METRO
May 24, 1999
Mobile phones in brain tumor link
By Alec Marsh
MOBILE PHONES may double the chances of users developing brain tumors, two new studies warn.
Swedish cancer specialist Dr. Lennart Hardell, author of one of the reports, warns the devices increase the risk of rare brain cancers by two-and-a-half times.
He tells tonight’s BBC Panorama programme that the examined phone users who held mobiles to their left ear and another group who used the right ear. In both cases, the risk of developing a tumor on the side used increased almost two-and-a-half times.
Dr. Hardell says: ‘Until we have the definitive results of much larger studies, we need to minimize exposure to human beings.’
The programme also hears from American Dr. George Carlo, head of a £16million research body funded by the mobile phone industry.
Speaking for the first time about an unpublished US study that also shows an increased risk of getting a rare brain tumor, he says it is no longer responsible for manufacturers to claim there is no problem with mobile phones.
Dr. Carlo adds: ‘We clearly have results that suggest there could be something more here than meets the eye.
‘The science we have today clearly shows that this is not black and white. That we have moved now into a gray area suggests there could be a problem that needs to be looked at very, very carefully. That gray area needs to be acknowledged.’
The scientists are calling for better health information to be supplied with mobile phones until more detailed research can be completed. They say people should reduce the danger by using hands-free devices or low-emission phones, which give off less radiation.
Meanwhile, a study by the national Physical Laboratory has found the type of phone you use could determine the amount of radiation to which you are exposed.
Although all seven of the phones tested were below the safety limit set by the National Radiological Protection Unit, there was a ‘considerable difference’ between the lowest and the highest emission levels.
EMF Issues • EMF FAQ • Press Articles • Scientific • Press Releases • Products • About EMF Bio • ICS Website