Heavy users of mobile phones are 50 percent more likely to develop cancer of the salivary glands, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Tel Aviv University and published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Researchers studied 500 Israelis who had tumors of the salivary gland, and compared their cell phone usage to 1300 Israelis who did not have such tumors. They found that those who use cellular phones several hours per day against the same side of the head had a 50 percent higher tumor risk than those who used phones less frequently.
Rural residents with heavy mobile phone use had an even higher tumor risk, compared with urban users. The researchers speculated that this could be due to the higher radiation dose needed for mobile phones to function in areas with fewer towers.
A number of studies have linked heavy mobile phone use the health problems such as sleep disruption and brain cancer. While the mobile phone industry often says that studies have proved the devices safe, the researchers noted that these studies tend to look only a short-term exposure, whereas radiation-related health problems may often take up to a decade before symptoms develop.
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The researchers said that carrying out studies in Israel, where the level of mobile phone use (and thus radiation exposure) is very high, can give insight otherwise only available from a longer-term study.
“Compared to other studies, the amount of exposure to radiofrequency radiation we saw here was much higher,” said lead researcher Siegal Sadetzki. “If you like, you’re seeing what could happen elsewhere ’speeded-up’ in Israel.”
The researchers also noted that many studies look only for brain tumors, and not other health problems like the one examined in the current study. This could be because cancer of the salivary gland is normally quite rare, accounting, for example, for only 0.23 percent of all cancers diagnosed in the United Kingdom each year.
November 19th, 2008 at 6:33 am
Another hysterical headline designed to frighten the credulous.
Mobile phone use does not ‘boost cancer risk by 50%’. It boosts – if the claims made in the article are accurate – the risk of a specific type of cancer by 50%. Given it’s such a rare form of cancer the real boost of a risk – if there is any – would appear to be in the order of 0.115%. That’s not to go into all the other details specific to the claims.
And in what sense is this a new study? It was published back in February.
Some people obviously want you to live in fear – I wonder why.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_.....021408.php
November 19th, 2008 at 8:22 am
Cell phones have also been linked to the disappearance of wild honeybees.
KC, usually these “scientific” studies determine causality in events occurring in an artificially created vacuum. What this means is, they try to isolate the cause so they can declare it’s relationship to the effect dogmatically. Ergo, if all you did was talk on a mobile phone for hours daily for years, then your chance of developing one or another form of cancer are higher than were you not to do so. What cannot be determined is the cancer rate of those who use mobile phones heavilty and also, for example, eat meat-based microwave dinners, drink odious amounts of drinks with artificial sweetners, smoke, drink to intoxication quite regularly, and live in the shadow of a nuclear waste dump site. Catch my drift? Cell phone usage is one variable and turns out it is quite an important one. Fortunately we have many such variables, from hormones in the meat to plastic in the food to flouride in the water to a lifetime of disturbed sleeping patterns due to artificial light, radio waves and waking to alarms.
Yes, fear is one response to this sort of information. You can choose to react with fear. But there are other ways to react. The choice is yours.
November 19th, 2008 at 11:07 am
Kicker said, “Some people obviously want you to live in fear – I wonder why.”
George said, “You can choose to react with fear.”
I believe you’re mistating the point, George. Kicker does NOT say to live in fear.
The title can be construed as sensationalistic, when a 50% increase in cancer is read to mean that at least 1 in 2 people have it.
November 19th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
I think this needs more study. There is a lot to lose here for the person doing the study though because there is a lot of money involved.
In the meantime lighten up on the mobile phone use.
November 19th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
The telecom industry paid a lot of money so they wouldn’t have to go through the proper testing on cellphone radiation. This isn’t about fear, it’s about studying this issue and getting the info out. There have already been numerous studies that all show cellphone’s being held to your head are bad for you. There’s going to be a lot more to come out on this issue. Use your headsets.
November 19th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Whatever – the headline is clearly alarmist. The fact is that it’s very unlikely to cause a single case of cancer in anyone you’ll ever know and anyone that they’ll know. We keep hearing about the science but when it’s presented it doesn’t really add up to much more than hysterical misinterpretation and panic. That’s not exactly good for the health, is it?
November 19th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Cell phones alter our brain waves and can ( and probably designed to) cause persistent alteration in peoples behavior. That, along with providing a means of tracking and tracing its users ARE their primary objective- NOT to give the public a new toy to improve their lives…
November 19th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
people who overuse mobile phones[on trains,supermarkets and whilst driving]deserve to get brain cancer,cause their brains are already too small.thats my study,released today.
November 20th, 2008 at 8:04 am
Cell Phones CAUSE cancer!!!! my husband got a brain tumor because of cell phone use!!!!! We dont use them anymore and never will!!