WHO: Cell phone use can increase possible cancer risk

[Viva_La_Revolution]

Source: cnn

Radiation from cell phones can possibly cause cancer, according to the World Health Organization. The agency now lists mobile phone use in the same "carcinogenic hazard" category as lead, engine exhaust and chloroform.

Before its announcement Tuesday, WHO had assured consumers that no adverse health effects had been established.

A team of 31 scientists from 14 countries, including the United States, made the decision after reviewing peer-reviewed studies on cell phone safety. The team found enough evidence to categorize personal exposure as "possibly carcinogenic to humans."

What that means is that right now there haven't been enough long-term studies conducted to make a clear conclusion if radiation from cell phones are safe, but there is enough data showing a possible connection that consumers should be alerted.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/05/31/who.cell.phones/index.html

[Warpy]

1. Watch those weasel words!

"Can" and "possibly" are dead giveaways to a study that was either improperly done or completely inconclusive.

Cell phone addicts have been with us for a relatively short time. We won't have the epidemiological data on increased cancer rates for another 20 years or so. We might find them as benign as AM and FM radio waves from a tower 20 miles away. We might find they cause brain cancer after 5 yeas of heavy use. The weasel word is "might." We just don't know now.

[Xipe Totec]

2. Based on your analysis, what's the prudent course of action? nt

[truthisfreedom]

3. As often as possible, I put my cell on speaker phone and set it on a nearby table.

Can't hurt!

[Warpy]

4. If I were nuts enough to own one

I'd use it when I was out and use the land line at home.

In any case, I imagine if there's a spike in cancer from these things, we'll see it in the real addicts, the ones who look like they'll need the phone surgically removed from their ears in the future, the clods who feel compelled to yell into them 24/7.

[RC]

5. That won't be any loss, that will be an improvement in the human condition.

[Donnachaidh]

8. we own *one* for emergencies

DH keeps it in the car while doing his route. We've debated getting a second, but I prefer not to be distracted by some moron calling or texting me over something stupid. I don't need to be speaking to everyone every moment in order to validate myself. Nor do I need any of the gadgets that are supposed to make my life better. I can read a map and street signs, and know my area well wnough I can drive without crutches.

My brother, who for years didn't want one, now has given up his landline and is fully cellular. Still can't figure out that one -- only excuse is his need for gadgets and distractions. :shrug:

[jberryhill]

6. Wired headset

I have no real opinion about the risk, but I use the speakerphone function and wired headsets because I'd prefer not to put an RF transmitter next to my head.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

18. I do the same, but keep the phone in a holster

so it's doing its carcinogenic thing very near the family jewels. I guess I'm avoiding cancer in one brain, but risking cancer in the other brain.

I have to rethink the cell phone carry plan.

:hi:

[DLnyc]

10. It might be good to read the announcement.

Of course, there is no such announcement currently listed at the WHO site.

However, an older announcement, from May of 2010, includes these two paragraphs:

=====
A retrospective case-control study on adults, INTERPHONE, coordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), was designed to determine whether there are links between use of mobile phones and head and neck cancers in adults. The international pooled analysis of data gathered from 13 participating countries found no increased risk of glioma or meningioma with mobile phone use of more than 10 years. There are some indications of an increased risk of glioma for those who reported the highest 10% of cumulative hours of cell phone use, although there was no consistent trend of increasing risk with greater duration of use. Researchers concluded that biases and errors limit the strength of these conclusions and prevent a causal interpretation.

While an increased risk of brain tumors is not established from INTERPHONE data, the increasing use of mobile phones and the lack of data for mobile phone use over time periods longer than 15 years warrant further research of mobile phone use and brain cancer risk. In particular, with the recent popularity of mobile phone use among younger people, and therefore a potentially longer lifetime of exposure, WHO has promoted further research on this group. Several studies investigating potential health effects in children and adolescents are underway.
=======

I don't know what "completely inconclusive" is supposed to mean, any more that what could possibly be "completely conclusive".

The old study showed some indication that there may be a connection between heavy use and risk of glioma, but the study was inconclusive. This would warrant further study. Preumably further study has been done and this is, presumably, what today's announcement is about.

It "might" "possibly" be good to read the actual announcement before passing judgement on the evidence, IMHO. Particularly if one wants to represent oneself as an objective, scientific sort of person.

[DLnyc]

15. Finally found a link to the announcement

http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/pr/2011/pdfs/pr208_E.pdf

(it's under IARC, not under WHO)

Sorry, my tone seems a bit snide. I just think it's important to look at the evidence, not decide (either way) based on personal 'hunches'.

From the actual announcement:

----
Results
The evidence was reviewed critically, and overall evaluated as being limited(2) among users of
wireless telephones for glioma and acoustic neuroma, and inadequate(3) to draw conclusions for other types of cancers. The evidence from the occupational and environmental exposures
mentioned above was similarly judged inadequate. The Working Group did not quantitate the
risk; however, one study of past cell phone use (up to the year 2004), showed a 40% increased
risk for gliomas in the highest category of heavy users (reported average: 30 minutes per day
over a 10‐year period).

