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Memo Warns of Link Between Cell Phones and Cancer
July 24, 2008 02:53 PM
by
Rachel Balik
In a memo to 3,000 members of his staff, the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute director suggested that cell phones could cause cancer.
30-Second Summary
Research on whether cell phones really cause cancer is thus far inconclusive. “The question is do you want to play Russian roulette with your brain,” argues Devra Lee Davis, the director of the University of Pittsburgh’s center for environmental oncology. “I don't know that cell phones are dangerous. But I don’t know that they are safe.” Her warnings were the catalyst for a memo sent out from Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, director of the university’s cancer institute. He told 3,000 of his staff to reduce their cell phone use as a precaution against developing cancer. The memo also said that children, whose brains are still developing, should use cell phones only in case of emergency.
At the University of Utah, a 2008 meta-analysis of studies that examined the link between brain tumors and cell phones “found no overall increased risk of brain tumors among cellular phone users. The potential elevated risk of brain tumors after long-term cellular phone use awaits confirmation by future studies.”
But not all scientists are so sure. Like Herberman, Australian neurosurgeon Dr. Vini Khurana cautions against cell phone use: “It is anticipated that this danger has far broader public health ramifications than asbestos and smoking, and directly concerns all of us, particularly the younger generation.”
One study examining long-term cell phone use found that those who used cell phones for more than 10 years were 40 percent more likely to develop a tumor close to the spot where they held their phone. Some scientists believe that earlier studies did not show similar results because people had not been using cell phones long enough to develop tumors.
At the University of Utah, a 2008 meta-analysis of studies that examined the link between brain tumors and cell phones “found no overall increased risk of brain tumors among cellular phone users. The potential elevated risk of brain tumors after long-term cellular phone use awaits confirmation by future studies.”
But not all scientists are so sure. Like Herberman, Australian neurosurgeon Dr. Vini Khurana cautions against cell phone use: “It is anticipated that this danger has far broader public health ramifications than asbestos and smoking, and directly concerns all of us, particularly the younger generation.”
One study examining long-term cell phone use found that those who used cell phones for more than 10 years were 40 percent more likely to develop a tumor close to the spot where they held their phone. Some scientists believe that earlier studies did not show similar results because people had not been using cell phones long enough to develop tumors.
Headline Links: Cancer researchers warn of potential risks of cell phone use
Herberman’s memo even suggests not using cell phones in crowded, public places such as buses, because it is wrong to expose other to harmful electromagnetic radiation. He admits that results so far are inconclusive, and the data that inspired his concerns are still unpublished. “Really at the heart of my concern is that we shouldn’t wait for a definitive study to come out, but err on the side of being safe rather than sorry later.” But a cancer researcher at Penn State is dubious. “We certainly don't know of any mechanism by which radiofrequency exposure would cause a cancerous effect in cells,” he said.
Source: CBS News (AP)
Herberman has also endorsed a document from a group of international cancer and public health experts urging that more care be taken when using cell phones. The group asserts, “We do not need to ban this technology, but to adapt it—to harness it—so that it never becomes a major cause of illness.” Even though data remains inconclusive, many are in support of exercising caution. “From a public health perspective, it makes sense to limit risks,” said Dr. Dan Wartenberg, director of environmental epidemiology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Opinion & Analysis: The significance of the memo
Microwave News notes that “One of the hallmarks of the cell phone health controversy has been the silence of the U.S. public health communities.” Herberman’s memo marks the first time an American doctor or scientist openly warned against the dangers of cell phone usage.
Source: Microwave News
Reference: Herberman’s memo and research seeking link between cell phones and cancer
The memo
Herberman’s original memo, including advice for protecting you and your children from cell phone’s electromagnetic radiation, is available on Emax Health.
Source: EMax Health
Cell phone/cancer research
Researchers at the University of Utah “conducted a meta-analysis to examine the effect of cellular phone use on the risk of brain tumor development.” Researchers looked at nine case-controlled studies on brain tumors and reported that, “no increased risk was observed in analog or digital cellular phone users.”
Source: Pubmed.gov
As recently as 2005, the Swedish branch of the Interphone Study Group could find no connection between cell phone use and brain cancer. Final results from the International Interphone Study are not yet available.
Source: American Journal of Epidemiology
A 2007 study found that long-term cell phone users who had used a cellular phone for longer than 10 years were almost 40 percent more likely to develop a tumor in the exact spot where they held their mobile phone. Epidemiologist and study researcher Anssi Auvinen said, “It seems credible as it was after long-term exposure—which makes sense in terms of the length of time it takes for tumors to develop—and it is localized to the side of the head where the handset is held.”
Source: The Daily Telegraph
Australian neurosurgeon Dr. Vini Khurana claims in a recent report that cell phone use is more dangerous to people’s health than asbestos or smoking, and that in the next four years the full impact of cell phone-related brain tumors will be revealed. His report suggests that ten years or more of cell phone use can double the risk of brain cancer.
Source: findingDulcinea
© 2009 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
