Major World Health Group Says Cell Phones Are Possibly Carcinogenic
- Posted on May 31, 2011 at 1:14pm by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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Could cell phone use lead to cancer?
LONDON (AP) — An international panel of experts says cellphones are possibly carcinogenic to humans after reviewing details from dozens of published studies.
The statement was issued in Lyon, France, on Tuesday by the International Agency for Research on Cancer after a weeklong meeting of experts. They reviewed possible links between cancer and the type of electromagnetic radiation found in cellphones, microwaves and radar.
The agency is the cancer arm of the World Health Organization and the assessment now goes to WHO and national health agencies for possible guidance on cellphone use.
The group classified cellphones in category 2B, meaning they are possibly carcinogenic to humans. Other substances in that category include the pesticide DDT and gasoline engine exhaust.
Last year, results of a large study found no clear link between cellphones and cancer. But some advocacy groups contend the study raised serious concerns because it showed a hint of a possible connection between very heavy phone use and glioma, a rare but often deadly form of brain tumor. However, the numbers in that subgroup weren’t sufficient to make the case.
The study was controversial because it began with people who already had cancer and asked them to recall how often they used their cellphones more than a decade ago.
In about 30 other studies done in Europe, New Zealand and the U.S., patients with brain tumors have not reported using their cellphones more often than unaffected people.
Because cellphones are so popular, it may be impossible for experts to compare cellphone users who develop brain tumors with people who don’t use the devices. According to a survey last year, the number of cellphone subscribers worldwide has hit 5 billion, or nearly three-quarters of the global population.
People‘s cellphone habits have also changed dramatically since the first studies began years ago and it’s unclear if the results of previous research would still apply today.
Since many cancerous tumors take decades to develop, experts say it’s impossible to conclude cellphones have no long-term health risks. The studies conducted so far haven’t tracked people for longer than about a decade.
Cellphones send signals to nearby towers via radio frequency waves, a form of energy similar to FM radio waves and microwaves. But the radiation produced by cellphones cannot directly damage DNA and is different from stronger types of radiation like X-rays or ultraviolet light. At very high levels, radio frequency waves from cellphones can heat up body tissue, but that is not believed to damage human cells.
According to Cancer Research U.K., the only health danger firmly connected to cellphones is a higher risk of car accidents. The group recommends children under 16 only use cellphones for essential calls because their brains and nervous systems are still developing.
Also, a recent U.S. National Institutes of Health study found that cellphone use can speed up brain activity, but it is unknown whether that has any dangerous health effects.
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Comments (47)
steff hatching
Posted on June 1, 2011 at 5:51amafter reading this news i started asking myself what is my phone radiation level
Report Post »high low average ??
i found a great site that shows you your phones radiation levels aka S.A.R
also explains if this values are low or high
http://cellphones-radiation-ratings.com
Cold War Vet
Posted on June 1, 2011 at 4:07amCarcinogenic?
Good! If a few of the morons who talk/text/browse while drivng would die, the world would be a better place for people who know how to drive safely.
As for those who are not driving, do you really need to spend 6+ hours a day on the phone? What happened since I was young? I’ve always used phones, but not the way they’re used now. A little excessive maybe?
Report Post »illuminoddy
Posted on June 1, 2011 at 12:41amgood riddance to cell phones..
i hate carrying them because i always suspected this was happening
i couldnt believe they just gave them to us as the technology developed without allowing more time for study..
i am REALLY thinking about leaving mine at home
i have thought about creating radiation-proof bags to carry them in.. lead filled material..
lets get them on the market
Report Post »RIGHTHOOK
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 10:44pmToo much sunshine, too much Scotch, too much red meat, too few hours of sleep, too many miles to work……….okay “Caution – Being alive is hazardous to your health”!
Report Post »Derfel Cadarn
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 9:36pmThe WHO and its fraudulent and ridiculous policies are responsible for more deaths than AGW and cell phones combined.
Report Post »publicuss
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 7:34pmWhat do you call a Dare Devil these days? A guys that talks on a cell phone all day, drives a Chevy truck with a side wall gas tank, voted for Clinton and orders from Jack in the Box! -1993
Report Post »Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 7:30pmSelf important “Experts” looking for grant money… Your stimulus dollars at work AGAIN!!
