Regular use of mobile phones could cause cancer… Alarmed? Well recent research says using a mobile phone for more than 10 years increases the risk of getting brain cancer!
According to the study published in the latest issue of the journal Occupational Environmental Medicine, even using the mobile phone for just an hour every day for 10 years is enough to increase the risk of developing cancer. The study, headed by two Swedes, Professor Lennart Hardell of the University Hospital in Orebro and Professor Kjell Hansson Mild of Umea University, is the most inclusive one till date.
It found that people who have been using cell phones for a decade or more are more vulnerable to malignant tumor on the side of the brain where they hold the handset.
The scientists also said that the international standard used to protect the cell phone users from the radiation emitted from them is ‘not safe’ and emphasized on the need to ‘revise’ them with immediate effect.
According to the study, caution is needed during the use of mobile phones and since children are most vulnerable to diseases, they should be discouraged from using cell phones.
Normally, it takes at least 10 years or more for cancer to develop in the body. And since the use of mobile phones have gone up rapidly only recently, so far few people have encountered the risk. Even official assurances from the mobile phone companies that the cell phones produced by them are safe to use are not justified as only very few people have used the cell phones for that long and have been exposed to emissions to develop cancer.
Last month an investigation by the Mobile Telecommunications
and Health Research program funded by the British government and the industry sources claimed that the mobile phones were not associated with any biological or adverse health hazards. But then, even the chairman of the investigation team Professor Lawrie Challis admitted that not enough people using cell phones for longer periods were covered by the program.
Professor Lawrie confessed that they could not rule out the possibility of occurrence of cancer and other diseases among the cell phone users. At the same time, he said that the investigation has given a tip-off that people using cell phones for 10 years or more may contact brain cancer and emphasized on the need for more extensive research on the subject.
The scientists led by Hardell and Mild researched the results of the 11 studies that have so far investigated the occurrence of tumors in people who have used phones for more than a decade, drawing on research in Sweden, Denmark Finland, Japan, Germany, the United States and Britain. They found almost all had discovered an increased risk, especially on the side of the head where people listened to their handsets.
However it must be emphasized that cancer and mobile phones have been linked since a long time. Hard evidence is yet to be found on cancer links, but regular yakkers on mobiles may need to be careful.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Mouth Cancer
Research author Dr. Siegal Sadetzki, a cancer specialist at Tel Aviv University, looked at 500 Israelis who had developed the condition and compared their mobile phone usage with 1,300 healthy controls.
It was found that those who had used the mobile phones against the side of their heads for many hours a day were 50 per cent more likely to develop a tumor of the paratoid gland compared to infrequent users.
The parotid gland is the largest human salivary gland and is located near the jaw and ear, where mobile phones are typically held. The study also suggests that mobile users who live in rural areas may be at an increased risk of cancer because handsets need to emit more radiation to locate fewer antennas.
The research appeared in The American Journal of Epidemiology. Cancer of the salivary gland is a very rare condition. The greatest effects will however be found in heavy users and children over a period of time.
The authors also add that the risks of mobile use can be minimized by using the speaker, hands free devices and limiting the number of calls made and hours spent on the phone.
It was found that those who had used the mobile phones against the side of their heads for many hours a day were 50 per cent more likely to develop a tumor of the paratoid gland compared to infrequent users.
The parotid gland is the largest human salivary gland and is located near the jaw and ear, where mobile phones are typically held. The study also suggests that mobile users who live in rural areas may be at an increased risk of cancer because handsets need to emit more radiation to locate fewer antennas.
The research appeared in The American Journal of Epidemiology. Cancer of the salivary gland is a very rare condition. The greatest effects will however be found in heavy users and children over a period of time.
The authors also add that the risks of mobile use can be minimized by using the speaker, hands free devices and limiting the number of calls made and hours spent on the phone.
Mobile Causes Cancer - Health Care
Mobile Phones cause cancer, well this is not a new information, though there has never been enough evidence on this. A study by the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel has shown that even low levels of radiation from handsets are harmfu adn encourages the growth of tumors. Thus scientist say that even 10 minute talk on the mobile phone, it increases the rick of cancer.
Up till now researchers were unable to find out any evidence that signals from mobile phones are harmful but scientist suspected that there may be. This study undertaken at Weizmann institute shows that nontherma radiation increases the risk of cancer.
In this study Prof Rony Segar from this institute exposed the rat adn human cells to electromagnetic radiation that is similar to that emitted by cell phones, but at one tenth of the power. Even five minutes of exposure led to cell division and growth.
Prof Segar said "The rea significance of our findings is that cells are not inert to non-therma mobile phones radiation. We used radiation power eves that were around one tenth of those produced by a normal levels that were around one tenth of those produced by a normal mobile. The changes we observed were clearly not caused by heating".
The study concludes that, non necessariy all the mobile phones users wil be affected by cancer. But the extensive use of the mobile phone increases the risk of getting affected, keeping this in mind, mobile phone users shoule be careful and should spread the word of awareness regarding the issue.
Up till now researchers were unable to find out any evidence that signals from mobile phones are harmful but scientist suspected that there may be. This study undertaken at Weizmann institute shows that nontherma radiation increases the risk of cancer.
In this study Prof Rony Segar from this institute exposed the rat adn human cells to electromagnetic radiation that is similar to that emitted by cell phones, but at one tenth of the power. Even five minutes of exposure led to cell division and growth.
Prof Segar said "The rea significance of our findings is that cells are not inert to non-therma mobile phones radiation. We used radiation power eves that were around one tenth of those produced by a normal levels that were around one tenth of those produced by a normal mobile. The changes we observed were clearly not caused by heating".
The study concludes that, non necessariy all the mobile phones users wil be affected by cancer. But the extensive use of the mobile phone increases the risk of getting affected, keeping this in mind, mobile phone users shoule be careful and should spread the word of awareness regarding the issue.
Mobiles, cancer link inconclusive
SHORT-TERM mobile phone use does not cause brain cancer, and talking on a mobile while driving is no more dangerous than having a passenger in the car.
These are the findings of one of the world's largest studies into the possible health risks of mobile technology.
The six-year, $21 million Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research program conducted by British scientists found no association between brain cancer and people who have used mobile phones for less than 10 years. But the risk of long-term mobile phone exposure was still unclear.
Cancer symptoms are rarely detectable until 10 to 15 years after the cancer-producing event, so it is too early to say for certain whether mobile phones could lead to cancer or other diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, the report said.
Further research into the effect of mobile phone use on children was needed because it was possible children might have different or stronger reactions to mobile signals than do adults, the report said.
The program's scientists completed 23 studies into the effects of mobile phones on brain function, the risk of tumours, electrical hypersensitivity and the ability to drive.
The use of mobile phones while driving was found to require greater cognitive function. But phone use was no more dangerous than other distractions such as adjusting controls or passenger noise, the studies found.
The research was funded by the British Government and the mobile phone industry and the findings have appeared in peer-reviewed journals.
Professor Andrew Wood, of the Brain Sciences Institute at Swinburne University of Technology, said the results would reduce some concerns about the safety of mobile phone use, but there were still questions about long-term use of mobile phones and the effect on children. "Children as young as four or five years old are now using handsets and they represent a stage when their nervous systems are still developing," he said.
Bruce Armstrong, professor of public health at Sydney University, said the research showed no evidence that mobile phones affected cells and tissue beyond simply heating them.
These are the findings of one of the world's largest studies into the possible health risks of mobile technology.
The six-year, $21 million Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research program conducted by British scientists found no association between brain cancer and people who have used mobile phones for less than 10 years. But the risk of long-term mobile phone exposure was still unclear.
Cancer symptoms are rarely detectable until 10 to 15 years after the cancer-producing event, so it is too early to say for certain whether mobile phones could lead to cancer or other diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, the report said.
Further research into the effect of mobile phone use on children was needed because it was possible children might have different or stronger reactions to mobile signals than do adults, the report said.
The program's scientists completed 23 studies into the effects of mobile phones on brain function, the risk of tumours, electrical hypersensitivity and the ability to drive.
The use of mobile phones while driving was found to require greater cognitive function. But phone use was no more dangerous than other distractions such as adjusting controls or passenger noise, the studies found.
The research was funded by the British Government and the mobile phone industry and the findings have appeared in peer-reviewed journals.
Professor Andrew Wood, of the Brain Sciences Institute at Swinburne University of Technology, said the results would reduce some concerns about the safety of mobile phone use, but there were still questions about long-term use of mobile phones and the effect on children. "Children as young as four or five years old are now using handsets and they represent a stage when their nervous systems are still developing," he said.
Bruce Armstrong, professor of public health at Sydney University, said the research showed no evidence that mobile phones affected cells and tissue beyond simply heating them.
Mobile Phones, Coffee found unlikely to cause Cancer
CANBERRA (Reuters) - Drinking coffee, using mobile phones or having breast implants is unlikely to cause cancer, according to a risk ranking system devised by an Australian cancer specialist to debunk popular myths.
The cancer risk assessment reaffirms smoking, alcohol and exposure to sunlight as leading risk factors, but allays concerns about coffee, mobile phones, deodorants, breast implants and water with added fluoride.
The five-point system created by University of New South Wales Professor Bernard Stewart lists the risk of cancer from proven and likely, to inferred, unknown or unlikely.
"Our tool will help establish if the level of risk is high, say on a par with smoking, or unlikely such as using deodorants, artificial sweeteners, drinking coffee," Stewart said.
He found active smokers and ex-smokers to be the most at risk, although the risk is reduced for people who quit smoking.
Drinking alcohol was also a high risk factor, particularly for people who also smoke, although Stewart said no specific type of alcoholic drink was most strongly to blame.
Drinking chlorinated water and using a mobile phone was far less likely to cause cancer, Stewart said, although the risks associated with the long-term use of mobile phones had not been fully established.
He said there little risk from drinking coffee, using deodorants, drinking fluoridated water and having breast implants or dental fillings.
Stewart's research was published in the latest edition of the Mutation Research Reviews journal to mark world cancer day on Monday.
The cancer risk assessment reaffirms smoking, alcohol and exposure to sunlight as leading risk factors, but allays concerns about coffee, mobile phones, deodorants, breast implants and water with added fluoride.
The five-point system created by University of New South Wales Professor Bernard Stewart lists the risk of cancer from proven and likely, to inferred, unknown or unlikely.
"Our tool will help establish if the level of risk is high, say on a par with smoking, or unlikely such as using deodorants, artificial sweeteners, drinking coffee," Stewart said.
He found active smokers and ex-smokers to be the most at risk, although the risk is reduced for people who quit smoking.
Drinking alcohol was also a high risk factor, particularly for people who also smoke, although Stewart said no specific type of alcoholic drink was most strongly to blame.
Drinking chlorinated water and using a mobile phone was far less likely to cause cancer, Stewart said, although the risks associated with the long-term use of mobile phones had not been fully established.
He said there little risk from drinking coffee, using deodorants, drinking fluoridated water and having breast implants or dental fillings.
Stewart's research was published in the latest edition of the Mutation Research Reviews journal to mark world cancer day on Monday.
First Cancer, Now Cell Phones Cause a Rash?
The British Association of Dermatologists is warning of a new allergic skin disorder caused by extended use of mobile phones.
As the world turned its ears towards mobile phones, occasional warnings abounded about the radiation from cell phones being linked to particular types of cancer—warnings that were alternately reinforced and debunked by successive studies. Now, the British Association of Dermatology (or BAD) is warning of a new allergic skin condition caused by extended use of mobile phones.
Yes, that's right: talking on your cell all day may not give you a tumor, but it might give you a rash.
Dubbed "mobile phone dermatitis," the condition usually manifests as a rash on the ear or cheek, depending on where metal parts on the phone come into contact with the skin. In some users, the condition could even manifest on the hand or fingers, depending on how folks use their phones.
The condition has only recently been reported and identified— so many cases have probably gone mis-diagnosed or unreported—but the root cause is believed to be a contact allergy to nickel and nickel alloys in phones' casings and buttons. Users to have contact reactions to nickel-plated clothing accessories or jewelry—like buckles and rings—would be at a higher risk for developing a reaction to metal phones.
"Given the widespread use of cell phones, the presence of metal in the exterior casing of these phones and the high prevalence of nickel sensitization in the population, it is not surprising that cell phones can cause allergic contact dermatitis," said Dr. Lionel Bercovitch of Brown University, one of the study's authors.
A study published earlier this year tested for nickel in 22 popular phone handsets from eight manufacturers, and found nickel in ten of them. More fashionable designs with metal accents are generally more likely to contain nickel in their cases or controls.
As the world turned its ears towards mobile phones, occasional warnings abounded about the radiation from cell phones being linked to particular types of cancer—warnings that were alternately reinforced and debunked by successive studies. Now, the British Association of Dermatology (or BAD) is warning of a new allergic skin condition caused by extended use of mobile phones.
Yes, that's right: talking on your cell all day may not give you a tumor, but it might give you a rash.
Dubbed "mobile phone dermatitis," the condition usually manifests as a rash on the ear or cheek, depending on where metal parts on the phone come into contact with the skin. In some users, the condition could even manifest on the hand or fingers, depending on how folks use their phones.
The condition has only recently been reported and identified— so many cases have probably gone mis-diagnosed or unreported—but the root cause is believed to be a contact allergy to nickel and nickel alloys in phones' casings and buttons. Users to have contact reactions to nickel-plated clothing accessories or jewelry—like buckles and rings—would be at a higher risk for developing a reaction to metal phones.
"Given the widespread use of cell phones, the presence of metal in the exterior casing of these phones and the high prevalence of nickel sensitization in the population, it is not surprising that cell phones can cause allergic contact dermatitis," said Dr. Lionel Bercovitch of Brown University, one of the study's authors.
A study published earlier this year tested for nickel in 22 popular phone handsets from eight manufacturers, and found nickel in ten of them. More fashionable designs with metal accents are generally more likely to contain nickel in their cases or controls.
Mobile Phones Don't Cause Cancer?
Not that I ever thought they did, but finally there's some solid research to back this up.
Mobile phone use does not lead to a greater risk of brain tumour, the largest study on the issue has said.
The study of 2,782 people across the UK found no link between the risk of glioma - the most common type of brain tumour - and length of mobile use.
[...]
The research, which was carried out by the British arm of an international project called Interphone, reiterates the findings of most earlier studies in saying that there is no connection between cancer and mobile phone use.
So how exactly did this urban legend gain so much credibility anyway?
Research author Professor Patricia McKinney, Professor of Paediatric Epidemiology at the Leeds University, said: "For regular mobile phone users, there was no increased risk of developing a glioma associated with mobile phone use."
She acknowledged that there appeared to be an increased risk among brain cancer sufferers on the side of the head where they held the phone.
The team, however, did not put this down to a causal link, because almost exactly the same decreased risk was seen on the other side of the head, leaving no overall increase risk of tumours for mobile phone users.
Instead, they blamed biased reporting from brain tumour sufferers who knew what side of the head their tumours were on. (emphasis added)
This conclusion is hard to dispute unless one wishes to argue that cell phones magically redistribute over one's head a fixed probability of brain cancer arising. The allegations of a link between brain tumors and cell phones are pure garbage, and it says something about the sheer extent of public ignorance of elementary physics that such claims were ever taken seriously: low frequency electromagnetic particles simply don't have the energy required to damage DNA, no matter how intensely they're being emitted, and anyone with even the most passing familiarity with quantum mechanics ought to be able to understand why. Once the importance of threshold frequency to radiation's capacity to ionize molecules is grasped, it becomes obvious why one needn't await studies like this one reported by the BBC to dismiss allegations of cancer-inducing powerlines and mobile phones as so much quackery lapped up by ignorant hordes who take fright at anything with the word "radiation" associated with it.
