Picking Up Some Static

Imagine you’re in an accident and you’re rushed to the nearest ER where a doctor turns on a radio receiver to access all your medical information – blood type, surgical history, prescription drug usage, supplement usage, allergies, etc. In certain situations, that information might be a lifesaver. But how in the world could a doctor tune in a radio station that would have all your info?

Easy. You’re the radio.

Planting season

So far, about 2,000 people have been implanted with radio frequency identification (RFID) devices that are being touted as the wave of the future. The devices transmit a radio signal that doesn’t deliver much – just a number. But when a doctor picks up that number with the proper radio receiver and enters it into an Internet database, up comes the vital information necessary to SAVE YOUR LIFE!

Or that’s the feel-scared/feel-good sales pitch, anyway.

VeriChip is the brand name of the leading RFID device, which is about the size and shape of a grain of rice. But a recent Associated Press report reveals that Dow Chemical testing of RFID devices in the 1990s showed that the implants were linked to malignant tumors in lab animals. Linked? A retired Dow toxicologist didn’t mince words – he told the AP: “The transponders were the cause of the tumors.” Some cancer specialists who reviewed the Dow study for the AP said they wouldn’t allow RFID implantation in their family members until more research was done.

As you might guess, VeriChip reps dismiss the Dow results, noting that the FDA has approved the use of the chips in humans. And of course, for most people, that’s the end of the story. The FDA okayed it? ‘Nuff said!

But the AP also reveals an interesting wrinkle in the timeline of VeriChip’s approval. The approval took effect just two weeks before Tommy Thompson stepped down as the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the FDA. Five months later, Thompson was appointed to the board of directors of VeriChip Corp. As a board member he receives cash and stock options.

Little chip big plans

When an AP reporter repeatedly asked FDA officials if the Dow research was included in a review of studies that led to VeriChip’s approval, the FDA repeatedly declined to comment. And after a recent report from the American Medical Association ethics committee sang the praises of RFID devices, the AP asked an AMA board member if the association was aware of the Dow research. The answer: “No.”

So why is the safety issue raised by the Dow study regarded as Topic Number One No One Wants to Discuss? Because VeriChip is big business. And VeriChip officials have some very big plans. So, please, let’s have no more talk about malignant tumors in lab animals – we’ve got radio transponders to sell and implant!

VeriChips are already used to help identify lost pets. But lost humans are also on the list. The VeriChip web site (verichipcorp.com) notes that chips can be used for “wander protection.” For instance, Alzheimer’s patients can be chipped for easy identification and tracking within limited range.

At present, VeriChip isn’t actually equipped to function as a human LoJack or part of a global positioning system, but that technology isn’t far away. In fact, there’s plenty of speculation about using RFID technology to track prison inmates, sex offenders, illegal aliens, soldiers, and police officers. And a nightclub in Barcelona, Spain, has already put the chips to use in a non-medical capacity, allowing implanted patrons to access VIP areas and pay for food and drinks with a wave of a hand.

That sort of news alarms personal freedom advocates who are afraid we’ll all be so enamored of VeriChip’s convenience that we’ll eventually be more than happy to receive chip implants for national security purposes or to track missing people. But whether RFIDs are the work of Big Brother or just a corporation with plenty of venture capital backing, one thing is clear: It seems that an adverse health issue doesn’t much interest those who stand to make big bucks from little chips.

Sources:
“Chip Implants Linked to Animal Tumors” Todd Lewan, The Associated Press, 9/8/07, ap.org