Never mind the urban myths, a new Scandinavian study suggests that there is no link between increased cell phone usage and the frequency of brain tumors after all. Finally, our cancer-worry-cell-phone ban can cease!
Contradicting a 2006 study by Swedish researchers, the new report claims that, judging by the evidence, either tumors take more than a decade to appear following cell phone usage, or that there is no link:
Radio frequency electromagnetic fields emitted from mobile phones have been proposed as a risk factor for brain tumours; however, a biological mechanism that could explain the potential effect of radio frequency electromagnetic fields in the risk of brain tumours has not been identified... The lack of a detectable trend change in incidence rates up to 2003 suggests that [either] the induction period for brain tumours associated with mobile phone use exceeds five to 10 years, the increased risk of brain tumours associated with mobile phone use in this population is too small to be observed, the risk is restricted to subgroups of brain tumors or mobile phone users, or that there is no increased risk associated with mobile phone use.
Of course, this could just mean that we all have tumors waiting to appear in the future, so don't break out the celebratory minutes just yet.
No cancer risk from increased mobile phone use [Guardian.co.uk]