Cancer risk in cell phone users

Cell Phone Radiation Science Review

Research on cancer risk in cell phone users

Researchers and public health experts worldwide are engaged in a vigorous debate about whether cell phone radiation can lead to brain cancer (American Cancer Society 2008; FDA 2003; Hardell 2009; IARC 2008, 2009b; Kundi 2009). While earlier, short-term studies did not find an increased risk of brain cancer (Ahlbom 2009; Croft 2008; FDA 2003), studies of long-term cell phone use, published over the last four years, have found an increased risk of developing two types of brain tumors on the ipsilateral side (the side of the brain on which the cell phone is primarily held) among people who used a cell phone for longer than 10 years (Hardell, Carlberg 2006b; Hours 2007; Lahkola 2007; Lonn 2005; Schoemaker 2005; Schuz, Bohler, Berg 2006; Takebayashi 2008):

• Glioma – a typically malignant tumor of the brain that arises from glial cells that provide physical support for the central nervous system;
• Acoustic neuroma – a benign tumor of the vestibulocochlear nerve that innervates the ear.

Two recent studies also reported increased risk of salivary gland (parotid gland) tumors among cell phone users (Lonn 2006; Sadetzki 2008).