No proof of mobile cancer risk, major study concludes

[Elmore Furth]

Source: BBC

Using a mobile phone does not appear to increase the risk of developing certain types of brain cancer, the largest study of its kind has concluded.

Analysis of more than 10,000 people by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) found no relationship between years of use and risk.

There is no known biological mechanism by which mobiles could cause cancer, but there has been public concern.

The overall rate of brain cancer has not risen in countries where use has long been prevalent - like Sweden, and studies have mostly found no evidence of an increased risk. This latest research is consistent with this.



Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8685839.stm

[cornermouse]

1. What a surprise.

And just like that any threats of corporate liability or responsibility disappear. I'm taking a moment to point out that all the studies seem to turn out like this any more. Remember Bush's "more arsenic in our water supply is not dangerous" thing?

[aquart]

2. I'm pretty sure I read it differently.

In the articles I read, there was such weird and shoddy methodology that they said they don't trust the conclusions and more research needs to be done.

[bulloney]

5. I heard on CNN radio the study was founded by....phone companies!!

Anymore, when I see any interest group funding a study, they're going to get the conclusions they're seeking.

[Gormy Cuss]

3. Yes, but...

be aware of the limitations of the study. From the IARC press release:

Change in pattern of use
The majority of subjects were not heavy mobile phone users by today's standards. The median lifetime cumulative call
time was around 100 hours, with a median of 2 to 2½ hours of reported use per month. The cut-point for the heaviest
10% of users (1640 hours lifetime), spread out over 10 years, corresponds to about a half-hour per day.

Today, mobile phone use has become much more prevalent and it is not unusual for young people to use mobile
phones for an hour or more a day. This increasing use is tempered, however, by the lower emissions, on average,
from newer technology phones, and the increasing use of texting and hands-free operations that keep the phone
away from the head.

What next?
Dr Christopher Wild, Director of IARC said: "An increased risk of brain cancer is not established from the data from
Interphone. However, observations at the highest level of cumulative call time and the changing patterns of mobile
phone use since the period studied by Interphone, particularly in young people, mean that further investigation of
mobile phone use and brain cancer risk is merited."

eta link
http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/pr/2010/pdfs/pr200_E.pdf

[WinkyDink]

4. Right.