Mobile phone use does not lead to a greater risk of brain tumour, the largest study on the issue has said.
The study of 2,782 people across the UK found no link between the risk of glioma - the most common type of brain tumour - and length of mobile use.
[...]
The research, which was carried out by the British arm of an international project called Interphone, reiterates the findings of most earlier studies in saying that there is no connection between cancer and mobile phone use.
So how exactly did this urban legend gain so much credibility anyway?
Research author Professor Patricia McKinney, Professor of Paediatric Epidemiology at the Leeds University, said: "For regular mobile phone users, there was no increased risk of developing a glioma associated with mobile phone use."
She acknowledged that there appeared to be an increased risk among brain cancer sufferers on the side of the head where they held the phone.
The team, however, did not put this down to a causal link, because almost exactly the same decreased risk was seen on the other side of the head, leaving no overall increase risk of tumours for mobile phone users.
Instead, they blamed biased reporting from brain tumour sufferers who knew what side of the head their tumours were on. (emphasis added)
This conclusion is hard to dispute unless one wishes to argue that cell phones magically redistribute over one's head a fixed probability of brain cancer arising. The allegations of a link between brain tumors and cell phones are pure garbage, and it says something about the sheer extent of public ignorance of elementary physics that such claims were ever taken seriously: low frequency electromagnetic particles simply don't have the energy required to damage DNA, no matter how intensely they're being emitted, and anyone with even the most passing familiarity with quantum mechanics ought to be able to understand why. Once the importance of threshold frequency to radiation's capacity to ionize molecules is grasped, it becomes obvious why one needn't await studies like this one reported by the BBC to dismiss allegations of cancer-inducing powerlines and mobile phones as so much quackery lapped up by ignorant hordes who take fright at anything with the word "radiation" associated with it.
Heavy mobile use causes cancer
Higher risk of salivary gland cancer
Using your mobile phone for several hours every day puts you at more risk of developing cancer of the salivary gland.
That's according to a new study which looked at 500 Israelis suffering from cancer of the salivary gland and compared their mobile phone use with that of 1,300 healthy people. Those who had used a handset against the same side of their head for hours on end were especially at high risk.
They were 50 per cent more likely to develop a salivary gland tumour, BBC News reports.
Researchers at Tel Aviv University said that mobile phone use in Israel is heavier than in most other countries. The study could therefore be viewed as an insight into potential future problems relating to mobile phone use..
Higher exposure
"Compared to other studies, the amount of exposure to radiofrequency radiation we saw here was much higher. If you like, you're seeing what could happen elsewhere 'speeded-up' in Israel," Dr Siegal Sadetzki, who led the research, told BBC News.
Using mobile phones in rural areas pushes the risk up even more, presumably from the stronger signals and therefore higher radiation needed to get reception.
Sadetzki said that children in particular should have limited use of mobile phones, taking a "precautionary approach".
Recent invention
Ed Yong, of Cancer Research UK, agreed. "Mobile phones are a relatively recent invention and new research into any possible health risks is welcome.
"However, it's important to remember that the vast majority of studies so far have found that mobile phones do not increase the risk of any type of cancer."
The Tel Aviv research team will continue the study to see if there are further links between mobile phone usage and cancer.
Using your mobile phone for several hours every day puts you at more risk of developing cancer of the salivary gland.
That's according to a new study which looked at 500 Israelis suffering from cancer of the salivary gland and compared their mobile phone use with that of 1,300 healthy people. Those who had used a handset against the same side of their head for hours on end were especially at high risk.
They were 50 per cent more likely to develop a salivary gland tumour, BBC News reports.
Researchers at Tel Aviv University said that mobile phone use in Israel is heavier than in most other countries. The study could therefore be viewed as an insight into potential future problems relating to mobile phone use..
Higher exposure
"Compared to other studies, the amount of exposure to radiofrequency radiation we saw here was much higher. If you like, you're seeing what could happen elsewhere 'speeded-up' in Israel," Dr Siegal Sadetzki, who led the research, told BBC News.
Using mobile phones in rural areas pushes the risk up even more, presumably from the stronger signals and therefore higher radiation needed to get reception.
Sadetzki said that children in particular should have limited use of mobile phones, taking a "precautionary approach".
Recent invention
Ed Yong, of Cancer Research UK, agreed. "Mobile phones are a relatively recent invention and new research into any possible health risks is welcome.
"However, it's important to remember that the vast majority of studies so far have found that mobile phones do not increase the risk of any type of cancer."
The Tel Aviv research team will continue the study to see if there are further links between mobile phone usage and cancer.
Is Death Good?
death is good
Hell, just about everything i come in contact with on a daily basis causes cancer (hot dogs, this damn computer montitor, the freakin' sun...). but that doesn't mean i'm gonna stop using it. to use that old, worn-out saying, life is short. i'm gonna enjoy every minute of it in the blazing sun, eating a hot, greasy hotdog with relish, ketchup, and mustard, with my cell phone stuck to my ear. if i die at 35 with cancer, i'm gonna look back with no regrets; as opposed to that 87 year-old man who lived long enough to see half his family die...
to wax philosophical, death is an unavoidable part of life; we all are gonna die someday. to spend your life avoiding something that's gonna get you in the end is downright stupid. to accept the inevitable is to live a happy life.
People know that smoking causes cancer and researchers have found all sorts of good evidence. people still smoke.
now they fine how cell phones cause cancer. what for? people will keep on using them anyway. it really is a waste of time to do this kind of research unless there will be cancerfree cigarettes and cancerfree cellphones one day.
but why should anyone want to make them, if customers are quite happy with the cancer-causing device
Hell, just about everything i come in contact with on a daily basis causes cancer (hot dogs, this damn computer montitor, the freakin' sun...). but that doesn't mean i'm gonna stop using it. to use that old, worn-out saying, life is short. i'm gonna enjoy every minute of it in the blazing sun, eating a hot, greasy hotdog with relish, ketchup, and mustard, with my cell phone stuck to my ear. if i die at 35 with cancer, i'm gonna look back with no regrets; as opposed to that 87 year-old man who lived long enough to see half his family die...
to wax philosophical, death is an unavoidable part of life; we all are gonna die someday. to spend your life avoiding something that's gonna get you in the end is downright stupid. to accept the inevitable is to live a happy life.
People know that smoking causes cancer and researchers have found all sorts of good evidence. people still smoke.
now they fine how cell phones cause cancer. what for? people will keep on using them anyway. it really is a waste of time to do this kind of research unless there will be cancerfree cigarettes and cancerfree cellphones one day.
but why should anyone want to make them, if customers are quite happy with the cancer-causing device
Mobile Phone Use Raises Children's Risk of Brain Cancer
Children and teenagers are five times more likely to get brain cancer if they use mobile phones, startling new research in Sweden suggests. The research was reported this month at the first international conference on mobile phones and health.
The experts raised fear that today's young people may suffer an "epidemic" of the disease in later life. At least nine out of 10 British 16-year-olds have their own handset, as do more than 40 per cent of primary schoolchildren.
After further analysis of data from one of the biggest studies carried out into the risk that the radiation causes cancer, headed by Professor Lennart Hardell of the University Hospital in Orebro, Sweden, Professor Hardell says, "people who started mobile phone use before the age of 20" had more than five-fold increase in glioma," a cancer of the glial cells that support the central nervous system. The extra risk to young people of contracting the disease from using the cordless phone found in many homes was almost as great, at more than four times higher. Those who started using mobiles young, were also five times more likely to get acoustic neuromas, benign but often disabling tumours of the auditory nerve, which usually cause deafness.
This is a warning sign. It is very worrying. We should be taking precautions. Hardell believes that children under 12 should not use mobiles except in emergencies and that teenagers should use hands-free devices or headsets and concentrate on texting. At 20 the danger diminishes because then the brain is fully developed. Indeed, he admits, the hazard to children and teenagers may be greater even than his results suggest, because the results of his study do not show the effects of their using the phones for many years. Most cancers take decades to develop, longer than mobile phones have been on the market.
Hardell said, "It looks frightening to see a five-fold increase in cancer among people who started use of mobile in childhood," but he said he "would be extremely surprised" if the risk was shown to be so high once all the evidence was in.
The experts raised fear that today's young people may suffer an "epidemic" of the disease in later life. At least nine out of 10 British 16-year-olds have their own handset, as do more than 40 per cent of primary schoolchildren.
After further analysis of data from one of the biggest studies carried out into the risk that the radiation causes cancer, headed by Professor Lennart Hardell of the University Hospital in Orebro, Sweden, Professor Hardell says, "people who started mobile phone use before the age of 20" had more than five-fold increase in glioma," a cancer of the glial cells that support the central nervous system. The extra risk to young people of contracting the disease from using the cordless phone found in many homes was almost as great, at more than four times higher. Those who started using mobiles young, were also five times more likely to get acoustic neuromas, benign but often disabling tumours of the auditory nerve, which usually cause deafness.
This is a warning sign. It is very worrying. We should be taking precautions. Hardell believes that children under 12 should not use mobiles except in emergencies and that teenagers should use hands-free devices or headsets and concentrate on texting. At 20 the danger diminishes because then the brain is fully developed. Indeed, he admits, the hazard to children and teenagers may be greater even than his results suggest, because the results of his study do not show the effects of their using the phones for many years. Most cancers take decades to develop, longer than mobile phones have been on the market.
Hardell said, "It looks frightening to see a five-fold increase in cancer among people who started use of mobile in childhood," but he said he "would be extremely surprised" if the risk was shown to be so high once all the evidence was in.
Laboratory animals revealed an increased cancer risk
Previously a number of studies on laboratory animals looked at the possibility of radio frequency energy causing cancer, and most found no causal link. One exception was a 1997 study that exposed a strain of mice prone to lymphoma to daily doses of radio frequency signals similar to those transmitted by GSM-type handsets during 18 months. The researchers reported that the number of new lymphoma cases among exposed mice was twice that of non-exposed mice.
Other researchers who carried out a similar experiment in 2002 found no significant effect on the number of new lymphoma cases in mice. One difference between the two experiments was the mode of exposure. In the 2002 study the exposure was one hour a day five days a week, whereas in the 1997 study it was 30 minutes twice a day, seven days a week.
Other studies have tested whether exposure to radio frequency fields alone could trigger any type of cancer in normal or genetically predisposed animals. Other studies have investigated whether exposure to RF fields could enhance the development of tumours triggered by cancer-causing chemicals, X-rays or UV radiation. No significant increase in the number of tumour cases has been reported among exposed laboratory animals, but most of these studies used relatively low exposure
Other researchers who carried out a similar experiment in 2002 found no significant effect on the number of new lymphoma cases in mice. One difference between the two experiments was the mode of exposure. In the 2002 study the exposure was one hour a day five days a week, whereas in the 1997 study it was 30 minutes twice a day, seven days a week.
Other studies have tested whether exposure to radio frequency fields alone could trigger any type of cancer in normal or genetically predisposed animals. Other studies have investigated whether exposure to RF fields could enhance the development of tumours triggered by cancer-causing chemicals, X-rays or UV radiation. No significant increase in the number of tumour cases has been reported among exposed laboratory animals, but most of these studies used relatively low exposure
Smart Case About Cancer - Read First
3.3.2 Cancer
Studies on cancer in relation to mobile telephony have focused on intracranial tumours because deposition of energy from RF fields from a mobile phone is mainly within a small area of the skull near the handset. When whole body exposure is considered, as in some occupational and environmental studies, also other forms of cancer have been investigated.
3.3.2.1. Epidemiology
What was already known on this subject?
At the time of the previous CSTEE opinion of 2001, most epidemiological studies on exposure to RF fields had examined exposures at the workplace. The overall evidence did not suggest consistent cancer excesses. With regard to mobile phones, only few studies were available at the time of the previous opinion and the short exposure period in these studies did not allow any firm conclusions. The few studies on residential exposure to RF fields from transmitters had serious methodological limitations.
What has been achieved since then?
In total, about 30 papers of original studies on mobile phone use and cancer were published in the last five years. Results are summarized in Table 2 for brain tumours and in Table 3 for acoustic neuroma. All but one study were case-control studies, mostly on brain tumours, some on salivary gland tumours or uveal melanoma. One was a large cohort study of all Danish mobile phone subscribers between 1982 and 1995 who were followed up for a variety of cancers; no increased risk for any cancer was observed but follow up time was short (Johansen et al. 2001). A recent update of the cohort study with an average follow up time of 8.5 years yielded 14,249 cancer cases observed in the cohort versus 15,001 expected cases based on cancer rates observed in the rest of the Danish adult population (Schüz et al. 2006b). The deficit was mainly attributable to smoking-related cancers, suggesting a healthy cohort effect. The overall relative risk estimates for brain tumours and leukaemia were close to one, however, only 28 brain tumour cases occurred in subscribers of a mobile phone of 10 years or more, whereas 42.5 cases were expected.
The Interphone study is a multinational case-control study coordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). It is a population-based study with prospective ascertainment of incident cases and face-to-face interviews for exposure assessment. With regard to brain tumours, results from the first four components of the Interphone study suggest no risk increase for meningioma or glioma. This is consistently so among subjects with less than 10 years of use. For regular mobile phone users of 10 years or more, no indications of risk increases were seen in three out of four components, namely in Sweden (Lönn et al. 2005), Denmark (Christensen et al. 2005) and the UK (Hepworth et al. 2006), but the German component does reveal a somewhat raised relative risk estimate for glioma (Schüz et al. 2006a). This increase, however, is based on small numbers and due to the wide confidence interval the result is not in contradiction with the other Interphone components.
In contrast, a Swedish group not participating in the Interphone-study, conducting several case-control studies using self-administered questionnaires for exposure assessment, has repeatedly observed increased relative risk estimates for brain tumours. In 2006, the group revisited their previously published studies and reported statistically significant risk increases for both analogue and digital mobile phones as well as cordless phones already after one year of use (Hardell et al. 2006). After ten years of use they observed about a doubling of the relative risk estimates, with the strongest increase for high grade glioma.
Acoustic neuromas, benign tumours that develop very slowly, arise from the Schwann cells, which enfold the vestibulocochlear nerve (VIII. cranial nerve). They are of particular interest because of their location. The Hardell-group from Sweden has in several studies reported raised relative risk estimates for acoustic neuroma, also with very short induction periods (Hardell et al. 2005b). Three of the Interphone components, Denmark, Sweden, and Japan, have reported their country specific acoustic neuroma results (Christensen et al. 2004, Lönn et al. 2004, Takebayashi et al. 2006). Lönn et al. (2004) reported a doubling of the relative risk estimate after ten years of regular mobile phone use compared to subjects who never used a mobile phone regularly. This association became stronger when the analysis was restricted to preferred phone use at the same side as the tumour. Christensen’s and Takebayashi’s results did not support this, but they were based on fewer long-term users. Five of thirteen countries of the Interphone study (including Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the UK) were pooled for a joint analysis to examine the association between mobile phone use and risk of acoustic neuroma (Schoemaker et al. 2005). While no overall association was seen among all long-term users (see Table 3), the data suggest that there may be an increased risk when the preferred side of the head of use is considered in the analysis. For 10+ years of use of mobile phones, the relative risk for acoustic neuroma at the preferred side of use was 1.8 (95%-CI 1.1-3.1). Because of methodological inter-study differences it would have been of considerable interest to compare the results across the six studies, but small numbers in most of the centres preclude that analysis.
