Cell phone use is linked to a risk of brain cancer, a study published in the International Journal of Oncology suggests. Researchers analyzed the relationship between mobile phone use and glioma, a specific type of brain cancer that has a 0.005 percent chance of being diagnosed. The study found a 300 percent increased risk among participants who used cell phones for more than 25 years compared to those who used wireless phones for a year or less. A tripled rate of gliomas therefore correlates to 0.015 percent, or 15 out of 100,000 people being diagnosed, Business Tech reports.
The study found that the risk of brain cancer was 70 percent higher in people who used cell phones for more than a year compared to those used them for one year or less. The authors stated that the number of years of use is just as important as the number of hours of mobile phone use. A quarter of the participants spent 2,376 or more using their phones over their lifetime; this equates to roughly 40 minutes a day over ten years. Compared to people who never used cell phones or used them less than 39 hours in their lifetime, this group was associated with a 250 percent increased risk of brain tumors.
“We previously analysed the evidence on glioma associated with the use of wireless phones…We concluded that glioma and also acoustic neuroma are caused by RF-EMF emissions from wireless phones, and thus regarded as carcinogenic,” the Swedish authors said. “[This] indicates that current guidelines for exposure should be urgently revised. This pooled analysis gives further support to that conclusion regarding glioma.” The researchers advises reducing exposure to cell phone radiation as much as possible by turning it off when not in use and not sleeping with the device next to your head.
There has been significant amount of reports on cell phone radiation this year. A study published in May in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine found an increased risk of certain types of brain cancer among heavy cell phone users.
