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| Debate still raging over cell phone, tumor link |
| Scott Lafee/SD Union Tribune |
| 1/3/2010 |
The final results of an international study intended to produce definitive evidence on whether cell phones cause cancer could be released any day now. But those findings likely will just deepen an already acrimonious debate that has lasted about 20 years. Nine years ago, the World Health Organization launched Interphone to determine whether brain tumors can be linked to electromagnetic radiation from cell phones. The researchers analyzed cell phone use by 14,000 people in 13 countries. Half of the participants had brain tumors; half did not. Field work for the study ended in 2006, but a final paper has yet to be published. This much is known: Based on single-nation studies that are part of Interphone, there appears to be no clear connection between cell phone use and some types of brain cancers. These reports don’t rule out an elevated risk for people who have used cell phones for at least 10 years. Therein lies the crux and conundrum of the ongoing debate: Has enough time passed to identify and quantify the cancer risk posed by cell phones? It typically takes 15 to 20 years from first exposure to a carcinogen until definitive cancer diagnosis, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Brain tumors can develop 30 to 40 years before detection. * * * In a paper published in the March 2009 issue of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, Michael Kundi, director of the Institute of Environmental Health at the Medical University of Vienna, evaluated 33 peer-reviewed epidemiologic studies on cell phone use. Kundi concluded that while the studies generally indicate an increased cancer risk, the research was flawed by various biases and lack of long-term data. In other words, he said, nobody knows anything for sure. For complete article & a chart on radiation levels go to: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jan/03/debate-still-raging-over-cell-phone-tumor-link/ |
| Additional Information: signonsandiego.com |