All those studies are facing limitations in their exposure assessment, which was either a list of subscribers from the operators or self-reported mobile phone use. While the first method is an objective measure, it has limitations because subscription predicts use of a mobile phone only to some extent. Recent validation studies in volunteers comparing current self-reported use with traffic records from network operators show a moderate agreement, but it cannot be excluded that agreement is worse with respect to past mobile phone use or among patients with brain tumours (Vrijheid et al. 2006). Especially patients with high stage glioma showed some memory performance problems in the Danish Interphone study (Christensen et al. 2005). What seems to be reassuring despite these shortcomings is, that once the amount of mobile phone use is estimated with some validity, this is a satisfactory proxy for RF field exposure from these devices, as was shown in studies recording output power of mobile phones during operation (Berg et al. 2005). Laterality (side) of use is not easy to obtain in a retrospective study, as early symptoms may affect the side of use. Although some results are now available for long- term users, their numbers are still small and the results of the whole Interphone dataset should be awaited before drawing conclusions.
No striking new results appeared for studies on occupational and residential RF fields exposures since the previous opinion. While some positive associations have been reported from occupational studies, the overall picture is far from clear (Ahlbom et al. 2004). Many studies lack individual exposure assessment and only job titles or branches were used as exposure proxies. Studies on exposure from transmitters are limited by crude exposure measures and small numbers of exposed subjects, and the ecological nature of most studies.
Discussion
Mobile phones in relation to health are now being studied with great effort and in comprehensive studies, particularly in the Interphone Study. The results of the Interphone Study will soon become available. It has to be doubted, however, that the results will be entirely conclusive, as the first results from published national components of this study already raise a number of questions with respect to the potential of bias. Another limitation is that also in the current studies, long-term mobile phone users have had hardly more than 10 years of regular use of mobile phones, which still may be a relatively short latency period, particularly for slowly growing benign tumours. Among those long-term users, most were initially users of analogue mobile phone and thus, the number of long-term users of the digital technology is even smaller. Prospective long term follow up studies overcome both the limitations of retrospective exposure assessment and the latency problem and are recommended as a powerful long-term surveillance system for a variety of potential endpoints, including cancer, to fill current gaps in knowledge.
Studies on cancer in relation to mobile telephony have focused on intracranial tumours because deposition of energy from RF fields from a mobile phone is mainly within a small area of the skull near the handset. When whole body exposure is considered, as in some occupational and environmental studies, also other forms of cancer have been investigated.
3.3.2.1. Epidemiology
What was already known on this subject?
At the time of the previous CSTEE opinion of 2001, most epidemiological studies on exposure to RF fields had examined exposures at the workplace. The overall evidence did not suggest consistent cancer excesses. With regard to mobile phones, only few studies were available at the time of the previous opinion and the short exposure period in these studies did not allow any firm conclusions. The few studies on residential exposure to RF fields from transmitters had serious methodological limitations.
What has been achieved since then?
In total, about 30 papers of original studies on mobile phone use and cancer were published in the last five years. Results are summarized in Table 2 for brain tumours and in Table 3 for acoustic neuroma. All but one study were case-control studies, mostly on brain tumours, some on salivary gland tumours or uveal melanoma. One was a large cohort study of all Danish mobile phone subscribers between 1982 and 1995 who were followed up for a variety of cancers; no increased risk for any cancer was observed but follow up time was short (Johansen et al. 2001). A recent update of the cohort study with an average follow up time of 8.5 years yielded 14,249 cancer cases observed in the cohort versus 15,001 expected cases based on cancer rates observed in the rest of the Danish adult population (Schüz et al. 2006b). The deficit was mainly attributable to smoking-related cancers, suggesting a healthy cohort effect. The overall relative risk estimates for brain tumours and leukaemia were close to one, however, only 28 brain tumour cases occurred in subscribers of a mobile phone of 10 years or more, whereas 42.5 cases were expected.
The Interphone study is a multinational case-control study coordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). It is a population-based study with prospective ascertainment of incident cases and face-to-face interviews for exposure assessment. With regard to brain tumours, results from the first four components of the Interphone study suggest no risk increase for meningioma or glioma. This is consistently so among subjects with less than 10 years of use. For regular mobile phone users of 10 years or more, no indications of risk increases were seen in three out of four components, namely in Sweden (Lönn et al. 2005), Denmark (Christensen et al. 2005) and the UK (Hepworth et al. 2006), but the German component does reveal a somewhat raised relative risk estimate for glioma (Schüz et al. 2006a). This increase, however, is based on small numbers and due to the wide confidence interval the result is not in contradiction with the other Interphone components.
In contrast, a Swedish group not participating in the Interphone-study, conducting several case-control studies using self-administered questionnaires for exposure assessment, has repeatedly observed increased relative risk estimates for brain tumours. In 2006, the group revisited their previously published studies and reported statistically significant risk increases for both analogue and digital mobile phones as well as cordless phones already after one year of use (Hardell et al. 2006). After ten years of use they observed about a doubling of the relative risk estimates, with the strongest increase for high grade glioma.
Acoustic neuromas, benign tumours that develop very slowly, arise from the Schwann cells, which enfold the vestibulocochlear nerve (VIII. cranial nerve). They are of particular interest because of their location. The Hardell-group from Sweden has in several studies reported raised relative risk estimates for acoustic neuroma, also with very short induction periods (Hardell et al. 2005b). Three of the Interphone components, Denmark, Sweden, and Japan, have reported their country specific acoustic neuroma results (Christensen et al. 2004, Lönn et al. 2004, Takebayashi et al. 2006). Lönn et al. (2004) reported a doubling of the relative risk estimate after ten years of regular mobile phone use compared to subjects who never used a mobile phone regularly. This association became stronger when the analysis was restricted to preferred phone use at the same side as the tumour. Christensen’s and Takebayashi’s results did not support this, but they were based on fewer long-term users. Five of thirteen countries of the Interphone study (including Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the UK) were pooled for a joint analysis to examine the association between mobile phone use and risk of acoustic neuroma (Schoemaker et al. 2005). While no overall association was seen among all long-term users (see Table 3), the data suggest that there may be an increased risk when the preferred side of the head of use is considered in the analysis. For 10+ years of use of mobile phones, the relative risk for acoustic neuroma at the preferred side of use was 1.8 (95%-CI 1.1-3.1). Because of methodological inter-study differences it would have been of considerable interest to compare the results across the six studies, but small numbers in most of the centres preclude that analysis.
All those studies are facing limitations in their exposure assessment, which was either a list of subscribers from the operators or self-reported mobile phone use. While the first method is an objective measure, it has limitations because subscription predicts use of a mobile phone only to some extent. Recent validation studies in volunteers comparing current self-reported use with traffic records from network operators show a moderate agreement, but it cannot be excluded that agreement is worse with respect to past mobile phone use or among patients with brain tumours (Vrijheid et al. 2006). Especially patients with high stage glioma showed some memory performance problems in the Danish Interphone study (Christensen et al. 2005). What seems to be reassuring despite these shortcomings is, that once the amount of mobile phone use is estimated with some validity, this is a satisfactory proxy for RF field exposure from these devices, as was shown in studies recording output power of mobile phones during operation (Berg et al. 2005). Laterality (side) of use is not easy to obtain in a retrospective study, as early symptoms may affect the side of use. Although some results are now available for long- term users, their numbers are still small and the results of the whole Interphone dataset should be awaited before drawing conclusions.
No striking new results appeared for studies on occupational and residential RF fields exposures since the previous opinion. While some positive associations have been reported from occupational studies, the overall picture is far from clear (Ahlbom et al. 2004). Many studies lack individual exposure assessment and only job titles or branches were used as exposure proxies. Studies on exposure from transmitters are limited by crude exposure measures and small numbers of exposed subjects, and the ecological nature of most studies.
Discussion
Mobile phones in relation to health are now being studied with great effort and in comprehensive studies, particularly in the Interphone Study. The results of the Interphone Study will soon become available. It has to be doubted, however, that the results will be entirely conclusive, as the first results from published national components of this study already raise a number of questions with respect to the potential of bias. Another limitation is that also in the current studies, long-term mobile phone users have had hardly more than 10 years of regular use of mobile phones, which still may be a relatively short latency period, particularly for slowly growing benign tumours. Among those long-term users, most were initially users of analogue mobile phone and thus, the number of long-term users of the digital technology is even smaller. Prospective long term follow up studies overcome both the limitations of retrospective exposure assessment and the latency problem and are recommended as a powerful long-term surveillance system for a variety of potential endpoints, including cancer, to fill current gaps in knowledge.
Mobile Phones Will Not Cause Cancer?
Mobile phones will not cause cancer or slow the brain, according to a recently published six-year study, but the jury is not out.
The Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research (MTHR) Program, possibly the largest investigation so far into health risks associated with mobile telephone technology, was set up to resolve uncertainties identified by previous evaluations of the possible health risks associated with the widespread use of mobile phone technology.
The researchers studied mobile phones, mobile phone base stations --including newer 3G stations-- and the TETRA emergency services radio system used in the UK. The extensive research included five epidemiological studies and eight volunteer studies, three of which explored reported hypersensitivity to signals emitted by phones and base stations.
The study involved commissioning Dr Phil Chadwick of Microwave Consultants Ltd. to design a system producing exposures representative of those in real phones. This model was used in all the volunteer studies so as to eliminate variation in results due to phone design. The resulting device was modified from a commercially available phone and produced in two variants. One simulating a 900 MHz GSM mobile phone and the other a TETRA radio. In both cases the waveform of the emitted fields contained all the significant characteristics of a real signal.
The system had a headset that enabled it to be mounted in one of the standard positions used to assess exposure. Each phone was capable of producing three different exposure conditions: CW (constant RF); modulated (RF that varies in the same way as a mobile phone signal); and sham (ideally no RF, but in practice, an exposure at most 100 times less than in other two conditions). The various output modes were selected using hexadecimal codes so that neither researcher nor subject knew which exposure condition had been selected. The maximum Specific Absorption Rate was 1.3 W/kg averaged over 10 g.
"None of the research so far suggests that biological or adverse health effects are produced by radio frequency exposure from mobile phones. Reassuringly no epidemiological association was found between short-term and long-term mobile phone use (less than ten years) and cancers of the brain or nervous system," states the report.
"Studies on volunteers provided no evidence that brain function is affected by exposure to the signals emitted by mobile phones or by TETRA radios used by the emergency services."
Likewise, studies on electrical hypersensitivity did not support the theory that unpleasant symptoms are experienced as a result of exposure to signals from mobile phones or base stations.
Base station emissions were also measured and exposures confirmed low, although exposure in the immediate vicinity of micro cell installations was found to be higher than those from the larger macro cell installations.
Not surprisingly, the study confirmed that the use of a phone or hand held device while driving does increase risk of accident, but researchers found it caused no greater risk than other in-car distractions. Researchers recommended however, that precautionary advice from vendors of mobile devices was limited and that policy makers need to adopt alternative, more effective methods of communicating the risks associated with operating machinery or driving vehicles while using hand held devices.
The program recognizes that some concerns still remain and has proposed an extension of the study to keep working on these. Priorities will include work to assess whether long-term exposure (greater than ten years) increases the risk of developing cancers of the brain and nervous system and the effects of mobile phone exposure specifically in children.
The debate of whether or not mobile phones cause cancer or affect the brain looks set to continue for some time yet. Evidence contradicting the MTHR project's findings was supplied in a study of 300 people that found frequent mobile phone users did demonstrate slowed brain function. These researchers also want to continue their study over a longer period to examine over 17,000 people.
The Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research (MTHR) Program, possibly the largest investigation so far into health risks associated with mobile telephone technology, was set up to resolve uncertainties identified by previous evaluations of the possible health risks associated with the widespread use of mobile phone technology.
The researchers studied mobile phones, mobile phone base stations --including newer 3G stations-- and the TETRA emergency services radio system used in the UK. The extensive research included five epidemiological studies and eight volunteer studies, three of which explored reported hypersensitivity to signals emitted by phones and base stations.
The study involved commissioning Dr Phil Chadwick of Microwave Consultants Ltd. to design a system producing exposures representative of those in real phones. This model was used in all the volunteer studies so as to eliminate variation in results due to phone design. The resulting device was modified from a commercially available phone and produced in two variants. One simulating a 900 MHz GSM mobile phone and the other a TETRA radio. In both cases the waveform of the emitted fields contained all the significant characteristics of a real signal.
The system had a headset that enabled it to be mounted in one of the standard positions used to assess exposure. Each phone was capable of producing three different exposure conditions: CW (constant RF); modulated (RF that varies in the same way as a mobile phone signal); and sham (ideally no RF, but in practice, an exposure at most 100 times less than in other two conditions). The various output modes were selected using hexadecimal codes so that neither researcher nor subject knew which exposure condition had been selected. The maximum Specific Absorption Rate was 1.3 W/kg averaged over 10 g.
"None of the research so far suggests that biological or adverse health effects are produced by radio frequency exposure from mobile phones. Reassuringly no epidemiological association was found between short-term and long-term mobile phone use (less than ten years) and cancers of the brain or nervous system," states the report.
"Studies on volunteers provided no evidence that brain function is affected by exposure to the signals emitted by mobile phones or by TETRA radios used by the emergency services."
Likewise, studies on electrical hypersensitivity did not support the theory that unpleasant symptoms are experienced as a result of exposure to signals from mobile phones or base stations.
Base station emissions were also measured and exposures confirmed low, although exposure in the immediate vicinity of micro cell installations was found to be higher than those from the larger macro cell installations.
Not surprisingly, the study confirmed that the use of a phone or hand held device while driving does increase risk of accident, but researchers found it caused no greater risk than other in-car distractions. Researchers recommended however, that precautionary advice from vendors of mobile devices was limited and that policy makers need to adopt alternative, more effective methods of communicating the risks associated with operating machinery or driving vehicles while using hand held devices.
The program recognizes that some concerns still remain and has proposed an extension of the study to keep working on these. Priorities will include work to assess whether long-term exposure (greater than ten years) increases the risk of developing cancers of the brain and nervous system and the effects of mobile phone exposure specifically in children.
The debate of whether or not mobile phones cause cancer or affect the brain looks set to continue for some time yet. Evidence contradicting the MTHR project's findings was supplied in a study of 300 people that found frequent mobile phone users did demonstrate slowed brain function. These researchers also want to continue their study over a longer period to examine over 17,000 people.
Mobile phones, coffee found unlikely to cause cancer
People can now breathe a sigh of relief for a new report designed to combat urban myths has found that mobile phones, coffee and deodorants are not likely to cause cancer.
The report was compiled by Australian cancer specialist Professor Brendan Stewart at the University of New South Wales and has been published in the academic journal Mutation Research Reviews.
Titled 'Banding carcinogenic risks in developed countries: A procedural basis for qualitative assessment,' the article looked at all available research not only to determine which chemicals or activities were most likely to cause the dreaded disease, but also to find out which are the greatest risk to people.
Based on his findings, Professor Stewart said that coffee, artificial sweeteners, deodorants, dental fillings and breast implants were extremely unlikely to cause the disease.
However, those most likely to cause cancer are smoking, drinking alcohol and deliberate exposure to sunlight.
"In terms of most deaths caused and the potential to save the most lives, cigarettes are number one," News.com.au quoted Prof Stewart, as saying.
