Heavy Cell Phone Use Linked To Brain Cancer – Mobile Phones May Cause Malignant Brain Tumors on Same Side of Head – Swedish Study

April 1st 2006

Mobile Phone Use

Swedish researchers believe that heavy users of cells phones have an increased risk of malignant brain tumors. This contradicts earlier studies. Research last year, conducted by the Dutch health Council, found no evidence that radiation from mobile phones and TV towers was harmful. Also, a four year British study found no link between regular, long-term use of cell phones and the most common type of tumor.

This new Swedish study released on Friday contradicted these earlier conclusions. The researchers at the Swedish National Institute for Working Life looked at the mobile phone use of 2,200 cancer patients and compared this to an equal number of healthy control cases.

Of the cancer patients, 905 had a malignant brain tumor and about a tenth of these patients were heavy mobile phone users. "Of these 905 cases, 85 were so-called high users of mobile phones, that is they began early to use mobile and/or wireless telephones and used them a lot," according to the researchers.

The heavy users were the ones that began using mobile phones before the age of 20. These users also used the phone 2,000 plus hours, which "corresponds to 10 years' use in the work place for one hour per day."

The researchers noticed that there was a marked increase in the risk of tumor on the side of the head where the telephone was generally used. The researchers also took into account the smoking habits, working history and exposure to other agents that could cause cancer. They estimated that heavy use of mobile phones increased the risk of malignant brain tumors by 240 percent on the side of the head the phone was used on.

The researchers believe that the best way to reduce the risk is by using a hands free device with headset. This is the largest study yet to look at long-term users of mobile phones. The research is published in the Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health.