Cell Phones and Brain Tumors: A Valid Concern?
Since the 1990s, cell phones have been a daily accessory for most Americans. More than 82 percent of Americans, or 250 million people, now have a cell phone. That number is more than quadruple the number in 1997, when a mere 55 million Americans laid claim to owning one. This convenient device allows us to contact and be contacted by others at all times, but there is growing concern that cell phone users may be at risk for something far worse than their loss of privacy -- brain tumors.
While this concern has been circulating for a number of years, concrete research is hard to come by, mainly because extensive cell phone use is a fairly new trend. The National Research Center for Women and Families points out that most cancers take 10-20 years to develop, so it may be years before research can definitively conclude whether certain tumors are the result of excessive cell phone use. However, one encouraging fact provided by the American Cancer Society (ACS) is that cell phones should not be expected to cause cancer because they don't emit ionizing radiation. Although the ACS concedes that some reports link cell phone use to brain cancer, it points out that these studies are small and based primarily in Sweden. A much larger study, called the European Interphone study, has been underway in 13 countries for more than 10 years; it's expected to provide better information on this subject when concluded. The publication of the results from this study have been delayed twice, once in 2003 and again in 2006, due to the need for more research, conflicts over data interpretation, and changes in leadership.
According to the American Counsel on Science and Health (ACSH), there's no doubt that the media has played the biggest role in the brain tumor scare that has been circulating the news outlets. Back in September 2004, a small Swedish study conducted at the Karolinska Institute found that the risk of developing acoustic neuroma was double in cell phone users, and four times as likely to occur on the side of the head that the cell phone was used on. Media outlets immediately picked up the story, and soon headlines were announcing that cell phones were linked to brain tumors. What these media outlets failed to do was include key aspects of the research that had been conducted.
As the ACSH points out, the researchers who conducted the 2004 study don't consider their findings to be completely accurate for a number of reasons. The study was small (only 750 participants were evaluated), and has not been replicated. Scientists generally do not consider research results reliable until they have been demonstrated several times. Also, this specific study examined only analog phones, which emit much more radiation than the digital phones used in today's market. The study's researchers were quick to say that the results are not a reason for panic; they're simply cause to research this topic further. Media outlets may have caused unnecessary fear by publishing exaggerated headlines warning the public about the "link" between cell phones and brain tumors.
Most studies focus on two different types of tumors - gliomas and acoustic neuromas. Gliomas are the most common form of cancerous brain tumors, and acoustic neuromas are benign tumors found on the acoustic nerve.
A 2007 review published in Occupational Environmental Medicine looked at 18 studies of cell phones and brain tumors, and concluded that individuals who have regularly used a cell phone for 10 or more years "give a consistent pattern of an increased risk for acoustic neuroma and glioma." One study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found this risk to be as much as 50% higher in regular cell phone users than non-users. Regular cell phone use is defined as at least one call per week for at least 6 months. This same review found the risk to be highest on the side of the head that cell phones are used on.
The National Research Center for Women and Families found other reviews drew similar conclusions, with some suggesting that regular cell phone use can double or even quadruple one's risk for brain tumors.
In addition to cell phones, some experts believe cordless phones represent a risk as well. In a study conducted by Powerwatch, cordless phones were found to emit electromagnetic fields as strong as three volts per meter. To put that in perspective, a volt as small as 0.6 per meter can be known to cause ill-effects in people.
The ACS believes these risks aren't completely unfounded, but also states that any dangers from using cell phones are most likely very small. In addition, the ACS does not raise the question of health risks involving cordless phones.
It's important to remember that researchers aren't saying that cell phones have definitively been found to cause brain tumors, only that preliminary results suggest the need to research this topic more thoroughly. Until further research is done, the National Research Center for Women and Families offers some advice to cell phone users:
The impact of frequent, long-term use of cell phones is still unknown. While it is important to take some precautions, it's also important not to panic. Keep in mind that media coverage tends to exaggerate the truth, and only concrete research will give us answers. The Interphone study will hopefully shed some more light on this topic when the findings are released, although a release date has not yet been set.
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