Report Post »Doc_Slammin
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 7:06pmQuite recently I read an older article about the biorhythms of animals and insects. The brunt of the article stated that there is evidence that crossing certain biorhythms will cause cancerous tumor growth in both animals and insects.
If this is true, then cancer is most likely caused by long-term exposure to objects that produce powerful biorhythmic waves that interfere with the natural human biorhythm… which would make our sun a culprit and explain why cancer strikes so randomly in people.
Just a thought.
Report Post »nomercy63
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 4:58pmI want a tax on women that use cell phones because they are going to increase health cost, just like the excuse they did to smokers! Women are always walking around with the damn things shoved in their ear!
Report Post »goobert
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 4:00pmelectromagnetic waves are actually used to help treat epilepsy and depression fyi not hurt
Report Post »rightwingheroes
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 3:04pmkey word: POSSIBLY
just another scare tactic. i can make up a story and add possibly to it and make it believable too.
water can possibly get you wet. see
Report Post »Nemo13
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 2:59pmIf you checked the call logs of these people coming up with all this fluff, you’d find they call as much or more as the next guy, if they have kids, you will find they use their phones as much as any other kids. When you see all these scientists and experts giving up this tech and putting on tin foil hats, you’ll then know its serious, haha….
Report Post »Arshloch
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 2:47pmThe carcinogens in our society are groups in the mold of world health groups, tree huggers, scientisis in the public interest, animal lovers or any other group with a partial label of ‘world’ in the title. A cell phone is far more useful to humanity.
Report Post »commonsenseguy
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 2:31pmo well, just listening to a liberal defend communism is worse than cell phone cancer.
Report Post »JCoolman
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 2:27pmJust another Coast to Coast, Discovery channel, History channel, Animal Planet, Mainstream Media nightmare scenario scare tactic that anything that we as people create is and will always be bad ourselves, animals, the planet.
Or you could stop listening to those fools and live a long and prosperous life. Coexisting with all that is on our planet.
Report Post »moreteaplease
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 2:08pmAll based on hints, possibilities, hints of possibilities, insufficient numbers, control groups that already had cancer….
That’s enough to convince me to throw my cell out the window. ( rolling eyes )
Report Post »Sam Brown
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 2:05pmWell if you are going to do things that give you cancer wait till you are 50 years old to start doing them.
Report Post »kickagrandma
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 1:56pmWell, now, isn’t that convenient? Now we cannot talk with one another on our cell phones. Of course, I don‘t use one anyway because I’m one of THOSE PEOPLE who do not want “big a$$brother” (or sister) listening in. On the other hand, it might do them some good to listen in to a REAL AMERICAN’s opinion of them.
Back to how convenient this is…and yet, this same group says it’s ok for “them” to use the screening machines for gatherings….????
We know WHICH gatherings they will be screening, don’t we? Well, come on you idjits! Be good for you to broadcast to AMERICA and the rest of the world some REAL opinions. They haven’t been hearing much TRUTH in the past three years………………….
Does anyone have an “off” button for this administration? I’d surely like it to be pushed and soon.
Report Post »its_time_to_arrest_our_government
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 11:18pmyes its called us.
Report Post »VISITORNUMBER3
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 1:44pmmeh…
Report Post »henryKnox
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 1:40pmAren’t they embarassed by the comparison to DDT? Turns out they banned DDT for the wrong reason and are responsible for millions of dead children from Malaria. We do not want the government trying to determine what products we should or should not use. They are wrong more often than they are right and when they are wrong millions of people die.
Report Post »Nemo13
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 1:38pmDon’t buy it. It’s all bull. Think about this now: If cellphones are dangerous, the trancievers in cells today puts out around 0.5 watts, cell towers throw around 3 -5 miles. (This is why calls are not always clear and disruptive) the ANALOG towers of the early 80′s and such (which had better calls actually) the cells were up to 3 WATTS and towers throw out up to 15 miles. If there was a danger, the older phones and towers would have shown this already, all the doctors & lawyers with their heads glued to those old bricks would all be dead now. End of story.
Report Post »smokie
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 2:35pmI immediately thought ” trying to take away a means of communication.”
Report Post »I don’t believe it, either.
TheGreyPiper
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 1:33pmHey, that government program giving cell phones to poor people must be (drum roll please!). . .
RA- A- A- A- A- A- A- A- A- A- CIST!!!!