"Cigarettes are the only consumer product which are lethal when used in accordance with the manufacturer's intention. In terms of proven risk, tobacco smoking and asbestos are equal in terms of the nature of the evidence; but in terms of numbers of people dying, tobacco is far worse."
Also likely to cause the disease are air pollution, solarium tanning, smoking marijuana and some chemicals in processed meats.
He also said that the media reports were leaving people confused and alarmed unnecessarily.
"People are incredibly confused. When they read stories in the media about different studies in isolation it is difficult for them to know how much concern they should attach to it," he said.
"I found a way of ordering the evidence in terms of carcinogenicity and the evidence of the circumstances of exposure. It is important to ensure that attention given to proven means of preventing cancer is not reduced by unnecessary public concern about risks that may have no impact at all."
CANBERRA (Reuters) - Drinking coffee, using mobile phones or having breast implants is unlikely to cause cancer, according to a risk ranking system devised by an Australian cancer specialist to debunk popular myths.
The cancer risk assessment reaffirms smoking, alcohol and exposure to sunlight as leading risk factors, but allays concerns about coffee, mobile phones, deodorants, breast implants and water with added fluoride.
The five-point system created by University of New South Wales Professor Bernard Stewart lists the risk of cancer from proven and likely, to inferred, unknown or unlikely.
"Our tool will help establish if the level of risk is high, say on a par with smoking, or unlikely such as using deodorants, artificial sweeteners, drinking coffee," Stewart said.
He found active smokers and ex-smokers to be the most at risk, although the risk is reduced for people who quit smoking.
Drinking alcohol was also a high risk factor, particularly for people who also smoke, although Stewart said no specific type of alcoholic drink was most strongly to blame.
Drinking chlorinated water and using a mobile phone was far less likely to cause cancer, Stewart said, although the risks associated with the long-term use of mobile phones had not been fully established.
He said there little risk from drinking coffee, using deodorants, drinking fluoridated water and having breast implants or dental fillings.
Stewart's research was published in the latest edition of the Mutation Research Reviews journal to mark world cancer day on Monday.
(Reporting by James Grubel; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
The report was compiled by Australian cancer specialist Professor Brendan Stewart at the University of New South Wales and has been published in the academic journal Mutation Research Reviews.
Titled 'Banding carcinogenic risks in developed countries: A procedural basis for qualitative assessment,' the article looked at all available research not only to determine which chemicals or activities were most likely to cause the dreaded disease, but also to find out which are the greatest risk to people.
Based on his findings, Professor Stewart said that coffee, artificial sweeteners, deodorants, dental fillings and breast implants were extremely unlikely to cause the disease.
However, those most likely to cause cancer are smoking, drinking alcohol and deliberate exposure to sunlight.
"In terms of most deaths caused and the potential to save the most lives, cigarettes are number one," News.com.au quoted Prof Stewart, as saying.
"Cigarettes are the only consumer product which are lethal when used in accordance with the manufacturer's intention. In terms of proven risk, tobacco smoking and asbestos are equal in terms of the nature of the evidence; but in terms of numbers of people dying, tobacco is far worse."
Also likely to cause the disease are air pollution, solarium tanning, smoking marijuana and some chemicals in processed meats.
He also said that the media reports were leaving people confused and alarmed unnecessarily.
"People are incredibly confused. When they read stories in the media about different studies in isolation it is difficult for them to know how much concern they should attach to it," he said.
"I found a way of ordering the evidence in terms of carcinogenicity and the evidence of the circumstances of exposure. It is important to ensure that attention given to proven means of preventing cancer is not reduced by unnecessary public concern about risks that may have no impact at all."
CANBERRA (Reuters) - Drinking coffee, using mobile phones or having breast implants is unlikely to cause cancer, according to a risk ranking system devised by an Australian cancer specialist to debunk popular myths.
The cancer risk assessment reaffirms smoking, alcohol and exposure to sunlight as leading risk factors, but allays concerns about coffee, mobile phones, deodorants, breast implants and water with added fluoride.
The five-point system created by University of New South Wales Professor Bernard Stewart lists the risk of cancer from proven and likely, to inferred, unknown or unlikely.
"Our tool will help establish if the level of risk is high, say on a par with smoking, or unlikely such as using deodorants, artificial sweeteners, drinking coffee," Stewart said.
He found active smokers and ex-smokers to be the most at risk, although the risk is reduced for people who quit smoking.
Drinking alcohol was also a high risk factor, particularly for people who also smoke, although Stewart said no specific type of alcoholic drink was most strongly to blame.
Drinking chlorinated water and using a mobile phone was far less likely to cause cancer, Stewart said, although the risks associated with the long-term use of mobile phones had not been fully established.
He said there little risk from drinking coffee, using deodorants, drinking fluoridated water and having breast implants or dental fillings.
Stewart's research was published in the latest edition of the Mutation Research Reviews journal to mark world cancer day on Monday.
(Reporting by James Grubel; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
Monday, September 15, 2008
Slight Mobile Cancer
Mobile phone users were still in the dark yesterday after a major study concluded there IS a "very slight hint" that long-term use can cause cancer.
The six-year study found no link between mobile phone use and health problems in the short term. But British researchers found a "faint hint" of a higher cancer risk among people who used them for more than 10 years - raising fresh doubts among users of the 70 million handsets now in the UK.
The team said it is "too early" to say if mobiles could lead to cancer or Alzheimer's or Parkinson's and the risk was "at the borderline of statistical significance." Prof Lawrie Challis said: "We cannot rule out the possibility cancer could appear in a few years. The evidence is not strong enough and most cancers cannot be detected until after 10 years. With smoking, there was no link to lung cancer until 10 years."
The £8.8million Mobile Telecommunications and Health Programme comes after a Danish study of 400,000 users concluded mobiles were safe.
The new study also found no evidence that mobile masts cause electrical hypersensitivity, a condition with symptoms such as nausea. The MTHR will investigate further with a £6million study of 200,000 users across Europe.
Lib Dem Evan Harris said: "This suggests no adverse health effects or they are very small or long-term."
But campaigners Mast Sanity said: "The programme hasn't got to the bottom of it - it's too close to industry."
40million people in the UK are now thought to use mobiles Mobile call minutes in UK totalled 82 billion last year There are 70million mobile phone handsets in the UK.
The six-year study found no link between mobile phone use and health problems in the short term. But British researchers found a "faint hint" of a higher cancer risk among people who used them for more than 10 years - raising fresh doubts among users of the 70 million handsets now in the UK.
The team said it is "too early" to say if mobiles could lead to cancer or Alzheimer's or Parkinson's and the risk was "at the borderline of statistical significance." Prof Lawrie Challis said: "We cannot rule out the possibility cancer could appear in a few years. The evidence is not strong enough and most cancers cannot be detected until after 10 years. With smoking, there was no link to lung cancer until 10 years."
The £8.8million Mobile Telecommunications and Health Programme comes after a Danish study of 400,000 users concluded mobiles were safe.
The new study also found no evidence that mobile masts cause electrical hypersensitivity, a condition with symptoms such as nausea. The MTHR will investigate further with a £6million study of 200,000 users across Europe.
Lib Dem Evan Harris said: "This suggests no adverse health effects or they are very small or long-term."
But campaigners Mast Sanity said: "The programme hasn't got to the bottom of it - it's too close to industry."
40million people in the UK are now thought to use mobiles Mobile call minutes in UK totalled 82 billion last year There are 70million mobile phone handsets in the UK.
Nokia 8800 - Carbon Arte
I’ve been holding off on doing a blog post about this particular mobile phone for a while now, since, basically, I’m not especially bothered about it. I couldn’t particularly find an angle, other than, “Whoa, how much???” (You’ll see why in a minute.)
But then, the angle came to me, earlier today, while I was writing the post about the Nokia 1100 Club. It hit me, right there.
Luxury mobile phones actually normally don’t do much more than a Nokia 1100 can do… so, what is it about luxury mobile phones that makes people think paying much more, for less features is a good thing? And with that in mind, is the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte worth it?
For comparison, we need to look higher up the scale of luxury mobile phones. We need to look at the Vertu series, long-hailed as the most exclusive range of mobile phones on the planet. And we need to look at their price tags, because they are, quite seriously, ludicrous. I saw one on their site, once, that was covered in platinum, and cost about £14,000!
Surely they must be some super-powered mobile phones to cost that much, right? Well, no, until recently, they could be best described as “a 3310 with a fancy hat on”.
Then there’s that Tiffany mobile phone I blogged about way back in February. At the current exchange rate, that costs roughly £53,000 to buy! And once again, the features-list is rubbish. It’s enough to make you wonder who’s buying these mobile phones… I’m guessing premiership footballers. They value looks over brains…
All that neatly(ish) leads us onto the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte, Nokia’s newest luxury mobile phone. And when you compare it to those price tags, it doesn’t seem bad at all, since it’s rumoured that, sim-free, it’ll come in about the £800 mark. Still, that’s a lot of money, so is it just another 3310 in a hat?
Well, no. They’ve actually packed some properly good features into the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte, starting with gesture controls. And if you have no idea what they are, I’ll explain using this Nokia’s big feature: to stop it ringing, and send the incoming call to voicemail, just pick it up, turn it over, and put back on the table, face down.
That is clever.
Still not convinced it’s worth £800, though, especially when, if you want a luxury mobile phone, the standard Nokia 8800 Arte is better looking and much, much cheaper! It’s actually quite an appealing purchase, if you can afford it, and you want it, since it’s a genuinely nice mobile phone, and unlike its predecessor, the 8910i, it isn’t bought exclusively by ticket-scalpers and drug dealers…
But then, the angle came to me, earlier today, while I was writing the post about the Nokia 1100 Club. It hit me, right there.
Luxury mobile phones actually normally don’t do much more than a Nokia 1100 can do… so, what is it about luxury mobile phones that makes people think paying much more, for less features is a good thing? And with that in mind, is the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte worth it?
For comparison, we need to look higher up the scale of luxury mobile phones. We need to look at the Vertu series, long-hailed as the most exclusive range of mobile phones on the planet. And we need to look at their price tags, because they are, quite seriously, ludicrous. I saw one on their site, once, that was covered in platinum, and cost about £14,000!
Surely they must be some super-powered mobile phones to cost that much, right? Well, no, until recently, they could be best described as “a 3310 with a fancy hat on”.
Then there’s that Tiffany mobile phone I blogged about way back in February. At the current exchange rate, that costs roughly £53,000 to buy! And once again, the features-list is rubbish. It’s enough to make you wonder who’s buying these mobile phones… I’m guessing premiership footballers. They value looks over brains…
All that neatly(ish) leads us onto the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte, Nokia’s newest luxury mobile phone. And when you compare it to those price tags, it doesn’t seem bad at all, since it’s rumoured that, sim-free, it’ll come in about the £800 mark. Still, that’s a lot of money, so is it just another 3310 in a hat?
Well, no. They’ve actually packed some properly good features into the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte, starting with gesture controls. And if you have no idea what they are, I’ll explain using this Nokia’s big feature: to stop it ringing, and send the incoming call to voicemail, just pick it up, turn it over, and put back on the table, face down.
That is clever.
Still not convinced it’s worth £800, though, especially when, if you want a luxury mobile phone, the standard Nokia 8800 Arte is better looking and much, much cheaper! It’s actually quite an appealing purchase, if you can afford it, and you want it, since it’s a genuinely nice mobile phone, and unlike its predecessor, the 8910i, it isn’t bought exclusively by ticket-scalpers and drug dealers…
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
A Mobile Cause
Incorporating handhelds into the classroom means first having to address a few key challenges.
YOU’VE HEARD THE SPIN: Handhelds increase motivation, encourage networking, are portable, and can costeffectively improve test scores. But implementing a handheld project can be problematic, especially if you’re starting from scratch. What about staff development? Finding appropriate software? Providing adequate technical support?
We talked with teachers and education consultants about incorporating handhelds into instruction. They offered a host of useful suggestions on overcoming the five major challenges of bringing mobile devices into the classroom.
1) Training Teachers. The teachers and consultants we talked to agreed: Staff development presents a considerable hurdle. Without knowledgeable teachers, money spent on new technologies can easily go to waste. Accept that staff development is a big part of a technology rollout, and plan to spend accordingly.
In a just-completed three-year project funded by a No Child Left Behind grant, Christine Tomasino worked with two colleagues and 37 school districts in northern Illinois to incorporate 3,000 handheld devices into fifth- and ninth- grade classrooms. Tomasino, a former teacher and technology director, is now a teaching and learning consultant working out of Joliet, IL. The NCLB project, “Bridging the Disconnects” (www.bridgingthedisconnects.org), used two different handheld devices with wireless and infrared connections—a Palm Tungsten C (www.palm.com) and a Palm-powered device called Dana by AlphaSmart (www1.alphasmart.com), which has a fullsize keyboard. The project focused on reading in the content areas of science and social science.
Tomasino says that more than 100 hours of training were spent per teacher. That sounds like a lot, she concedes, but it included summer training, monthly courses, e-mail support, and “blended” learning opportunities in which other material was taught as well. “Research shows that to change [teaching] practices you need 80-plus hours,” she says. Also, technical support is a must. In many schools, one teacher drives technology forward and supports the devices on the strength of pure knowledge and enthusiasm. That can work, but if you don’t have a technology driver at your school, make sure to get the IT folks you do have on board to commit to providing support.
YOU’VE HEARD THE SPIN: Handhelds increase motivation, encourage networking, are portable, and can costeffectively improve test scores. But implementing a handheld project can be problematic, especially if you’re starting from scratch. What about staff development? Finding appropriate software? Providing adequate technical support?
We talked with teachers and education consultants about incorporating handhelds into instruction. They offered a host of useful suggestions on overcoming the five major challenges of bringing mobile devices into the classroom.
1) Training Teachers. The teachers and consultants we talked to agreed: Staff development presents a considerable hurdle. Without knowledgeable teachers, money spent on new technologies can easily go to waste. Accept that staff development is a big part of a technology rollout, and plan to spend accordingly.
In a just-completed three-year project funded by a No Child Left Behind grant, Christine Tomasino worked with two colleagues and 37 school districts in northern Illinois to incorporate 3,000 handheld devices into fifth- and ninth- grade classrooms. Tomasino, a former teacher and technology director, is now a teaching and learning consultant working out of Joliet, IL. The NCLB project, “Bridging the Disconnects” (www.bridgingthedisconnects.org), used two different handheld devices with wireless and infrared connections—a Palm Tungsten C (www.palm.com) and a Palm-powered device called Dana by AlphaSmart (www1.alphasmart.com), which has a fullsize keyboard. The project focused on reading in the content areas of science and social science.
Tomasino says that more than 100 hours of training were spent per teacher. That sounds like a lot, she concedes, but it included summer training, monthly courses, e-mail support, and “blended” learning opportunities in which other material was taught as well. “Research shows that to change [teaching] practices you need 80-plus hours,” she says. Also, technical support is a must. In many schools, one teacher drives technology forward and supports the devices on the strength of pure knowledge and enthusiasm. That can work, but if you don’t have a technology driver at your school, make sure to get the IT folks you do have on board to commit to providing support.
A Conspicous Consumption
This interesting video from ABC News' Sign of the Times reflects the role of mobile phones in measuring wealth and bragging our social status in this ecosystem. After all what's the use of money if you can't show it, right? It also offers a glimpse on the person's personality, level of income, inclination to technology, and even level of insecurity.
I suppose the mobile phone industry has reached a level defined by renowned sociologist Thorstein Veblen as Conspicuous Consumption or lavish spending. A level where fashion outweighs function!
