According to the Pew Internet Project’s research as of May
2013, 91% of adults own a cell phone and 56% own a smartphone. In
their 2010-2011 study, researchers found that an average of 12.3 voice calls
are made or received per day by cell phone users. Voice calls are increasingly
common, even more so than texting. 27% of cell phone users do not use text
messaging, while only 4% do not make or receive calls on an average day. The number and length of voice calls continues to increase over time. With the increasing number of cell phone users each year, the public should be made aware of the radio frequency energy that is emitted from these devices.
Cell Phones Emit
Radio Frequency Energy
Electromagnetic radiation can be ionizing or non-ionizing. It is
known that ionizing radiation, for example from x-ray machines, causes a higher
risk of cancer. However, it is still up for debate as to whether or not non-ionizing
radiation increases cancer risk. Radio frequency energy emitted from a cell
phone is a form of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation, similar to a
microwave oven. How close a cell phone is held to the body and the strength of
the signal are both contributing factors to the radio frequency energy being absorbed.
Some Evidence States
The Effects of Radio Frequency Energy Causes Brain Cancer
The progression of brain cancer is a lengthy process and the
disease takes time to develop and spread. The public needs to be informed that
long-term exposure to cell phone radiation can possibly cause cancer. The Interphone study was a decade long international study with participants in 13
different countries. Those who used a cell phone for more than 10 years with
voice calls averaging 30 minutes a day or more had an increased risk of brain
cancer. Researchers suggest that there is a link between prolonged cell phone
use and ipsilateral (same side of head) brain tumors, particularly glioma
(malignant brain tumor) and meningioma (benign brain tumor) tumors. Despite the
Interphone study, Judd Nelson, an associate professor at the University of
Maryland in the Department of Entomology, is not worried about the potential for
people with high cell phone usage habits to develop brain cancer.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization, conducted meetings with 31 scientists from 14 different countries to discuss the hazards from radio frequency energy in May 2011 based on peer-reviewed studies. They concluded that as a result of the limited evidence, radio frequency electromagnetic radiation is possibly a cancer-causing agent. There is evidence of an increase in glioma and acoustic neuroma brain cancer in cell phone users, however, there needs to be evidence for other kinds of cancer to definitively state that the relationship between cancer and cell phones qualifies as a well-known health hazard.
The results of these studies are all based on adult cell
phone users. However, children are also increasingly using cell phones.
According to Consumer Reports, six out of ten children ages 8 to 12 own a cell
phone. Children’s heads are smaller, their nervous system is
still developing, and they potentially have more prolonged use of cell phones
than adults because of their young age. Dr. Keith Black is the chairman of neurology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los
Angeles, and recognizes that this is an area of growing concern since the radio
frequency radiation can diffuse more through a child’s thinner skull. Several studies hint that
prolonged cell phone use possibly increases cancer risk, however, scientists all
agree that more research needs to be conducted. Professor Nelson believes that
there should be regulations on the age at which a child should own a cell
phone.
Other Opposing Evidence States There Is No Correlation Between Radio Frequency Energy and Brain Cancer
Although holding a cell phone close to the head affects the
brain, some studies suggest that it is not enough to cause tumors. Cancer development
is linked to damage in DNA, but radio frequency energy is not one of the causes.
The American Cancer Society suggests that there may be a relationship
between cell phone use and brain cancer, but the evidence is not yet conclusive
and more research is needed. The British Million Women Study dismissed any
correlation between cell phones and brain cancer. From 1999-2005, 791,710
middle-aged women were studied and based on suspicion of glioma and meningioma
tumors, the women were assessed at the beginning of the study and again in
2009. At the end when the women had their follow-up, 52,000 reported invasive
cancer and 1,261 of these were reported brain cancer. Despite these numbers,
however, there was no correlation between cell phone use and increased risk of
cancer. Even comparing prolonged cell phone use with those who reported brain
cancer still had no
increase of risk. Therefore, there was no association with cell
phone use and glioma or meningioma tumors. Flaws do exist though since the study only used female participants over
the age of 50. Professor Nelson agrees that there is no correlation between cell phone use and brain cancer and instead
believes the idea is contrived.
While it is true that children’s nervous systems are still
developing and their heads are smaller, it is not necessarily a logical hypothesis
that they are more vulnerable to develop brain cancer from cell phones. A study
known as CEFALO conducted in Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, and Norway followed
children ages 7-19 from 2004-2008. There was no correlation between these
children and an increased risk of brain tumors. Although, the researchers cited
this lack of correlation, they also did not eliminate the possibility that there
could be an increased risk of developing brain cancer. Another study conducted
in Spain by the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology known as
Mobi-Kids is also underway. It includes 2000 participants ages 10-24. They are
evaluating the relationship between cell phones and brain cancer with
participants who have newly diagnosed brain tumors.
Given The
Disagreement and Contradictory Results of the Effects of Radio Frequency Energy,
A Much Larger and Longer Study Is In Progress
A longitudinal study, COSMOS, is currently being conducted where
cell phone use and its long-term health effects are being examined. It began in
March 2010 and has a sample size of 290,000 cell phone users that are at least
18 years of age. This study will follow the participants for the next 20 to 30
years and record their cell phone use. Until this study is completed, the correlation
between cell phone use and brain cancer is dependent on current studies
available. However,
those studies that support the relationship between cell phone use and
brain cancer seem inconclusive in their results and all admit that more
research is needed. The opposing studies that deny any correlation have flaws
in participants and also admit that there may still be an increased risk. So
who do we believe? At this point, the relationship between cell phone use and
brain tumors is a personal decision based on the research available. But, those
who believe there is a correlation should take precaution by using headsets and
speakerphones. Children should only use cell phones in emergencies and always
try to communicate through text messaging rather than voice calls to decrease
the proximity of the cell phone to the body and the duration of exposure. Until
more research is made available, we are left with contradictory and
questionable studies.