Report Post »KatyDidIt
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 1:21pmWell, there ya have it folks! The explanation for our demise! We will either die from fingertip cancer?….or ear cancer….Well, when you put common sense into the mix, it all makes sense now! Why else would such an article be posted for our comments? Looks like we’ll be doing OURSELVES in on this one…Come on now…someone invent a “pill” to cure this one…HAHAHAHA!!!
Report Post »Obama Snake Oil Co
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 1:19pmLet me see coffee bad…now coffee good….cell phone dangerous, cell phone not so bad…..thanks for making it cut and dry clear…..like the mud waters of Obamas transparency policy…
Report Post »Dustyluv
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 1:16pmInternational panel of experts….Nuff said….
Report Post »BlazingPatriot
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 1:21pmBreaking News!!
Weiner Hacked ….http://nation.foxnews.com/politics/2011/05/31/rep-anthony-weiners-twitter-hacked
Report Post »drattastic
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 1:26pmYou got that right DUSTY . Besides everything causes cancer.Rule of thumb all things in moderation,I like my phone but I don’t live on it.
Report Post »drattastic
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 1:32pm@BLAZING
Report Post »That’s the cover story ,that little perv. screwed up and tweated to everyone ,now comes damage control ,no worries the lib. media will cover for and ignore the story.What congressman follows some coed on twitter anyway and this was before the Wiener “weener” tweet pic. Little piss ant.
D0ntTread0nMe
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 1:36pmYou can’t stop living just cause something may be dangerous… I don‘t have a cell but only because I’m cheap… not because I’m scared…
Report Post »http://www.mythoughtsfromthemiddle.blogspot.com
Stoic one
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 1:40pmI always enjoyed George Carlan’s quip: “Scientists have determined that , saliva causes cancer; But only if consumed in small quantities over long periods of time………………………….”
Report Post »Mannax
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 1:43pmProbably a pre-cursor to them trying to ban cellphones to keep the populations from talking to each other in a way that is not easily monitored. Also to keep revolution from being organized now that they have done it and got into power.
Report Post »KickinBack
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 2:03pmI must be one of the very few people in the world that doesn’t use a cell phone (and the only generation x’er) so doesn’t concern me ;)
Report Post »Okie from Muskogee
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 2:35pmWho’d of thought holding a mini microwave directly to your head all day would slowly heat up your brain with radiation leading to possible cancer….
Is that why cell phone instructions tell you to hold the phone about an inch away from your head….But who needs and reads those pesky instructions anyway…
Report Post »Blackhawk1
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 3:19pmAnother worthless study brought to us by WHO. We really need to quit funding these fools.
Report Post »GONESURFING
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 3:19pmI have suspected that cell phones are not safe for awhile now. One of my best friends who lived on his cell phone and wi-fi on line died of brain cancer.
Report Post »Blackhawk1
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 3:57pmGONESURFING
My cousin died of Brain Cancer 5 years ago and never owned a cell phone. It proves nothing.
Report Post »oldsoldier10
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 3:58pmI bet it was Loraina Bobbet that hacked facebook, you know she shows how to hack a wiener!
Report Post »tower7femacamp
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 5:08pmCell phone usage also will cause memory loss
Report Post »Not to mention children should Never be allowed to use
Cells as their brains are still growing.
chazman
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 7:26pmProve it or shut up …
Report Post »chazman
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 8:37pmI believe! Yes, everything you say about cell phones MUST BE TRUE! YES!! YESSSSS!!!!
Report Post »I WILL DIE OF EAR CANCER!!! YES, I BELIEVE YOU!!! AND I BELIEVE IN GLOBAL WARMING!!! I AM DRINKING THE KOOL-AID NOW!!! SLURP, SLURP … care to join me?
its_time_to_arrest_our_government
Posted on May 31, 2011 at 11:14pmWE THE PEOPLE FEEL THAT GOVERNMENT IS HARMFUL TO OUR HEALTH AND FREEDOM.
Report Post »this is just another attempt to shut us down from talking to one another. its time to remove the whole bunch and put them all behind bars for the health of our selves and our country.
avenger
Posted on June 1, 2011 at 7:35amtwenty years from now there will be an epidmic of brain cancers.this is not new,european study from 4/5 years ago was covered up by the industry.too much $$$$$ involved !
Report Post »