A recent report from Reuters highlights the 7 most expensive cellphones in the market today:
1. GoldVish Le Million - $1.3 Million
2. Bucheron for Vertu Cobra - $310,000
3. Vertu Signature - $81,000
4. Gresso Black Aura Collection - $13,000
5. Mobiado Professional EM - $2,200
6. pradalinks Phone by LG - $780
7. Apple iPhone - $600
I suppose the mobile phone industry has reached a level defined by renowned sociologist Thorstein Veblen as Conspicuous Consumption or lavish spending. A level where fashion outweighs function!
A recent report from Reuters highlights the 7 most expensive cellphones in the market today:
1. GoldVish Le Million - $1.3 Million
2. Bucheron for Vertu Cobra - $310,000
3. Vertu Signature - $81,000
4. Gresso Black Aura Collection - $13,000
5. Mobiado Professional EM - $2,200
6. pradalinks Phone by LG - $780
7. Apple iPhone - $600
Mobile Cause Headaches
If the last thing you do before going to sleep is play with your mobile phone, you might need to change that habit. According to a study sponsored by Mobile Manufacturers Forum, radiation emitted by mobile phones can cause headaches and damage sleep.
Even if this is not a serious as other potential health risks associated with mobile phones such as cancer, it is still disturbing given that many kids love to play with their cellphones at night. According to Telegraph:
The study indicates that during laboratory exposure to 884 MHz wireless signals, components of sleep, believed to be important for recovery from daily wear and tear, are adversely affected.
Moreover, participants that otherwise have no self-reported symptoms related to mobile phone use appear to have more headaches during actual radio frequency exposure.
The sample size of the study is very small - 35 men and 36 women. Still, you may want to check again the most radiation-intensive mobile phones in the market so you can minimize future headaches.
Even if this is not a serious as other potential health risks associated with mobile phones such as cancer, it is still disturbing given that many kids love to play with their cellphones at night. According to Telegraph:
The study indicates that during laboratory exposure to 884 MHz wireless signals, components of sleep, believed to be important for recovery from daily wear and tear, are adversely affected.
Moreover, participants that otherwise have no self-reported symptoms related to mobile phone use appear to have more headaches during actual radio frequency exposure.
The sample size of the study is very small - 35 men and 36 women. Still, you may want to check again the most radiation-intensive mobile phones in the market so you can minimize future headaches.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Mobile Side-Effects
Drivers who use hands-free cellular devices while driving may be doing themselves a favor in the long run. That’s because scientists still can’t say with certainty that placing a cellphone against the head is completely safe, especially for heavy users and people who began using the devices as children.
They point to lingering questions over potential health effects from the energy emitted by the phones, specifically the long-debated risk of developing brain cancer. “It’s fair to say that the data aren’t all in yet,” says Dr David L McCormick, a biologist and director of the Illinois Institute of Technology Research Institute in Chicago, who has studied the issue. “There are a small number of epidemiological studies that have suggested a possible increase in cancer risk. But comparable studies in other populations haven’t confirmed these findings.”
That’s not to say anyone should panic. Cellphones do produce a type of radiation, but it’s of the type called nonionising radio frequency — a form of energy located on the electromagnetic spectrum.
At the high end of the spectrum, ionising radiation, such as that emitted by X-ray machines, has well-known dangers. But the weak signals released by nonionising radio frequencies do not cause DNA damage, and there is no explanation for how such energy could cause cancer, McCormick says.
Most studies have not consistently demonstrated a link between cellphone use and cancer, including two studies conducted by the National Cancer Institute. Several other studies coordinated through the International Agency for Research on Cancer, called the Interphone studies, have also failed to show an association. Numerous studies on animals have also found no evidence that DNA is damaged by low levels of radio frequency, McCormick says.
But the sheer volume of use, as well as a few studies that found a potential link between brain cancer and cellphones, have kept the safety question looming.
The US National Academy of Sciences released a report in January calling for more research on cellphones and health risks. The authors concluded that many of the past studies were not conducted over a long-enough period of time to assess the risk of brain cancer, which typically develops slowly.
Nor have the studies examined the effects of cellphone use on children, whose nervous systems are still developing, or on whether the radio frequency emissions can cause other types of health problems, such as cancers elsewhere in the body or central nervous system damage that may affect learning or behaviour, says Dr Leeka Kheifets, a professor of epidemiology at the University of California, Los Angeles’ School of Public Health and a member of the NAS panel.
“At this point, it looks unlikely that cellphones are causing brain tumors, particularly from short-term exposures,” says Kheifets. “But we have not looked at all outcomes yet. The focus has been on brain tumors because exposure from cellphone use is mostly to the brain. And we are just beginning some studies on brain cancer in children.”
Kheifets and researchers in Denmark recently examined cellphone use in children and found “unexpected results”.
The researchers examined 13,159 Danish children born in 1997 and 1998 who are participants of a study called the Danish National Birth Cohort. The children’s mothers were surveyed during pregnancy and again when the children were 18 months old and 7 years old.
The study found that children who used cellphones, and whose mothers used cellphones during pregnancy were 80 per cent more likely to have behavioural problems such as emotional symptoms, inattention, hyperactivity and problems with peers compared with children who had no cellphone exposure as foetuses or in early childhood.
Children whose mothers used cellphones during pregnancy but who had no other cellphone exposure were 54 per cent more likely to have behavioural problems. The study, which will be published this month in Epidemiology, is the first to find a behavioural effect and so must be interpreted with caution. But Kheifets says: “In general, children are more susceptible to environmental hazards. We have little information on cellphones, and children are using cell phones at younger ages.”
Research on children and long-term studies should provide more clarification on any health risks, says Dr Siegal Sadetzki, an epidemiologist at Gertner Institute, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, in Israel. Sadetzki’s research has found heavy cellphone users were at 50 per cent higher risk for a parotid tumor, which arises in the salivary gland near the ear and jaw, typically where cellphones are held. Parotid tumors can be cancerous or benign. The study was significant because it tracked heavy users for more than 10 years and found a relationship between the side of the head the phone was typically placed against and where the tumor formed.
She says she doesn’t think her study, which was published in February in the American Journal of Epidemiology, contradicts previous studies that showed no cause for alarm. The research was conducted in Israel, which has a population of heavy users who were among the first to adopt cellphone technology.
“Most negative results were seen for short-term users, below 10 years of use,” she said in an e-mail interview. “It is well known that the latency period for cancer development, and certainly for brain tumor development, is longer. The problem is, of course, that we are dealing with a relatively new technology.”
Besides the recent studies that have found some cause for concern, the controversy over cellphone safety was stoked recently when an Australian neurosurgeon published a paper on the Internet saying phone use “has far broader public health ramifications than asbestos and smoking”.
The doctor, Vini Khurana, analysed data from over 100 studies, concluding that most weren’t long enough to uncover a risk of brain cancer and that children haven’t been adequately studied. His Internet paper and recent appearance on CNN’s “Larry King Live” show rankled some health experts because of his alarming stance.
“The position he took was rather extreme,” says McCormick.
They point to lingering questions over potential health effects from the energy emitted by the phones, specifically the long-debated risk of developing brain cancer. “It’s fair to say that the data aren’t all in yet,” says Dr David L McCormick, a biologist and director of the Illinois Institute of Technology Research Institute in Chicago, who has studied the issue. “There are a small number of epidemiological studies that have suggested a possible increase in cancer risk. But comparable studies in other populations haven’t confirmed these findings.”
That’s not to say anyone should panic. Cellphones do produce a type of radiation, but it’s of the type called nonionising radio frequency — a form of energy located on the electromagnetic spectrum.
At the high end of the spectrum, ionising radiation, such as that emitted by X-ray machines, has well-known dangers. But the weak signals released by nonionising radio frequencies do not cause DNA damage, and there is no explanation for how such energy could cause cancer, McCormick says.
Most studies have not consistently demonstrated a link between cellphone use and cancer, including two studies conducted by the National Cancer Institute. Several other studies coordinated through the International Agency for Research on Cancer, called the Interphone studies, have also failed to show an association. Numerous studies on animals have also found no evidence that DNA is damaged by low levels of radio frequency, McCormick says.
But the sheer volume of use, as well as a few studies that found a potential link between brain cancer and cellphones, have kept the safety question looming.
The US National Academy of Sciences released a report in January calling for more research on cellphones and health risks. The authors concluded that many of the past studies were not conducted over a long-enough period of time to assess the risk of brain cancer, which typically develops slowly.
Nor have the studies examined the effects of cellphone use on children, whose nervous systems are still developing, or on whether the radio frequency emissions can cause other types of health problems, such as cancers elsewhere in the body or central nervous system damage that may affect learning or behaviour, says Dr Leeka Kheifets, a professor of epidemiology at the University of California, Los Angeles’ School of Public Health and a member of the NAS panel.
“At this point, it looks unlikely that cellphones are causing brain tumors, particularly from short-term exposures,” says Kheifets. “But we have not looked at all outcomes yet. The focus has been on brain tumors because exposure from cellphone use is mostly to the brain. And we are just beginning some studies on brain cancer in children.”
Kheifets and researchers in Denmark recently examined cellphone use in children and found “unexpected results”.
The researchers examined 13,159 Danish children born in 1997 and 1998 who are participants of a study called the Danish National Birth Cohort. The children’s mothers were surveyed during pregnancy and again when the children were 18 months old and 7 years old.
The study found that children who used cellphones, and whose mothers used cellphones during pregnancy were 80 per cent more likely to have behavioural problems such as emotional symptoms, inattention, hyperactivity and problems with peers compared with children who had no cellphone exposure as foetuses or in early childhood.
Children whose mothers used cellphones during pregnancy but who had no other cellphone exposure were 54 per cent more likely to have behavioural problems. The study, which will be published this month in Epidemiology, is the first to find a behavioural effect and so must be interpreted with caution. But Kheifets says: “In general, children are more susceptible to environmental hazards. We have little information on cellphones, and children are using cell phones at younger ages.”
Research on children and long-term studies should provide more clarification on any health risks, says Dr Siegal Sadetzki, an epidemiologist at Gertner Institute, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, in Israel. Sadetzki’s research has found heavy cellphone users were at 50 per cent higher risk for a parotid tumor, which arises in the salivary gland near the ear and jaw, typically where cellphones are held. Parotid tumors can be cancerous or benign. The study was significant because it tracked heavy users for more than 10 years and found a relationship between the side of the head the phone was typically placed against and where the tumor formed.
She says she doesn’t think her study, which was published in February in the American Journal of Epidemiology, contradicts previous studies that showed no cause for alarm. The research was conducted in Israel, which has a population of heavy users who were among the first to adopt cellphone technology.
“Most negative results were seen for short-term users, below 10 years of use,” she said in an e-mail interview. “It is well known that the latency period for cancer development, and certainly for brain tumor development, is longer. The problem is, of course, that we are dealing with a relatively new technology.”
Besides the recent studies that have found some cause for concern, the controversy over cellphone safety was stoked recently when an Australian neurosurgeon published a paper on the Internet saying phone use “has far broader public health ramifications than asbestos and smoking”.
The doctor, Vini Khurana, analysed data from over 100 studies, concluding that most weren’t long enough to uncover a risk of brain cancer and that children haven’t been adequately studied. His Internet paper and recent appearance on CNN’s “Larry King Live” show rankled some health experts because of his alarming stance.
“The position he took was rather extreme,” says McCormick.
Basic Health Concerns
Concerns have been raised about the normal mobile phone, which has the antenna in the handset. In this case, the antenna is very close to the user's head during normal use of the telephone and there is concern about the level of microwave emissions to which the brain is being exposed.
Telephones that have the antenna mounted elsewhere are of little concern, since exposure levels decrease rapidly with increasing distance from the antenna.
Reports have appeared in the media linking the use of mobile telephones with, among other things, headaches, hot spots in the brain and brain cancer.
Media reports have claimed that up to 70 percent of the microwave emissions from hand-held mobile telephones may be absorbed in the user's head. This is not supported by the evidence, but nevertheless leads to speculation that hot spots may be created in the user's brain, thereby raising concerns that the telephones may be a health risk. Other reports have indicated that mobile telephone users suffer localized headaches when they use their telephone. At this stage, it is difficult to evaluate the evidence supporting these reports, since they have not been published.
The brain cancer reports originated in the USA where a number of lawsuits have been lodged against mobile telephone manufacturers and suppliers. These claims for damages allege that the microwave emissions from mobile telephones used by the claimants caused their (in some cases, fatal) brain cancers. Those few cases that have been tried have been dismissed for lack of supporting evidence.
Concern about a possible increased risk of brain cancer in mobile phone users has continued. In response, a major project, INTERPHONE, has been organised. The INTERPHONE project is a multi-national series of epidemiological studies testing whether using mobile phones increases the risk of various cancers in the head and neck. The project comprises national studies from 13 different countries, which are coordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an agency of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Partial results from some of the studies have been published showing no overall association between mobile phone use and brain cancer.
Telephones that have the antenna mounted elsewhere are of little concern, since exposure levels decrease rapidly with increasing distance from the antenna.
Reports have appeared in the media linking the use of mobile telephones with, among other things, headaches, hot spots in the brain and brain cancer.
Media reports have claimed that up to 70 percent of the microwave emissions from hand-held mobile telephones may be absorbed in the user's head. This is not supported by the evidence, but nevertheless leads to speculation that hot spots may be created in the user's brain, thereby raising concerns that the telephones may be a health risk. Other reports have indicated that mobile telephone users suffer localized headaches when they use their telephone. At this stage, it is difficult to evaluate the evidence supporting these reports, since they have not been published.
The brain cancer reports originated in the USA where a number of lawsuits have been lodged against mobile telephone manufacturers and suppliers. These claims for damages allege that the microwave emissions from mobile telephones used by the claimants caused their (in some cases, fatal) brain cancers. Those few cases that have been tried have been dismissed for lack of supporting evidence.
Concern about a possible increased risk of brain cancer in mobile phone users has continued. In response, a major project, INTERPHONE, has been organised. The INTERPHONE project is a multi-national series of epidemiological studies testing whether using mobile phones increases the risk of various cancers in the head and neck. The project comprises national studies from 13 different countries, which are coordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an agency of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Partial results from some of the studies have been published showing no overall association between mobile phone use and brain cancer.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
RSA launches mobile phone appeal
People who use a mobile phone while driving are four times more likely to have a crash, putting themselves and other road-users at an increased risk of death or serious injury, according to the Road Safety Authority (RSA). The ‘Mobile Phones and Driving’ awareness campaign is focusing on the dangers of driving while using a mobile phone.
“Research tells us that you are four times more likely to have a crash if you use a hand-held or hands-free mobile phone when you are driving. Using a mobile phone while driving distracts the driver, impairs their control of the vehicle and reduces their awareness of what is happening around them.”
Penalty points for holding a mobile phone while driving a vehicle came into force on 1st September 2006. As of 30th April 2008, there have been 35,253 offences for holding a mobile phone while driving, the third highest offence behind speeding and driving without a safety belt. Any person found holding a mobile phone faces up to four penalty points and a fine of €2,000 if convicted.
“We understand that many people need to use their mobile phone as part of their daily lives but it’s a scientific fact that drivers who use a mobile phone while driving have higher accident rates than those who do not. Our message is simple - Switch off before you drive off - If you need to make a phone call or check messages, pull in and park in a safe place. No phone call is worth putting your life or the lives of others at risk.”
