Qwest, Kyocera Recall Cell Phones Emitting Radiation
Denver, March 6 (Bloomberg) -- Qwest Communications International Inc. is recalling 11,000 cell phones made by Kyocera Corp. because they may exceed radiation-emission standards, Qwest spokesman Tyler Gronbach said.
The phones may exceed U.S. Federal Communications Commission regulations when used in tunnels, rural areas and other places covered by analog signals, according to tests by Kyoto, Japan- based Kyocera. The phones can operate in either digital or analog mode. Qwest started selling them in December, according to the Rocky Mountain News, which reported the recall earlier.
Qwest, the Denver-based long-distance phone company that bought local-phone operator U S West Inc. in June, had about 805,000 wireless customers in December. They are in a 14-state region between Washington, New Mexico and Minnesota.
Qwest started notifying the customers last night by sending e- mails to their phones, Gronbach said. The customers will get new versions of the same phones in the mail within two days, he said. The recall, which will be paid for by Kyocera, affects about 1 percent of Qwest's wireless customers, Gronbach said.
Recent studies by the National Cancer Institute and the American Health Foundation show that hand-held cell phones don't appear to cause brain cancer even when used regularly for five years or more.
Qwest shares rose 64 cents to $34.94. They have fallen 42 percent in the past year. Shares of Kyocera rose 780 yen to 10,530 yen.
Mar/06/2001 16:12 ET
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