New Research Says Intensive Cell Phone Use Raises Brain Cancer Risk (So Hang Up! At Least for a Little Bit)
If your cell phone might as well be an accessory—due to how often it's attached to your ear—the results of this new study are worth listening to.
You may have heard about previous studies that suggested that the radio-frequency fields associated with cell phone use could possibly up the risks of brain cancer. While other research projects have debunked the idea, the authors of this new study say that excessive cell phone use may very well mean an increased brain cancer risk.
According to new research in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, subjects who talked on their cell phones for more than 15 hours each month over five years, had, on average, between two and three times greater risk of developing meningioma and glioma tumors.
After eliminating other factors that increase cancer risks, the researchers studied 253 cases of glioma and 194 cases of meningioma that were reported in France during a two-year period, comparing them with 892 healthy people. They found a link between people who intensively used their phones and the development of brain cancer tumors—and, interestingly enough, the tumors often developed on the opposite side of the brain from where the phone is used.
The authors say that more research is needed: "It is difficult to define a level of risk, if any, especially as mobile phone technology is constantly evolving," they write. "The rapid evolution of technology has led to a considerable increase in the use of mobile phones and a parallel decrease of [radio-wave intensity] emitted by the phones. Studies taking account of these recent developments and allowing the observation of potential long-term effects will be needed."
__I'm a headset or speakerphone sort of person by nature—really, only because I like having my hands free to do other stuff while I'm talking—but I have to say I'm intrigued by these results. What do you think? __