The RSA has produced an information leaflet called ‘Mobile Phones and Driving’ which can be downloaded from www.rsa.ie. In addition to this, a new 30 second radio advert outlining the dangers of driving while using a mobile phone is being run on all national and local radio stations. The leaflet provides the following advice for drivers:
1.Switch off before you drive off. Turn off your mobile phone or put it on the ‘silent’ or ‘meeting’ option setting before starting your journey.
2.Use the voicemail on your mobile phone so people can leave messages for you while you’re travelling.
3.Stop regularly on your journey so you can check for messages and return any calls.
4.Make sure the place you stop is a legal and safe place to park. It is illegal to stop on a motorway unless it is an emergency.
5.If you call someone on their mobile phone while they are driving, be aware that they should be concentrating on their driving and not on your conversation. Tell them you will call them back or wait until they pull their car over.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Regulate hypertension
NEW YORK: In a finding that has implications for the treatment of hypertension, researchers have identified what they believe is the "master switch" that regulates blood pressure.
The "master switch" is a mechanism by which a protein complex in the kidney controls the rise or fall of blood pressure, according to a paper published in the latest issue of the 'Journal of Clinical Investigation' .
Researchers at the Oregon Health and Science University liken the switch to a rheostat that modulates the balance of salt and potassium in the kidney, thereby raising or lowering blood pressure.
When the switch malfunctions, high blood pressure or hypertension occurs, the researchers suggest. Hypertension affects millions around the world and is a major cause of heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure. The root cause is unknown in 95% cases.
If the study's conclusions are borne out by further research, they can lead to better targeted and more effective drugs for the disease. Dr David H Ellison, who led the research team, likens the switch to a rheostat that modulates the balance of salt and potassium in the kidney, thereby raising or lowering blood pressure.
Writing about his team's findings, Ellison said that hypertension occurs when the switch malfunctions, as it does when certain mutations in the WNK kinase protein complex are present.
"It is not widely understood by the general public that hypertension is most often a kidney disease. If we can figure out the ways the kidney adjusts salt excretion, we can devise methods to prevent hypertension, cure it or design better treatments for it. Our findings in this study get us a step closer, we think," he said.
The researchers say that they have found out how a hormone called aldosterone, produced in the adrenal gland, can have different effects on sodium and potassium balance at different times.
The "master switch" is a mechanism by which a protein complex in the kidney controls the rise or fall of blood pressure, according to a paper published in the latest issue of the 'Journal of Clinical Investigation' .
Researchers at the Oregon Health and Science University liken the switch to a rheostat that modulates the balance of salt and potassium in the kidney, thereby raising or lowering blood pressure.
When the switch malfunctions, high blood pressure or hypertension occurs, the researchers suggest. Hypertension affects millions around the world and is a major cause of heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure. The root cause is unknown in 95% cases.
If the study's conclusions are borne out by further research, they can lead to better targeted and more effective drugs for the disease. Dr David H Ellison, who led the research team, likens the switch to a rheostat that modulates the balance of salt and potassium in the kidney, thereby raising or lowering blood pressure.
Writing about his team's findings, Ellison said that hypertension occurs when the switch malfunctions, as it does when certain mutations in the WNK kinase protein complex are present.
"It is not widely understood by the general public that hypertension is most often a kidney disease. If we can figure out the ways the kidney adjusts salt excretion, we can devise methods to prevent hypertension, cure it or design better treatments for it. Our findings in this study get us a step closer, we think," he said.
The researchers say that they have found out how a hormone called aldosterone, produced in the adrenal gland, can have different effects on sodium and potassium balance at different times.
Is Mobile Affects Eye?
A group of researchers in Germany found that people who frequently use mobile phones are three times more likely to develop uveal melanoma- a cancer which grows in the iris and base of the retina of the eye. The scientists examined 118 patients already suffering from uveal melanoma, and investigated their mobile phone use history. They compared the results against a control group of 475 people.
Analysis of the results, which were published in January’s Epidemiology journal, found that those with cancer had a much higher rate of mobile phone use.
However Dr Andreas Stang, who led the team of researchers, does caution that the study needs to be confirmed—a point backed by Epidemiology. “Given the small size of their study, the relatively crude exposure assessment, the absence of attention to UVR exposure or other possible confounding variables, and limited support in the literature, a cautious interpretation of their results is indicated,” read an editorial accompanying the research.
Results from other studies that investigate mobile phones and cancer have been conflicting.
How could mobile phones cause melanoma in the eye? High levels of radiofrequency (RF) radiation can create enough heat to cause biological damage. But mobile phones emit low levels of RF energy. Some scientists theorize that the eye may be vulnerable to RF radiation even at low levels because the eye’s limited blood supply prevents it from releasing heat easily.
Also, the radiation may not necessarily cause cancer, but may make people who are predisposed to cancer more susceptible.
Mobile Cancer Research
Research
Several research studies carried out in Europe and America have looked at large numbers of people using mobile phones. Most have found no link between brain tumours and mobile phones. A large UK study reported in January 2006 that they could find no link between mobile phone use and glioma. The study included information on over 2,500 people. They found no link between the amount of mobile phone use, length of time since first use, lifetime years of use or number of calls made. The study did not include any information on children using mobile phones. Over 2,500 people took part in this study. Only about 6 or 7 out of every 100 of them had used a mobile for more than 10 years.
A large Danish study has followed over 400,000 people - some of them for 21 years. In December 2006, these researchers published a paper that looked particularly at those who had been using a mobile phone for more than 10 years. They found no increased risk of brain tumour. A 2007 study found that high use of mobile phones may very slightly increase the risk of developing tumours of the salivary glands, but this needs to be confirmed by other research.
One thing to remember is that most of the research carried out has looked at older 'analogue' phones. Most of the phones available in the UK now (especially the newer phones) are digital. These give out less radio wave radiation than analogue phones, and so any potential risk is reduced.
There is very limited research about using a mobile phone with a hands-free set. Some research says holding the phone to your ear will expose you to less radiation than using a headset. Other research says the opposite. But, which ever is true, there is no proof that this low level radiation increases the risk of a brain tumour. There is more research underway in the UK to look into this further.
Several research studies carried out in Europe and America have looked at large numbers of people using mobile phones. Most have found no link between brain tumours and mobile phones. A large UK study reported in January 2006 that they could find no link between mobile phone use and glioma. The study included information on over 2,500 people. They found no link between the amount of mobile phone use, length of time since first use, lifetime years of use or number of calls made. The study did not include any information on children using mobile phones. Over 2,500 people took part in this study. Only about 6 or 7 out of every 100 of them had used a mobile for more than 10 years.
A large Danish study has followed over 400,000 people - some of them for 21 years. In December 2006, these researchers published a paper that looked particularly at those who had been using a mobile phone for more than 10 years. They found no increased risk of brain tumour. A 2007 study found that high use of mobile phones may very slightly increase the risk of developing tumours of the salivary glands, but this needs to be confirmed by other research.
One thing to remember is that most of the research carried out has looked at older 'analogue' phones. Most of the phones available in the UK now (especially the newer phones) are digital. These give out less radio wave radiation than analogue phones, and so any potential risk is reduced.
There is very limited research about using a mobile phone with a hands-free set. Some research says holding the phone to your ear will expose you to less radiation than using a headset. Other research says the opposite. But, which ever is true, there is no proof that this low level radiation increases the risk of a brain tumour. There is more research underway in the UK to look into this further.
Mobile cancer care for Wales
Welsh cancer charity Tenovus is today unveiling a new strategic direction delivering cancer treatment, care and support to people in their own communities.
The physical, emotional and financial costs of travelling to treatment centres are great for many cancer patients. Therefore, in an innovative move, the charity will be delivering chemotherapy to cancer patients in their communities through specially-adapted mobile units.
They will also provide comprehensive care and support to both patients and their families through counsellors, welfare and social support workers and access to cancer information.
The units will also focus on the prevention and early detection of cancer through the engagement of communities in health promotion initiatives and providing access to cancer screening programmes such as genetic testing.
This will be the first time that such a holistic approach to cancer care and treatment has ever been delivered this way in the UK.
The mobile units will be complemented by a network of local support centres, providing services such as patient and family counselling, screening trials, research projects, health education and cancer prevention messages, as well as access to welfare rights advisors in areas where this support is not currently available.
The new direction will see the first local support centre and mobile unit in operation by the end of 2008.
Claudia McVie, chief executive of Tenovus said, “Forty six people a day in Wales are told they have cancer, and this figure will have doubled by 2020. The combination of more people being diagnosed with cancer and increasing survival rates mean that a growing number of people are in need of our help.
“Reports show that each cancer patient will visit hospital an average of 53 times, making the costs of travelling and the added strain this puts on those and their families who are affected by cancer, considerable. Our research highlighted the problems of cancer in areas of social deprivation where cancer incidence is higher and outcomes worse.
“Therefore, we feel our new direction is truly groundbreaking work which will help meet the needs of today’s cancer patients and to address the inequities our research showed cancer patients across Wales.
“By taking treatments out of the hospital setting and making sure people can access the lifesaving treatments they need in their local area, we are freeing up their time and money, giving them the reassurance of being treated locally and also freeing up valuable space in hospitals for the NHS.
“The decision to make such a radical overhaul to the direction of Tenovus is one that has been taken after a great deal of research to ensure we are delivering the services that meet the needs of today’s cancer patients. By taking this new direction we can really help make a difference to cancer treatment and survival rates in Wales.”
Tenovus will also maintain its commitment to its current programme of research, spending over £4.2million until 2012. The charity will be launching a new programme of PhD studentships in partnership with universities, as well as encourage promising graduates from psychology, social science, nursing and physiotherapy courses to apply for these grants.
Lisa Miller, Director of operations at Velindre Cancer Centre, said, “We are delighted at Velindre Cancer Centre to be working with Tenovus on their new direction.
“The ability to provide chemotherapy closer to patient’s homes is something which has been a main strategic driver for many years with the development of outreach chemotherapy services at other hospitals around south east Wales.
The physical, emotional and financial costs of travelling to treatment centres are great for many cancer patients. Therefore, in an innovative move, the charity will be delivering chemotherapy to cancer patients in their communities through specially-adapted mobile units.
They will also provide comprehensive care and support to both patients and their families through counsellors, welfare and social support workers and access to cancer information.
The units will also focus on the prevention and early detection of cancer through the engagement of communities in health promotion initiatives and providing access to cancer screening programmes such as genetic testing.
This will be the first time that such a holistic approach to cancer care and treatment has ever been delivered this way in the UK.
The mobile units will be complemented by a network of local support centres, providing services such as patient and family counselling, screening trials, research projects, health education and cancer prevention messages, as well as access to welfare rights advisors in areas where this support is not currently available.
The new direction will see the first local support centre and mobile unit in operation by the end of 2008.
Claudia McVie, chief executive of Tenovus said, “Forty six people a day in Wales are told they have cancer, and this figure will have doubled by 2020. The combination of more people being diagnosed with cancer and increasing survival rates mean that a growing number of people are in need of our help.
“Reports show that each cancer patient will visit hospital an average of 53 times, making the costs of travelling and the added strain this puts on those and their families who are affected by cancer, considerable. Our research highlighted the problems of cancer in areas of social deprivation where cancer incidence is higher and outcomes worse.
“Therefore, we feel our new direction is truly groundbreaking work which will help meet the needs of today’s cancer patients and to address the inequities our research showed cancer patients across Wales.
“By taking treatments out of the hospital setting and making sure people can access the lifesaving treatments they need in their local area, we are freeing up their time and money, giving them the reassurance of being treated locally and also freeing up valuable space in hospitals for the NHS.
“The decision to make such a radical overhaul to the direction of Tenovus is one that has been taken after a great deal of research to ensure we are delivering the services that meet the needs of today’s cancer patients. By taking this new direction we can really help make a difference to cancer treatment and survival rates in Wales.”
Tenovus will also maintain its commitment to its current programme of research, spending over £4.2million until 2012. The charity will be launching a new programme of PhD studentships in partnership with universities, as well as encourage promising graduates from psychology, social science, nursing and physiotherapy courses to apply for these grants.
Lisa Miller, Director of operations at Velindre Cancer Centre, said, “We are delighted at Velindre Cancer Centre to be working with Tenovus on their new direction.
“The ability to provide chemotherapy closer to patient’s homes is something which has been a main strategic driver for many years with the development of outreach chemotherapy services at other hospitals around south east Wales.
Mobile Cancer Detection Unit in India
The real tragedy about cancer is that it begins with very minor symptoms or none at all. Therefore the best way to guard against cancer is to have a regular yearly cancer check-up examination. Even though the very word "Cancer" sends shiver down the spine of the people, nevertheless they are generally found to be reluctant to go in for a regular periodic cancer check up on their own due to various factors.
In order to create cancer awareness and to encourage more and more people to undergo regular cancer check-ups, the Society is operating a Mobile Cancer Detection Centre to provide cancer check-up facilities to people at a nominal cost without losing any working day, at the worksite, in factories, workshops, offices, housing complexes etc. on request. This Mobile Clinic consisting of an X-ray mounted fully equipped motorised van which carries doctors (2 ENT Surgeons, 2 Gen. Surgeons and a Gynaecologist) and other para. Medical staff to the check up camp sites, can effectively carry out all the tests normally undertaken at a regular detection centre. Those who undergo cancer check-ups at these camps are given individual check-up reports and suspected cases are referred to cancer hospitals for further investigation/treatment.
The details of camps conducted by the M.C.D.C. Unit at Mumbai during the last 10 years are as follows :
Year
Total No. of camps (Days)
No. of Persons examined
No. of suspected cases detected
Male Female Total Male Female Total
1989-90 79 4144 3261 7405 62 107 169
1990-91 52 2658 1800 4458 40 25 65
1991-92 120 9072 2095 11167 73 22 95
1992-93 65 3431 2128 5559 45 23 68
1993-94 68 3487 1905 5392 86 20 106
1994-95 73 4699 2064 6763 93 22 115
1995-96 68 4488 1895 6383 88 29 117
1996-97 67 2818 3179 5997 52 45 97
1997-98 70 4078 1867 5945 76 17 93
1998-99 72 3820 2569 6389 91 35 126
Since its inception in May, 1982 upto the end of March 1999, the MCDC Unit has examined 1,00,322 persons (68,878 Males + 31,444 Females) out of which 1761 suspected cases (1249 Males + 512 Females) were detected and referred to Cancer hospitals for further investigation/treatment. Similar Mobile Cancer Detection Units are functioning successfully at the Society's branches at Delhi and Calcutta also.
For more details contact:
INDIAN CANCER SOCIETY
Lady Ratan Tata Medical & Research Centre,
M. Karve Road, Cooperage, Bombay 400021.
Tel: 91-22-2202 9941 / 2202 9942 Fax: 91-22-2287 2745
In order to create cancer awareness and to encourage more and more people to undergo regular cancer check-ups, the Society is operating a Mobile Cancer Detection Centre to provide cancer check-up facilities to people at a nominal cost without losing any working day, at the worksite, in factories, workshops, offices, housing complexes etc. on request. This Mobile Clinic consisting of an X-ray mounted fully equipped motorised van which carries doctors (2 ENT Surgeons, 2 Gen. Surgeons and a Gynaecologist) and other para. Medical staff to the check up camp sites, can effectively carry out all the tests normally undertaken at a regular detection centre. Those who undergo cancer check-ups at these camps are given individual check-up reports and suspected cases are referred to cancer hospitals for further investigation/treatment.
