Liad Bar-EL

Study links cell phones, tumors
By Matt Hines CNET News.com October 14, 2004, 8:41 AM PT

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-5409531.html

• Cellular phones (http://news.zdnet.com/2038-1035_22-0...ellular+phones)

A Swedish research institute has released a report that links the use of analog cell handsets and a benign tumor--adding fodder to the long-running debate over cell phones and brain cancer.

The Institute of Environmental Medicine at the Karolinska Institutet (http://dw.com.com/redir?destUrl=http...fo.ki.se%2Fki%) in Stockholm said Thursday that it has found that 10 or more years of cell phone use may increase the risk of acoustic neuroma, (http://dw.com.com/redir?destUrl=http...tol%2Flibrary%) a noncancerous tumor, in humans. Since digital handsets have not been in widespread circulation over that period, the researchers related their findings to analog phones alone.

According to the report--based on a survey of about 150 people already diagnosed with acoustic neuroma and 600 healthy individuals--the risk of developing the tumors almost doubled for those who began using a cell phone (http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-5406539.html?tag=nl) at least 10 years beforehand. In addition, the Karolinska Institutet study contends that when the side of the head a person typically held their cell phone against was taken into consideration, the risk of acoustic neuroma was almost four times higher than normal.

The concept that wireless devices may increase the risk of brain cancer is one that has shadowed the communications industry since at least the mid-1990s, when cell phones grew more popular. However, there have been few studies that offer hard proof that a relationship exists between wireless handset use and any illness. (http://news.zdnet.com/2110-9596_22-5381544.html?tag=nl)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said previously (http://dw.com.com/redir?destUrl=http...atures%2F2000%) that while mobile phones do emit electromagnetic radiation, the amount of energy dispersed by the devices is similar to that emitted by other common household devices, such as television sets and microwave ovens, and does not pose a measurable health risk.

orchtrpt

If this is true get ready for half of the world to get cancer

MUSICandCHARACTER

A survey study of 150 people and a follow up study of 600. Hmmm .... very small samples, no controls. No mention of random sampling.

A survey study must rely on correlation (or maybe Chi-square in some cases). Correlation does not equal causation. Rule one in research statistics.

Way too small of a study -- more of a pilot study. Do this kind of study over 10,000 people I'll bet the correlation is negligible. It was premature to make such a big deal out of it. And when enough studies are completed, a meta-analysis is warranted.

Sheez -- news agencies.

__________________
Dr. Jim Fox
Licensed Mental Health Therapist
Mouthpiece chart: www.ibowtie.com/tmptmpccharts.html

DrunkIQ

even better. The junk that money is wasted on to develop by the medical community.

On my last spine operation my insurance paid for a device that was like four grand. it is a belt and the back is this big thing that creates a magnetic field that is suppose to stumuatle bone growth. It was suppose to be like four hundread out of my pocket. I told my coworker and he mentioned that he has been using headphones for years and his skull never got any bigger. We researched their clinical trials to find that they where rather inconclusive... and the insurace companies actually pay for it...

-marc

Japle

It's funny that cell phones are never reported to cause hand cancer..........

John