Conclusions  
Dr Jonathan Samet (University of Southern California, USA), overall Chairman of the Working
Group, indicated that "the evidence, while still accumulating, is strong enough to support a
conclusion and the 2B classification. The conclusion means that there could be some risk, and
therefore we need to keep a close watch for a link between cell phones and cancer risk."

"Given the potential consequences for public health of this classification and findings," said IARC
Director Christopher Wild, "it is important that additional research be conducted into the long‐
term, heavy use of mobile phones. Pending the availability of such information, it is important
to take pragmatic measures to reduce exposure such as hands‐free devices or texting. "
-----

[pnwmom]

11. You're half right.

It's not that the studies were improperly done or completely inconclusive. It's just that, as you say, cancer can take decades to develop. The best studies for measuring increased rates haven't been in place long enough to show whether there is a real increase, but other studies (looking back, which are less reliable) indicate an increase in glioma risk.

[KittyWampus]

21. LOL! So climatologists are weasels for saying "Might" all these years regarding climate change?

[KurtNYC]

24. Ted Kennedy's neurosurgeon, literally one of the best

brain surgeons in the world believes that cell phones can cause brain cancer. As do many other neurosurgeons. Sanjay Gupta, assistant professor of neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine, will not place a cell phone against his head.

Ted Kennedy
Robert Novak
Johnnie Cochran

all heavy cell phone users, and all died of brain cancer on the left side of the brain.

For $6 you can protect yourself -- wired (NOT Bluetooth) ear piece.

[SpiralHawk]

7. D'oh

You can feel the brain cells frying while you are blabbing...

[Ian David]

9. I will probably die of finger cancer, because I mostly use mine for text, browsing, and games. n/t

[onehandle]

12. 'A link can't be ruled out' However...

All cancers are caused by mutant strands of DNA. Electromagnetic radiation can’t create mutant strands of DNA unless the frequency is at or higher than the blue limit of the visible spectrum the near-ultraviolet. The frequency of cell phone radiation is about 1 million times too low.

http://bobpark.physics.umd.edu/WN11/wn052011.html

[flamingdem]

13. I read studies on this years ago, the tumor link was documented

and the scientists were ignored.

As usual those who risked ridicule were right.. and right for telling it like it is to those who would listen and would like to avoid cancer.

Something similar going on these days with the low level radiation debate regarding fallout from Fukushima..

[One_Life_To_Give]

14. We can rule Aspertame and Sacharine safe/unsafe

Why is it we can rule food additives safe or not in far less than 15-30years. But we cant figure out how to do similar experiments with RF? Wouldn't Mice living in a mode stirred chamber at 20-30 V/m accomplish the same thing in far less time?

[Lance_Boyle]

17. another member of Group 2B - Citrus Red #2

If you've eaten an orange lately you've had it.

[DLnyc]

19. I'm not sure you would ingest Citrus Red #2, unless you

eat the orange peel:

======
Citrus Red 2, Citrus Red No. 2, C.I. Solvent Red 80, or C.I. 12156 is an artificial dye. As a food dye, it is permitted by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since 1956 only for use in the United States to color the skin of oranges.<1><2><3><4> Citrus Red 2 is listed as an IARC Group 2B carcinogen, meaning that it is "possibly carcinogenic to humans".<5> However, it does not penetrate the orange peel into the pulp.
======
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citrus_Red_2

[Lance_Boyle]

20. It gets on your skin, and I should point out

that you don't ingest your cell phone, either.

Coffee, however, you ingest. And pickled vegetables. Both of which are also Group 2B members, like cell phones.

[Lance_Boyle]

16. Mobile phones added to Group 2B, 'possibly carcinogenic to humans.'

Other terrifying members of Group 2B? Brace yourselves...

Coffee! Scary bad coffee!

The occupation of carpentry! Who would JESUS radiate with his terrible scary profession?!?

And pickled vegetables! That's right your kimchi may be KILLING YOU! BE AFRAID!!!

2B or not 2B, this is hysterical bullshit.

[WatsonT]

22. Let the class action lawsuits begin!

[sudopod]

23. The media should be embarrassed.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4868311&mesg_id=4869286

Way to spread needless panic, folks.

[Paula Sims]

25. My brother was having brain surgery the day after the 2008 election

His tumor was 3x the size of an egg and in the middle of his head between the two lobes. I asked the brain surgeon if there was a link between brother's cell phone use and the tumor and he said "I don't think so but I won't let any of my children under 15 use one unless it's an emergency". What does THAT tell you. One of the other surgeons also had the same tumor as my brother (a glioma) and he is sure it was because of the cell phones (which he carries but doesn't turn on unless absolutely necessary). (personal note: sadly, my brother is still a rethug so I don't think they took enough of the tumor out)

Same with hubby and me -- we have one to tell the other that we're going to be late. I don't even know my number -- we just use it to call home and leave a message on the answering machine. Our monthly bill? Just over $15 per month for both lines (we have a really really old grandfathered contract). At home we only have landlines -- when the power is out, at least we can still use those to call the electric company to report the outage. Why don't the neighbors? They all have cordless phones that aren't charged and don't work when there is no power.

And yes, I still write letters to my best friends using paper and pen -- and people wonder why my handwriting is so nice!!