The details of camps conducted by the M.C.D.C. Unit at Mumbai during the last 10 years are as follows :
Year
Total No. of camps (Days)
No. of Persons examined
No. of suspected cases detected
Male Female Total Male Female Total
1989-90 79 4144 3261 7405 62 107 169
1990-91 52 2658 1800 4458 40 25 65
1991-92 120 9072 2095 11167 73 22 95
1992-93 65 3431 2128 5559 45 23 68
1993-94 68 3487 1905 5392 86 20 106
1994-95 73 4699 2064 6763 93 22 115
1995-96 68 4488 1895 6383 88 29 117
1996-97 67 2818 3179 5997 52 45 97
1997-98 70 4078 1867 5945 76 17 93
1998-99 72 3820 2569 6389 91 35 126
Since its inception in May, 1982 upto the end of March 1999, the MCDC Unit has examined 1,00,322 persons (68,878 Males + 31,444 Females) out of which 1761 suspected cases (1249 Males + 512 Females) were detected and referred to Cancer hospitals for further investigation/treatment. Similar Mobile Cancer Detection Units are functioning successfully at the Society's branches at Delhi and Calcutta also.
For more details contact:
INDIAN CANCER SOCIETY
Lady Ratan Tata Medical & Research Centre,
M. Karve Road, Cooperage, Bombay 400021.
Tel: 91-22-2202 9941 / 2202 9942 Fax: 91-22-2287 2745
Monday, August 11, 2008
Depression anorexia,child birth affects life
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Childbirth and the psychiatric disorders anorexia and depression can affect a woman's sex life, but in different ways, a small study suggests.
Research has shown that women with mental health conditions, including major depression and eating disorders, tend to report more problems with their sex life than other women do. The same has been found in studies of new mothers.
But the nature of this sexual dysfunction has not been clear.
In the new study, researchers found that women with either anorexia or depression typically had sex more frequently than new mothers did. They were, however, more likely to report having "problems" during sex, according to findings published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.
This suggests that anorexia and depression have similar effects on a woman's sex life, while childbirth has a different sort of impact, according to the researchers, led by Dr. Frances A. Carter of the Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Otago University in New Zealand.
The study results are based on questionnaire responses from 76 women who had taken part in three previous, separate studies and included 10 women with anorexia; 24 women with major depression; and 42 women who'd given birth within the past two months. All of the women were married or in stable relationships.
Overall, Carter's team found that 80 percent and 79 percent of women with anorexia or depression, respectively, said they'd had sex in the past two weeks, compared with only half of the new mothers.
On the other hand, none of the women in the postnatal group said they had any problems during sex, while roughly one third of those with anorexia or depression said they did.
The fact that new mothers had sex less often is not surprising, according to Carter and his colleagues. However, the reported lack of any sexual difficulties is "more optimistic" than the results obtained from other studies, which "suggested that sexual difficulties were the norm."
Research has shown that women with mental health conditions, including major depression and eating disorders, tend to report more problems with their sex life than other women do. The same has been found in studies of new mothers.
But the nature of this sexual dysfunction has not been clear.
In the new study, researchers found that women with either anorexia or depression typically had sex more frequently than new mothers did. They were, however, more likely to report having "problems" during sex, according to findings published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.
This suggests that anorexia and depression have similar effects on a woman's sex life, while childbirth has a different sort of impact, according to the researchers, led by Dr. Frances A. Carter of the Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Otago University in New Zealand.
The study results are based on questionnaire responses from 76 women who had taken part in three previous, separate studies and included 10 women with anorexia; 24 women with major depression; and 42 women who'd given birth within the past two months. All of the women were married or in stable relationships.
Overall, Carter's team found that 80 percent and 79 percent of women with anorexia or depression, respectively, said they'd had sex in the past two weeks, compared with only half of the new mothers.
On the other hand, none of the women in the postnatal group said they had any problems during sex, while roughly one third of those with anorexia or depression said they did.
The fact that new mothers had sex less often is not surprising, according to Carter and his colleagues. However, the reported lack of any sexual difficulties is "more optimistic" than the results obtained from other studies, which "suggested that sexual difficulties were the norm."
16 per cent of Indians suffer from sexual dysfunction
CHENNAI: Roughly 16 per cent of the Indian population suffers from various forms of sexual dysfunctions, according to a recent survey.
The survey, conducted by the Indian Institute of Sexual Medicine (IISM), Chennai states that men suffer from dysfunctions like premature ejaculation, ejaculatory dysfunction and impotence.
Change in life style is the main reason for this, IISM Director Dr T Kamaraj said. Working on computers and business outsourcing firms had changed the life style, which affected the daily activities of the people, he said adding that this had led to more stress, affecting sexual life.
"The attitude towards sex has undergone a change, which has resulted in value degradation and even sexual frustration," he said.
Spreading fast food culture had led to obesity, which in turn affects sexual life of a person, he said, adding blood pressure, diabetes and obesity had also affected the youth.
Youth had a lot of myth and misconceptions on sex compounded with age old superstitions, which also played a major role on the sexual life of individuals, Kamaraj said.
The two day third international conference on sexology, which begins here on Saturday would address these issues at length, he added.
The survey, conducted by the Indian Institute of Sexual Medicine (IISM), Chennai states that men suffer from dysfunctions like premature ejaculation, ejaculatory dysfunction and impotence.
Change in life style is the main reason for this, IISM Director Dr T Kamaraj said. Working on computers and business outsourcing firms had changed the life style, which affected the daily activities of the people, he said adding that this had led to more stress, affecting sexual life.
"The attitude towards sex has undergone a change, which has resulted in value degradation and even sexual frustration," he said.
Spreading fast food culture had led to obesity, which in turn affects sexual life of a person, he said, adding blood pressure, diabetes and obesity had also affected the youth.
Youth had a lot of myth and misconceptions on sex compounded with age old superstitions, which also played a major role on the sexual life of individuals, Kamaraj said.
The two day third international conference on sexology, which begins here on Saturday would address these issues at length, he added.
Impact to Health
Health threat
While there is no specific evidence that mobile telephones pose a health threat to young users, researchers worry that there is still only scanty scientific information about the long-term impact of radio frequency electromagnetic fields emitted by mobile telephones on the developing brains and tissues of children.
In France the health minister, Roselyne Bachelot, has taken such concerns public, issuing an alert in January urging parents to limit use, reducing children’s telephone calls to no more than six minutes. Her announcement followed a similar warning by the Health and Radio Frequencies Foundation, a government-backed research group created two years ago to study the impact of radio frequency fields on humans.
“I believe in the principle of precaution,” Bachelot said in an interview. “If there is a risk, then children with developing nervous systems would be affected. I’ve alerted parents about the use of mobile telephones because it’s absurd for young children to have them.”
Research initiative
The French foundation is moving now to organise a broad international research project to study the potential risks for children. More studies are developing in other countries. The Mobile Telecommunication and Health Research Programme in Britain, which is financed by the state and local telecommunications industry, is in the early stage of organising a children’s study.
Another project, called Cefalo, is under way in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland to explore whether mobile telephone use increases the risk of brain tumours for children.
In January, the National Research Council in the United States also delivered a report — commissioned by the Food and Drug Administration — that reviewed existing scientific studies around the world and urged further research on the impact of mobile phone use on children and pregnant women.
“This clearly is a population that is going to grow up with a great deal of larger exposure than anybody else because the kids use the phones all the time,” said Frank Barnes, a professor of engineering at the University of Colorado in Boulder who led the study. “And you’ve got growing bodies and brains, so if there is going to be an impact, that’s likely to be a more sensitive population than others.”
Growing market
Every year, the average age of novice mobile phone users is dropping, hitting 10 years old last year, according to Scott Ellison, an IDC analyst who forecasts that the 9-and-under market will increase to nine 9 million users in the United States and $1.6 billion in revenue by 2010.
Telephone use is also getting more precocious in Europe, according to a Eurobarometer survey of almost 1,000 children in 29 countries, most of whom had telephones after age 9.
The youth market is particularly enticing because these customers treat their mobile telephones more like a companion than a device — or like a “doudou” or stuffed animal — as AFOM, the French mobile telephone operators trade association, described it in a report on customers’ habits in a summer survey. In general, young customers chatter more on the phone, spending more on the latest games, ring tones and wallpapers.
Government authorities around the world have taken different approaches to the health issue. The Health Council of the Netherlands concluded in 2002 that there was no special risk for children, while health authorities in Britain, Russia and France all urge precautions.
The current government view in the United States is that a review of scientific literature “indicates that there is no real suggestion that children are inherently more sensitive to radio frequency radiation,” according to an FDA spokeswoman, Karen Riley.
“But since children are still developing and have more life span left, it is not unreasonable to continue to investigate this issue,” she added.
When it comes to children, mobile operators and manufacturers have avoided the health issue and focused more on protecting them from pornographic material or bullying messages and photographs on mobile telephones.
Manufacturers initiatives
In December, Telefonica, which helped develop the MO1 and a more sophisticated version for young children, the Win1, announced a code of conduct for responsible use of mobile telephones by young customers. Orange and Vodafone also signed on, but the accord focused on controlling the visits of minors to sexual content.
French mobile operators — which are facing pressure on the issue — have been meeting with parent groups through their trade association, AFOM, which has pledged not to market telephones for young children.
The mobile telephone industry considers telephones safe for children, according to Michael Milligan, secretary-general of the Brussels-based Mobile Manufacturers Forum, which represents all the big makers.
“It’s really up to parents whether they let children use mobile phones. Most parents recognise the enormous safety aspects of mobile phones,” said Milligan.
Nokia, the world’s leading manufacturer of hand-held telephones, said that it shared that view. “There has been a lot of work done on the effects of mobile exposure over a significant period of time, and there is no scientific consensus that there should be any reason for the impact to be any different on children,” said Mark Durrant, a spokesman for Nokia at its headquarters in Finland.
Impact on health
In Europe, scientists are close to wrapping up a broad seven-year study of adults in 13 countries — including Japan, Israel and much of Western Europe — that ultimately could give more impetus and financing to research on children. In what is called the Interphone study, scientists have evaluated more than 6,000 people with different forms of cancer and brain tumours to determine whether there is a link to mobile telephone use.
The early results from some individual nations in the Interphone study have already prompted a few participating scientists to speak of a need for caution.
“Simple measures should be taken to lower the exposure,” said Siegal Sadetzki, who heads the Israeli group in the Interphone study and advocates hands-free devices and limitations on use among younger children. “I’m not against cell phones at all. This is a technique that is here to say. But we have to learn how to use this technique with reason.”
The Israeli study, published last May in The American Journal of Epidemiology, detected no increased risk of cancer among a smaller group of patients with tumours of the salivary glands, which are near the ear. But when the group was divided between moderate and heavy telephone users, the risk of cancer increased for people who spoke for prolonged periods and used the phone on the same side of the head.
Lead researchers caution, though, that they need to look at the total results from their wider pool of people.
While there is no specific evidence that mobile telephones pose a health threat to young users, researchers worry that there is still only scanty scientific information about the long-term impact of radio frequency electromagnetic fields emitted by mobile telephones on the developing brains and tissues of children.
In France the health minister, Roselyne Bachelot, has taken such concerns public, issuing an alert in January urging parents to limit use, reducing children’s telephone calls to no more than six minutes. Her announcement followed a similar warning by the Health and Radio Frequencies Foundation, a government-backed research group created two years ago to study the impact of radio frequency fields on humans.
“I believe in the principle of precaution,” Bachelot said in an interview. “If there is a risk, then children with developing nervous systems would be affected. I’ve alerted parents about the use of mobile telephones because it’s absurd for young children to have them.”
Research initiative
The French foundation is moving now to organise a broad international research project to study the potential risks for children. More studies are developing in other countries. The Mobile Telecommunication and Health Research Programme in Britain, which is financed by the state and local telecommunications industry, is in the early stage of organising a children’s study.
Another project, called Cefalo, is under way in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland to explore whether mobile telephone use increases the risk of brain tumours for children.
In January, the National Research Council in the United States also delivered a report — commissioned by the Food and Drug Administration — that reviewed existing scientific studies around the world and urged further research on the impact of mobile phone use on children and pregnant women.
“This clearly is a population that is going to grow up with a great deal of larger exposure than anybody else because the kids use the phones all the time,” said Frank Barnes, a professor of engineering at the University of Colorado in Boulder who led the study. “And you’ve got growing bodies and brains, so if there is going to be an impact, that’s likely to be a more sensitive population than others.”
Growing market
Every year, the average age of novice mobile phone users is dropping, hitting 10 years old last year, according to Scott Ellison, an IDC analyst who forecasts that the 9-and-under market will increase to nine 9 million users in the United States and $1.6 billion in revenue by 2010.
Telephone use is also getting more precocious in Europe, according to a Eurobarometer survey of almost 1,000 children in 29 countries, most of whom had telephones after age 9.
The youth market is particularly enticing because these customers treat their mobile telephones more like a companion than a device — or like a “doudou” or stuffed animal — as AFOM, the French mobile telephone operators trade association, described it in a report on customers’ habits in a summer survey. In general, young customers chatter more on the phone, spending more on the latest games, ring tones and wallpapers.
Government authorities around the world have taken different approaches to the health issue. The Health Council of the Netherlands concluded in 2002 that there was no special risk for children, while health authorities in Britain, Russia and France all urge precautions.
The current government view in the United States is that a review of scientific literature “indicates that there is no real suggestion that children are inherently more sensitive to radio frequency radiation,” according to an FDA spokeswoman, Karen Riley.
“But since children are still developing and have more life span left, it is not unreasonable to continue to investigate this issue,” she added.
When it comes to children, mobile operators and manufacturers have avoided the health issue and focused more on protecting them from pornographic material or bullying messages and photographs on mobile telephones.
Manufacturers initiatives
In December, Telefonica, which helped develop the MO1 and a more sophisticated version for young children, the Win1, announced a code of conduct for responsible use of mobile telephones by young customers. Orange and Vodafone also signed on, but the accord focused on controlling the visits of minors to sexual content.
French mobile operators — which are facing pressure on the issue — have been meeting with parent groups through their trade association, AFOM, which has pledged not to market telephones for young children.
The mobile telephone industry considers telephones safe for children, according to Michael Milligan, secretary-general of the Brussels-based Mobile Manufacturers Forum, which represents all the big makers.
“It’s really up to parents whether they let children use mobile phones. Most parents recognise the enormous safety aspects of mobile phones,” said Milligan.
Nokia, the world’s leading manufacturer of hand-held telephones, said that it shared that view. “There has been a lot of work done on the effects of mobile exposure over a significant period of time, and there is no scientific consensus that there should be any reason for the impact to be any different on children,” said Mark Durrant, a spokesman for Nokia at its headquarters in Finland.
Impact on health
In Europe, scientists are close to wrapping up a broad seven-year study of adults in 13 countries — including Japan, Israel and much of Western Europe — that ultimately could give more impetus and financing to research on children. In what is called the Interphone study, scientists have evaluated more than 6,000 people with different forms of cancer and brain tumours to determine whether there is a link to mobile telephone use.
The early results from some individual nations in the Interphone study have already prompted a few participating scientists to speak of a need for caution.
“Simple measures should be taken to lower the exposure,” said Siegal Sadetzki, who heads the Israeli group in the Interphone study and advocates hands-free devices and limitations on use among younger children. “I’m not against cell phones at all. This is a technique that is here to say. But we have to learn how to use this technique with reason.”
The Israeli study, published last May in The American Journal of Epidemiology, detected no increased risk of cancer among a smaller group of patients with tumours of the salivary glands, which are near the ear. But when the group was divided between moderate and heavy telephone users, the risk of cancer increased for people who spoke for prolonged periods and used the phone on the same side of the head.
