What is the relationship between cell phones and cancer?
The possible connection between cell phones and cancer is controversial. For many years, studies on cell phones and cancer have had mixed results, but there is currently no consensus on the degree of cancer risk.
The main concern with cell phones and cancer appears to be brain tumors associated with cell phone use. This, and some studies indicate that there has been a slight increase in the incidence of brain tumors since the seventies of the twentieth century, but cell phones were not used at that time.
Instead, this small increase is likely related to other factors, such as increased access to medical care and advances in diagnostic imaging.
So what have researchers learned about cell phones and cancer? Here is an overview of different studies:
One study included 420,000 cell phone users over a 20-year period, and the researchers found no evidence of a link between cell phones and brain tumors.
Another study revealed an association between cell phones and salivary gland cancer. However, only a few participants in this study had malignant tumors.
– Another recent study reported a slight increased risk of glioma, a certain type of brain tumor, for the highest number of cell phone users, but there was no overall increased risk of brain tumor.
After evaluating several studies on a possible link between cell phones and glioma and a benign brain tumor known as acoustic neuroma, members of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, agree that there is limited evidence that cell phone radiation is a carcinogenic agent. (carcinogenic). As a result, this group has classified radio wave electromagnetic fields as a possible carcinogen to humans.
However, the recent series of studies cannot explain the whole picture. It often takes several years between using a new cancer-causing agent, such as tobacco, and noticing an increase in cancer rates.
By this point, the time to detect increases in cancer rates directly caused by cell phone use is likely to be too short.
What’s the bottom line? No one knows at this time whether cell phones can cause cancer or not. Although long-term studies still exist, to this day there is no convincing evidence that cell phone use increases the risk of cancer.
So if you’re concerned about the possible link between cell phones and cancer, you can limit cell phone use, or use a loudspeaker or earphone to keep the cell phone’s antenna, which is the cell phone itself, away from your head.