From the September 2007 Idaho Observer:

Microchip implants cause fast-growing, malignant tumors in lab animals

The Associated Press released the story, "Chip implants linked to animal tumors" by Todd Lewan (Sept. 8, 2007), which revealed that microchip implants have induced cancer in laboratory animals and dogs, says privacy expert and long-time VeriChip opponent Dr. Katherine Albrecht.

As the AP reported, a series of research articles spanning more than a decade found that mice and rats injected with glass-encapsulated RFID transponders developed malignant, fast-growing, lethal cancers in up to 1 percent to 10 percent of cases. The tumors originated in the tissue surrounding the microchips and often grew to completely surround the devices, the researchers said.

Albrecht first became aware of the microchip-cancer link when she and her "Spychips" co-author, Liz McIntyre, were contacted by a pet owner whose dog had died from a chip-induced tumor. Albrecht then found medical studies showing a causal link between microchip implants and cancer in other animals. Before she brought the research to the AP’s attention, the studies had received little public notice.

A four-month AP investigation turned up additional documents, several of which had been published before VeriChip’s parent company, Applied Digital Solutions, sought FDA approval to market the implant for humans. The VeriChip received FDA approval in 2004 under the watch of then Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson who later joined the company’s board.

Under FDA policy, it would have been VeriChip’s responsibility to bring the adverse studies to the FDA’s attention, but VeriChip CEO Scott Silverman claims the company was unaware of the research.

Albrecht expressed skepticism that a company like VeriChip, whose primary business is microchip implants, would be unaware of relevant studies in the published literature.

"For Mr. Silverman not to know about this research would be negligent. If he did know about these studies, he certainly had an incentive to keep them quiet," said Albrecht. "Had the FDA known about the cancer link, they might never have approved his company’s product."

Since gaining FDA approval, VeriChip has aggressively targeted diabetic and dementia patients, and recently announced that it had chipped 90 Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers in Florida. Employees in the Mexican Attorney General’s Office, workers in a U.S. security firm, and club-goers in Europe have also been implanted.

[Note: A nationwide campaign to "chip" children so they can be more easily found if lost or stolen is also currently underway].

Albrecht expressed concern for those who have received a chip implant, urging them to get the devices removed as soon as possible.

"These new revelations change everything," she said. "Why would anyone take the risk of having a cancer chip in their arm?"

About a year ago, the owners of a French bulldog named "Leon" contacted Dr. Albrecht because they believed the canceorus tumors that led to his untimely death in 2004 may have been caused by a microchip implant. The owner had found an Italian lab to test the biopsy samples of Leon’s tumor tissue and subsequently published, "Fibrosarcoma with Tyoical Features of Post-Injection Sarcoma at Site of Microchip Implant in a Dog: Histologic and Imunihistochemical Study" (2006).

Additional research revealed more studies linking tumors to microchip implants. AP writer Todd Lewen tied it all together into a story that will cause people to resist chipping pets, themselves and kids.

CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering) is a grass-roots consumer group fighting retail surveillance schemes since 1999 and irresponsible RFID use since 2002. With thousands of members in all 50 U.S. states and over 30 countries worldwide, CASPIAN seeks to educate consumers about marketing strategies that invade their privacy and encourage privacy-conscious shopping habits across the retail spectrum.

Dr. Albrecht is the co-author of "SPYCHIPS: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move with RFID" (www.spychips.com) and the host of "Uncovering the Truth" on the We the People Radio Network, M-F 10AM-12PM EST. You can listen live: www.wtprn.com or access archived shows at http://mp3.wtprn.com/Albrecht07.html