TeenHealthFX - Answers - Do cell phones cause brain cancer?

Diseases, Conditions & Concerns / Question
Published: September 4, 2009

Dear TeenHealthFX,

Do cell phones cause brain cancer?

Signed: Do cell phones cause brain cancer?

Dear Do cell phones cause brain cancer?,

That is a very good question and one that has lead to a lot of vigorous debate over the last several years. Although they are common place now, cell phones are a relatively new technology that emerged in the 1990’s and their use has expanded immensely over the past 10 years. According to the cell phone industry group CTIA-The Wireless Association in 1996 there were 34 million U.S. cell phone users compared with more than 200 million today. As with any new technology that interacts with humans, the research on its effects can take many years to catch up. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that the average time between first exposure to a cancer-causing agent and clinical recognition of the disease is 15 to 20 years or longer.

There have been several large case control studies and cohort studies that have compared cell phone use among people with brain cancer compared to people without brain cancer. Case-control studies are used to identify factors that may contribute to a medical condition by comparing people who have that condition (brain cancer) with patients who do not have the condition (brain cancer) but are otherwise similar to the other groups in terms of demographics. Commonly-used demographics include race, age, income, disabilities, educational attainment, employment status, and even location. A cohort is any group of individuals who are linked in some way or who have experienced the same significant life event within a given period. For example you would look at a group of people with brain cancer and compare cell phone usage among them.

According to the American Cancer Society the majority of these studies have yielded similar results:

First, the patients with brain cancer did not report more cell phone use overall than the controls. This finding was true when all brain cancers were considered as a group, when individual types of brain cancer were considered, and when specific locations within the brain were considered. In fact, most of the studies showed a tendency toward a lower risk of brain cancer among cell phone uses, for unclear reasons.

Second, none of the studies showed a "dose-response relationship" -- meaning the risk of brain cancer would increase with increasing cell phone use, which would be expected if cell phone use caused brain cancer.

Third, the studies did not show a clear link between the side of the head on which the brain cancer occurred and the side on which the cell phone was used.

There have been other studies that have contradicted some of these findings. Researchers at the Swedish National Institute for Working Life (cell phones have been used in Sweden in some form since 1984, longer than any other country) looked at the mobile phone use of 905 people between the age of 20 and 80 who had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and found a link. The study indicated that people who use mobile phones frequently (2,000 hours or more in a lifetime) had a 240% increased risk for a malignant tumor on the side of the head the phone is used. Kjell Mild, who led the study, did report that the risk is significantly reduced when a hands free device is used.

We could go on for pages citing different positions from world renowned scientists but the one consensus that most investigators would agree on is that much more research is needed. In September 2009 an international group of researchers is gathering in Washington DC to present study findings and lobby government officials to provide funds for more research and propose a U.S. research agenda. Hopefully the gathering will give researchers the ammunition they need to learn more about this important issue.

If you are concerned about cell phone effect on you and your family there are some precautions you can take:

Limit the number of calls you make.
Limit the length of your calls.
Use hands-free devices, put the cell on “speaker phone,” or hold the phone away from your ear.
When speaking on your cell phone, alternate sides.
Limit your cell phone use in rural areas or anywhere reception is poor. More radiation is emitted when you are farther from a cell phone tower.
Text message instead of talking (never while driving!).
Go over these guidelines with your children and limit their cell phone use.

· If you use your cell phone as an alarm clock or sleep near it, make sure it is at least a few feet away.

It is important to remember that the biggest threat that cell phones present to our heath is talking or texting on them while driving. So be safe.

For more information here are some good websites:

American Cancer Society

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Federal Communication Commission

Signed: TeenHealthFX