Cell Phones and Brain Tumors

Posted by Anthony Lee Aug 9, 2008

The cellular phone is such a useful and ubiquitous tool that we forget about the electromagnetic waves transmitting the signals for communication. Obviously, they don't cause immediate harm or discomfort, but considering how certain types of radiation can cause cancer, it's natural to wonder if cell phone radiation can do the same with tissues in the head, including brain tissue.

Studies have attempted to link cell phones to brain tumors and other conditions, including cancer of the salivary gland. Collectively, results appear to be mixed, either denying any association or stating that they can cause cancer. Regardless of what you believe, there are two important things to consider. First, because the effects of cell phones, if any at all, are not immediate, such studies would have to follow cell phone users over several decades, much like studies linking cigarette smoking to lung cancer. Second, studies of cell phones have to minimize confounding variables by look at cell phone users with similar phones, manner of using the phone, frequency of phone use, and location of phone use. It's difficult given how people use their phones freely in so many different ways.

Nevertheless, if you are afraid of the risks of cell phone radiation, there are steps you can take. You can minimize use of the phone overall. If you do use your phone, use a headphone/microphone apparatus to distance the phone away from your head. Using the phone in more wide open spaces may be helpful, too. It'll be years before we truly know whether cell phones are the next cigarettes, but it doesn't hurt to take precautions.