital Solutions, according to SEC records.<BR>He also received $40,000 in cash
in 2005 and again<BR>in 2006, the filings show.<BR><BR>The Project on Government
Oversight called Thompson's<BR>actions "unacceptable" even though they did
not<BR>violate what the independent watchdog group calls<BR>weak
conflict-of-<WBR>interest laws.<BR><BR>"A decade ago, people would be
embarrassed to cash in<BR>on their government connections. But now it's like
the<BR>Wild West," said the group's executive director,<BR>Danielle
Brian.<BR><BR>Thompson is a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer &<BR>Feld
LLP, a Washington law firm that was paid $1.2<BR>million for legal services it
provided the chip maker<BR>in 2005 and 2006, according to SEC filings.<BR><BR>He
stepped down as a VeriChip Corp. director in March<BR>to seek the GOP
presidential nomination, and records<BR>show that the company gave his campaign
$7,400<BR>before he bowed out of the race in August.<BR><BR>In a TV interview
while still on the board, Thompson<BR>was explaining the benefits _ and the ease
_ of being<BR>chipped when an interviewer interrupted:<BR><BR>"I'm sorry, sir.
Did you just say you would get one<BR>implanted in your
arm?"<BR><BR>"Absolutely,<WBR>" Thompson replied. "Without a doubt."<BR><BR>"No
concerns at all?"<BR><BR>"No."<BR><BR>But to date, Thompson has yet to be
chipped himself.<BR><BR>___<BR><BR>On the Web:<BR><BR><A
href="http://www.verichipcorp.com">http://www.verichip<WBR>corp.com</A><BR><A
href="http://www.antichips.com">http://www.antichip<WBR>s.com</A><BR><A
href="http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/">http://www.fda.<WBR>gov/cdrh/</A><BR>© 2007 The
Associated
Press<BR><BR>____________<WBR>_________<WBR>_________<WBR>_________<WBR>_________<WBR>_________<WBR>_<BR>Be
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TEXTAREA {
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CODE {
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#ygrp-sponsor .ad A {
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o {
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BLOCKQUOTE {
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