Posted on 02/17/2008 6:55:51 PM PST by blam
Heavy mobile phone use a cancer risk
By Lucy Cockcroft
Last Updated: 1:09am GMT 18/02/2008
People who use a mobile phone for hours a day are 50 per cent more likely to develop mouth cancer than those who do not talk on them at all, new research has shown.
The study also suggests that mobile users who live in rural areas may be at an increased risk of cancer because handsets need to emit more radiation to locate fewer antennas.
Studies in recent years have found no link between cancer and mobile phone use
Research author Dr. Siegal Sadetzki, a cancer specialist at Tel Aviv University, investigated the cases of nearly 500 people diagnosed with benign and malignant tumours of the salivary gland.
The study is regarded as significant as it was conducted on the Israeli population who were among the first to widely adopt mobile phone technology and are among its heaviest users.
Dr Sadetzki said: "Unlike people in other countries, Israelis were quick to adopt cell phone technology and have continued to be exceptionally heavy users.
"Therefore, the amount of exposure to radio frequency radiation found in this study has been higher than in previous cell phone studies. This unique population has given us an indication that cell phone use is associated with cancer."
In the study, the 500 patients were asked to detail their mobile phone use patterns in terms of how frequently they used one, and the average length of calls. Later they were compared to a sample of around 1,300 healthy subjects.
She found that those who had used the mobile phones against the side of their heads for many hours a day were 50 per cent more likely to develop a tumour of the paratoid gland compared to infrequent users.
The parotid gland is the largest human salivary gland and is located near the jaw and ear, where mobile phones are typically held.
In the study, published by the American Journal of Epidemiology, Dr Sadetzki speculated that the greatest effects will be found in heavy users and children over a period of time.
She also highlighted rural users as being slightly more at risk than those in cities, because there are fewer masts and the phones have to emit more radiation to ensure a clear connection.
However, many other studies in recent years have found no increased risk of cancer due to mobile phone use.
In September 2007 the U.K. Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme found that "mobile phones have not been found to be associated with any biological or adverse health effects," although it noted that "the situation for longer term exposure is less clear."
Professor Lawrie Challis, Chairman of MTHR, said: "The results are so far re-assuring but there is still a need for more research, especially to check that no effects emerge from longer-term phone use from adults and from use by children."
Dr Sadetzki says the risks have been hard to prove, but believes this is mainly due to the long latency period involved in cancer development.
She says that anecdotal evidence has been substantial and the consistency of her study results support an association between mobile phone use and these tumours.
The report also outlines that the risks of mobile use can be diminished by using the speaker, hands free devices and limiting the number of calls made and hours spent on the phone.
Dr Sadetzki said: "While I think this technology is here to stay I believe precautions should be taken in order to diminish the exposure and lower the risk for health hazards. Some technology that we use today carries a risk. The question is not if we use it, but how we use it."
This REALLY should not be a surprise. Placing a radio transmitter next to your brain is likely to have an impact.
The only reason we have not seen this the more obviously is that cell phones have been rapidly decreasing in power as PCS and other technologies brought the transmitters phyically closer, lessening the need for output power in the phone itself. Also, frequencies have been going up dramatically from 800mhz into the gigahertz range. This, I’m sure has thrown off the stats on disease.
And Global Warming only increases one’s risk in getting cell phone cancer.
I think people who drive and yack on their cell phones for hours each day should be examined for colorectal cancer.
Use a hands free earplug.
swallowing saliva causes stomach cancer...but only when swallowed in small amounts over a long period of time <*/S off>
....another study in which the conclusion will be quietly retracted upon peer review......just like all the rest of them.
swallowing saliva causes stomach cancer...but only when swallowed in small amounts over a long period of time <*/S off>
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An tis is wah ah bread thru mah mouf, to are it drah. ;o)
Dare I hope...
When in doubt, the inverse square law is your friend.
Deny, deny, deny!
Before I get fired up about the increased risk, what is the usual incidence of mouth cancer by age group?
If the actual rate (among non-tobacco users) is tiny, even tripling it will be triple-tiny.
Or buy the most light-weight model you can find.
“Heavy mobile phone use a cancer risk
Dare I hope...”
Why?
I remember when color TV caused cancer.
RADAR RANGES caused cancer.
You get the drift ...
In which case you transfer the problem from your mouth/ear area to wherever you place the phone while talking.
Breast pocket of your shirt? (Heart)
Pants pocket? (Genitals)
I place the phone on a desk, table, or the car seat next to me, unless I'm walking, in which case it's in the outermost pocket of whatever clothing I'm wearing.
I personally don't know if there's a correlation, and I rather doubt it, but like jwalsh07 said:
When in doubt, the inverse square law is your friend.
What does the weight of the phone have to do with it?
Or did you mean "lowest powered model", which introduces other problems like it doesn't work well?
I think you’re more likely to kill yourself or others by talking on a cell phone while driving.
Mine is not very heavy so I guess I am OK.
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