Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Cell Phones Really Increase Brain Tumor Risk?

Do cell phones increase brain cancer risk? – That’s what a neurosurgeon at Lake Forest Hospital has dealt with in his editorial, delving into one of the biggest scientific concerns in recent times.
Pawl has called for major research initiatives to assess the possibility that using cellular phones may lead to an increased risk of brain tumors.

The editorial states that recent studies have raised concerns that long-term exposure to electromagnetic fields (ELF) from cell-phone handsets can increase the risk of brain cancers and other nervous system tumors.

He has called for collaborative research initiatives to determine whether the link between cell phones and brain cancer is real.

Since a long time, scientists are worried that ELF exposure may increase the risk of brain cancers. But, till date, research has shown no clear link between cell phone use and brain tumors.

A Swedish research earlier this year, indicated an increased risk of brain cancers (gliomas) as well as acoustic nerve tumors (neuromas) in people using cell phones for ten years or longer. It said that tumors were more likely to develop on the same side as the cell phone was used.

Other studies by the same group suggested that the use of wireless handsets in cordless home phones posed the same risk.

In fact, after reviewing the evidence, one author suggested that long-term cell phone use is "more dangerous to health than smoking cigarettes." Other recent commentators have raised similar concerns.

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