http://www.mercola.com/2003/apr/2/cell_phones.htm
Scientists have found the first evidence linking
brain cancer with mobile phone use.
It was found that users who spend more than an
hour a day talking on a mobile phone have a close to one-third higher risk of
developing a rare form of brain tumor. Most frequently, the cancers were found
on the side of the head that the user held the phone up to.
The association was found with digital mobile
phones, old-style analogue mobile phones and digital enhanced cordless phones.
Although radiation from mobile phones has been
shown to alter the brain and affect memory, past studies have found no evidence
of a link between brain cancer and mobile phone use.
In the current study, researchers looked at the
medical records of 1,600 patients with tumors who had used mobile phones for up
to 10 years before diagnosis. They found that the more mobile phones were used,
and the more years they were used, the higher the risk of brain tumors.
Further, spending more than an hour on a mobile
phone per day increased the risk of acoustic neuroma, a type of tumor, by some
30 percent. This type of tumor, usually curable by surgery, can occur in a
nerve in the brain and lead to deafness in one ear.
Incidences of this type of cancer, though rare,
have increased from one tumor per 100,000 people in 1980 to one per 80,000
today.
Researchers say that the findings appear to show
a link, but further studies are needed to confirm the results.
International
Journal of Oncology February
2003;22(2):399-407
Dr. Mercola's Comment
More evidence that further supports my previous comments:
As Moore's Law (the doubling
of computer technology every 18 months) continues to reduce the cost of
wireless communication, cell phones will become increasingly popular. Many
people are even abandoning their land-based phones to use their cell phones as
their exclusive phone service.
The issue of electromagnetic
field (EMF) radiation from cell phones is controversial and most experts
believe that it is insignificant. However, there is a significant body of
evidence to suggest that cell phone radiation can indeed cause health problems.
The central issue is that
most experts are basing their conclusions of a non-damaging health effect on
information derived from examining thermal or heat related effects. It is
highly unlikely that the damage cell phones do is through this mechanism.
The experts fail to consider
the negative biological effects of exposure to long-term low intensity pulsed
microwave radiation that these phones emit. Our bodies, especially our brains,
are extraordinarily sensitive receptors of EMF radiation.
If you use a cell phone at
all, I would strongly encourage you to carefully review the Lancet article that
I posted in the newsletter two years ago.
However, while I once
discouraged the use of cell phones because of EMF concerns, new technological
innovations have all but eliminated these concerns.
One such innovation is Bluetooth wireless technology. Essentially,
this is a completely wireless headset that enables you to place the cell phone
up to 30 feet away from your body while making calls. This is more than
sufficient distance to minimize the potential dangers from EMF.
Aside from the wireless
headset, cell phone dangers can be minimized by using a wired headset and
keeping the phone away from your body while it is in standby mode--keep the
phone in a purse or holster on your belt instead of in a pocket.
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Safety Fears