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A Swedish study has found that extensive usage of the cell phone for
at least an hour a day over the duration of a long period of time
increases the risk of developing a brain tumor by a massive 240
percent.
Reporting in the International Archives of Occupational and
Environmental Health, the researchers at the Swedish National
Institute for Working Life found that the risk of developing a
malignant tumor was directly linked to what they called heavy cell
phone usage.
 The study monitored the cell phone usage habits of about 2,200
cancer patients and compared them to an equal number of healthy
controls. Among the cancer patients aged 20 and 80, about 905 had a
malignant tumor and almost a tenth of them reported extensive use of
their mobile phones.
"Of these 905 cases, 85 were so-called high users of mobile phones,
that is they began early to use mobile and/or wireless telephones
and used them a lot," said a statement issued by the authors. "The
study also shows that the rise in risk is noticeable for tumors on
the side of the head where the phone was said to be used." Heavy
usage was defined as "2,000 cumulative hours worth of calls."
The new study contradicts the report released by the Dutch Health
Council last year, which said that cell phone usage was not
associated with the risk of malignant brain tumors. That report had
also said that there was no evidence to indicate that radiation
emitted by cell phones was in any way different from that released
by transmission towers and televisions. Another study by British
researchers published in January had found no link between heavy
usage and tumors.
Kjell Mild, the lead researcher of the current study, said that
these figures needed to be seriously considered, "The way to get the
cell phone cancer risk risk down is to use hands-free and other
devices," he was quoted as telling Reuters. He added that this study
was the biggest to date to analyze the effects of long-term usage of
wireless phones.
Author : Ryan Jones
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved. |
