WHO Study Warns Cell Phones Can Cause Cancer

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released findings from its International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) that show cell phones pose some risk of causing cancer in humans.  Previous studies had ruled out cell phones as a cause of brain cancer, but a study conducted by the IARC found that people who used their cell phones for 30 minutes each day for 10 years were 40 percent more likely to develop a rare brain tumor than people who used their cell phones less often.

Nearly 5 billion people, or three-quarters of the world's population, use cell phones.  In the United States, a mere 34 million people were using cell phones in 1996.  Today, more than 300 million Americans carry a cell phone, yet the incidence of brain cancer has remained relatively low.  Researchers estimate that there were 22,070 new diagnoses of brain tumors and 12,920 deaths in 2009.  So why aren't more people developing brain tumors if cell phones do in fact cause cancer?

Cell phones are still in the early stages of development and have only been around popularly for 15 years.  For scientists to properly study the link between cell phones and cancer, decades of exposure will have to be recorded and studied.  We know that cell phones emit radio frequency radiation (RF), which is also the radiation emitted by microwave ovens.  Scientists think that this kind of radiation, when in close proximity with the head, essentially cooks the brain.  Carcinogens like radiation do not have to directly damage DNA to cause cancer, which is why scientists believe there is a link between cell phones and cancer. 

According to IARC's classification system, cell phone radiation is as harmful to humans as lead, which some find to be a far-fetched idea.  Neurologists are not quick to say that cell phones do cause cancer, but they agree that cell phone use is not necessarily safe.  Cell phone use has been found to be particularly more dangerous for children because their skulls are thinner and their cells divide at a faster rate.

The WHO warns that cell phones may be as big a public health risk as asbestos or smoking.  Beginning in the 1930s smoking became popular, but it wasn't until the 1950s and 1960s that scientists discovered the harmful effects smoking has on the human body.  By that time it was too late for some who had already developed lung cancer.  The WHO hopes that warning people early on will reduce the number of cancer deaths that are possible from cell phone use.

Cell phone manufacturers and CTIA-The Wireless Association have dismissed the findings of these recent studies linking cell phone use to cancer and argue that they are at best inconclusive.  However, cell phone manuals warn users to hold the phone a certain distance from their ears to maintain safe radiation levels.  The distance varies based on the type of cell phone you are using.

Until we know more about the relationship between cell phones and cancer, researchers and doctors suggest that people who are on the phone for long periods of time use Bluetooth or wired headsets to conduct their calls.  The main point to take away from these studies is consumers beware--new gadgets you purchase may be harmful to your health.