Lead researchers caution, though, that they need to look at the total results from their wider pool of people.
Do Cell Phones Cause Cancer?
Origin: Some scientific studies have suggested a link between cell phones and brain cancer. Lawsuits and news headlines have fueled concerns that cell phones cause cancer, particularly brain cancer, and 30% of Americans still believe there is a connection, according to the Discovery Health/Prevention/ACS telephone survey.
Reality: This represents a legitimate area of scientific controversy and should not be dismissed as a “myth.” A few studies suggested a link with certain rare types of brain tumors, but the consensus among well-designed population studies is that there is no consistent association between cell phone use and brain cancer. Studies of potential risk factors for rare cancers, such as brain cancer, are very difficult to conduct. Comparing past cell phone use retrospectively, between people already diagnosed with brain tumors and a group of healthy control subjects is very difficult and prone to statistical challenges and to inaccurate recollection by participants. Studies that collect information from healthy people about potential risk factors and then follow them for many years to see what diseases develop are generally more reliable. Although some studies suggest there may be a small risk of cancer, it’s difficult to know whether these results are reliable or are the result of statistical problems or biased recollection by participants. Although it is reassuring that the majority of published studies did not find any danger of cancer, there is not enough information available to say that this concern has been disproven.
In general, news reports are more likely to emphasize the minority of studies suggesting something is dangerous, and consumers could easily have missed the reports showing no danger from cell phones because they didn't receive front-page coverage like the original reports.
What has been proven is that using a cell phone while driving increases the risk of having a car accident. So, keeping your hands free and your eyes on the road is a more significant issue for people who use cell phones.
No Apparent Cancer Link for Other Electronic Devices
Considerable research has also found no clear association between any other electronic consumer products and cancer. Cell phones, microwave ovens and related appliances emit low-frequency radiation—the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that includes radio waves and radar. Ionizing radiation such as gamma rays and X-rays can increase cancer risk by causing changes to DNA in cells of the body. Low frequency, non-ionizing radiation does not cause these DNA changes.
For people who are still suspicious about any possible health effects from cell phones, the Food and Drug Administration Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) offers advice to people concerned about their risk. Experts from the CDRH explain practical ways to minimize exposure to radio frequency radiation while using a cell phone. Also, there's the option of using digital rather than analog telephones.
For more information, the ACS book, Cancer: What Causes It, What Doesn't provides an educated perspective on what cancer health hazards people may face in everyday life, and what's not worth worrying about.
Reality: This represents a legitimate area of scientific controversy and should not be dismissed as a “myth.” A few studies suggested a link with certain rare types of brain tumors, but the consensus among well-designed population studies is that there is no consistent association between cell phone use and brain cancer. Studies of potential risk factors for rare cancers, such as brain cancer, are very difficult to conduct. Comparing past cell phone use retrospectively, between people already diagnosed with brain tumors and a group of healthy control subjects is very difficult and prone to statistical challenges and to inaccurate recollection by participants. Studies that collect information from healthy people about potential risk factors and then follow them for many years to see what diseases develop are generally more reliable. Although some studies suggest there may be a small risk of cancer, it’s difficult to know whether these results are reliable or are the result of statistical problems or biased recollection by participants. Although it is reassuring that the majority of published studies did not find any danger of cancer, there is not enough information available to say that this concern has been disproven.
In general, news reports are more likely to emphasize the minority of studies suggesting something is dangerous, and consumers could easily have missed the reports showing no danger from cell phones because they didn't receive front-page coverage like the original reports.
What has been proven is that using a cell phone while driving increases the risk of having a car accident. So, keeping your hands free and your eyes on the road is a more significant issue for people who use cell phones.
No Apparent Cancer Link for Other Electronic Devices
Considerable research has also found no clear association between any other electronic consumer products and cancer. Cell phones, microwave ovens and related appliances emit low-frequency radiation—the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that includes radio waves and radar. Ionizing radiation such as gamma rays and X-rays can increase cancer risk by causing changes to DNA in cells of the body. Low frequency, non-ionizing radiation does not cause these DNA changes.
For people who are still suspicious about any possible health effects from cell phones, the Food and Drug Administration Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) offers advice to people concerned about their risk. Experts from the CDRH explain practical ways to minimize exposure to radio frequency radiation while using a cell phone. Also, there's the option of using digital rather than analog telephones.
For more information, the ACS book, Cancer: What Causes It, What Doesn't provides an educated perspective on what cancer health hazards people may face in everyday life, and what's not worth worrying about.
Mobile Phone Heavy Usage Facts
Heavy mobile phone use may increase the risk of cancer, a new study has found. People who use a mobile for several hours a day are 50 per cent more likely to develop a salivary gland tumour.
The new findings fly in the face of many other studies that have failed to find a link between mobile phone use and cancer. Researchers from Tel Aviv University, who carried out the latest study, believe this is because other researchers have tended to look for evidence of a link to brain tumours only, and haven’t looked at people who have used a mobile phone for a long period.
Research team leader Dr Siegal Sadetzki says Israel is an ideal market to use as a test because mobile phone usage in the country is heavier than almost anywhere else in the world, and researchers can more easily see any effects from cumulative use.
“Compared to other studies, the amount of exposure to radiofrequency radiation we saw here was much higher. If you like, you’re seeing what could happen elsewhere ‘speeded up’ in Israel,” he has told journalists.
The new findings fly in the face of many other studies that have failed to find a link between mobile phone use and cancer. Researchers from Tel Aviv University, who carried out the latest study, believe this is because other researchers have tended to look for evidence of a link to brain tumours only, and haven’t looked at people who have used a mobile phone for a long period.
Research team leader Dr Siegal Sadetzki says Israel is an ideal market to use as a test because mobile phone usage in the country is heavier than almost anywhere else in the world, and researchers can more easily see any effects from cumulative use.
“Compared to other studies, the amount of exposure to radiofrequency radiation we saw here was much higher. If you like, you’re seeing what could happen elsewhere ‘speeded up’ in Israel,” he has told journalists.
Oral sex can cause in Men
ATLANTA: The sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer in women is poised to become one of the leading causes of oral cancer in men, according to a new study. The HPV virus now causes as many cancers of the upper throat as tobacco and alcohol, probably due both to an increase in oral sex and the decline in smoking, researchers say.
The only available vaccine against HPV, made by Merck & Co Inc, is currently given only to girls and young women. But Merck plans this year to ask government permission to offer the shot to boys.
Experts say a primary reason for male vaccinations would be to prevent men from spreading the virus and help reduce the nearly 12,000 cases of cervical cancer diagnosed in US women each year. But the new study should add to the argument that there may be a direct benefit for men, too. "We need to start having a discussion about those cancers other than cervical cancer that may be affected in a positive way by the vaccine," said study co-author Dr Maura Gillison of Johns Hopkins University.
The study was published on Friday in the Journal of Clinical Oncology .
Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is the leading cause of cervical cancer in women. It also can cause genital warts, penile and anal cancer - risks for males that generally don't get the same attention as cervical cancer.
Previous research by Gillison and others established HPV as a primary cause of the estimated 5,600 cancers that occur each year in the tonsils, lower tongue and upper throat. It's also been known that the virus' role in such cancers has been rising. The new study looked at more than 30 years of National Cancer Institute data on oral cancers. Researchers categorized about 46,000 cases, using a formula to divide them into those caused by HPV and those not connected to the virus. They concluded the incidence rates for HPV-related oral cancers rose steadily in men from 1973 to 2004, becoming about as common as those from tobacco and alcohol.
The only available vaccine against HPV, made by Merck & Co Inc, is currently given only to girls and young women. But Merck plans this year to ask government permission to offer the shot to boys.
Experts say a primary reason for male vaccinations would be to prevent men from spreading the virus and help reduce the nearly 12,000 cases of cervical cancer diagnosed in US women each year. But the new study should add to the argument that there may be a direct benefit for men, too. "We need to start having a discussion about those cancers other than cervical cancer that may be affected in a positive way by the vaccine," said study co-author Dr Maura Gillison of Johns Hopkins University.
The study was published on Friday in the Journal of Clinical Oncology .
Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is the leading cause of cervical cancer in women. It also can cause genital warts, penile and anal cancer - risks for males that generally don't get the same attention as cervical cancer.
Previous research by Gillison and others established HPV as a primary cause of the estimated 5,600 cancers that occur each year in the tonsils, lower tongue and upper throat. It's also been known that the virus' role in such cancers has been rising. The new study looked at more than 30 years of National Cancer Institute data on oral cancers. Researchers categorized about 46,000 cases, using a formula to divide them into those caused by HPV and those not connected to the virus. They concluded the incidence rates for HPV-related oral cancers rose steadily in men from 1973 to 2004, becoming about as common as those from tobacco and alcohol.
Cancer
Studies on cancer in relation to mobile telephony have focused on intracranial tumours because deposition of energy from RF fields from a mobile phone is mainly within a small area of the skull near the handset. When whole body exposure is considered, as in some occupational and environmental studies, also other forms of cancer have been investigated.
3.3.2.1. Epidemiology
What was already known on this subject?
At the time of the previous CSTEE opinion of 2001, most epidemiological studies on exposure to RF fields had examined exposures at the workplace. The overall evidence did not suggest consistent cancer excesses. With regard to mobile phones, only few studies were available at the time of the previous opinion and the short exposure period in these studies did not allow any firm conclusions. The few studies on residential exposure to RF fields from transmitters had serious methodological limitations.
What has been achieved since then?
In total, about 30 papers of original studies on mobile phone use and cancer were published in the last five years. Results are summarized in Table 2 for brain tumours and in Table 3 for acoustic neuroma. All but one study were case-control studies, mostly on brain tumours, some on salivary gland tumours or uveal melanoma. One was a large cohort study of all Danish mobile phone subscribers between 1982 and 1995 who were followed up for a variety of cancers; no increased risk for any cancer was observed but follow up time was short (Johansen et al. 2001). A recent update of the cohort study with an average follow up time of 8.5 years yielded 14,249 cancer cases observed in the cohort versus 15,001 expected cases based on cancer rates observed in the rest of the Danish adult population (Schüz et al. 2006b). The deficit was mainly attributable to smoking-related cancers, suggesting a healthy cohort effect. The overall relative risk estimates for brain tumours and leukaemia were close to one, however, only 28 brain tumour cases occurred in subscribers of a mobile phone of 10 years or more, whereas 42.5 cases were expected.
The Interphone study is a multinational case-control study coordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). It is a population-based study with prospective ascertainment of incident cases and face-to-face interviews for exposure assessment. With regard to brain tumours, results from the first four components of the Interphone study suggest no risk increase for meningioma or glioma. This is consistently so among subjects with less than 10 years of use. For regular mobile phone users of 10 years or more, no indications of risk increases were seen in three out of four components, namely in Sweden (Lönn et al. 2005), Denmark (Christensen et al. 2005) and the UK (Hepworth et al. 2006), but the German component does reveal a somewhat raised relative risk estimate for glioma (Schüz et al. 2006a). This increase, however, is based on small numbers and due to the wide confidence interval the result is not in contradiction with the other Interphone components.
In contrast, a Swedish group not participating in the Interphone-study, conducting several case-control studies using self-administered questionnaires for exposure assessment, has repeatedly observed increased relative risk estimates for brain tumours. In 2006, the group revisited their previously published studies and reported statistically significant risk increases for both analogue and digital mobile phones as well as cordless phones already after one year of use (Hardell et al. 2006). After ten years of use they observed about a doubling of the relative risk estimates, with the strongest increase for high grade glioma.
Acoustic neuromas, benign tumours that develop very slowly, arise from the Schwann cells, which enfold the vestibulocochlear nerve (VIII. cranial nerve). They are of particular interest because of their location. The Hardell-group from Sweden has in several studies reported raised relative risk estimates for acoustic neuroma, also with very short induction periods (Hardell et al. 2005b). Three of the Interphone components, Denmark, Sweden, and Japan, have reported their country specific acoustic neuroma results (Christensen et al. 2004, Lönn et al. 2004, Takebayashi et al. 2006). Lönn et al. (2004) reported a doubling of the relative risk estimate after ten years of regular mobile phone use compared to subjects who never used a mobile phone regularly. This association became stronger when the analysis was restricted to preferred phone use at the same side as the tumour. Christensen’s and Takebayashi’s results did not support this, but they were based on fewer long-term users. Five of thirteen countries of the Interphone study (including Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the UK) were pooled for a joint analysis to examine the association between mobile phone use and risk of acoustic neuroma (Schoemaker et al. 2005). While no overall association was seen among all long-term users (see Table 3), the data suggest that there may be an increased risk when the preferred side of the head of use is considered in the analysis. For 10+ years of use of mobile phones, the relative risk for acoustic neuroma at the preferred side of use was 1.8 (95%-CI 1.1-3.1). Because of methodological inter-study differences it would have been of considerable interest to compare the results across the six studies, but small numbers in most of the centres preclude that analysis.
All those studies are facing limitations in their exposure assessment, which was either a list of subscribers from the operators or self-reported mobile phone use. While the first method is an objective measure, it has limitations because subscription predicts use of a mobile phone only to some extent. Recent validation studies in volunteers comparing current self-reported use with traffic records from network operators show a moderate agreement, but it cannot be excluded that agreement is worse with respect to past mobile phone use or among patients with brain tumours (Vrijheid et al. 2006). Especially patients with high stage glioma showed some memory performance problems in the Danish Interphone study (Christensen et al. 2005). What seems to be reassuring despite these shortcomings is, that once the amount of mobile phone use is estimated with some validity, this is a satisfactory proxy for RF field exposure from these devices, as was shown in studies recording output power of mobile phones during operation (Berg et al. 2005). Laterality (side) of use is not easy to obtain in a retrospective study, as early symptoms may affect the side of use. Although some results are now available for long- term users, their numbers are still small and the results of the whole Interphone dataset should be awaited before drawing conclusions.
No striking new results appeared for studies on occupational and residential RF fields exposures since the previous opinion. While some positive associations have been reported from occupational studies, the overall picture is far from clear (Ahlbom et al. 2004). Many studies lack individual exposure assessment and only job titles or branches were used as exposure proxies. Studies on exposure from transmitters are limited by crude exposure measures and small numbers of exposed subjects, and the ecological nature of most studies.
Discussion
Mobile phones in relation to health are now being studied with great effort and in comprehensive studies, particularly in the Interphone Study. The results of the Interphone Study will soon become available. It has to be doubted, however, that the results will be entirely conclusive, as the first results from published national components of this study already raise a number of questions with respect to the potential of bias. Another limitation is that also in the current studies, long-term mobile phone users have had hardly more than 10 years of regular use of mobile phones, which still may be a relatively short latency period, particularly for slowly growing benign tumours. Among those long-term users, most were initially users of analogue mobile phone and thus, the number of long-term users of the digital technology is even smaller. Prospective long term follow up studies overcome both the limitations of retrospective exposure assessment and the latency problem and are recommended as a powerful long-term surveillance system for a variety of potential endpoints, including cancer, to fill current gaps in knowledge.
3.3.2.1. Epidemiology
What was already known on this subject?
At the time of the previous CSTEE opinion of 2001, most epidemiological studies on exposure to RF fields had examined exposures at the workplace. The overall evidence did not suggest consistent cancer excesses. With regard to mobile phones, only few studies were available at the time of the previous opinion and the short exposure period in these studies did not allow any firm conclusions. The few studies on residential exposure to RF fields from transmitters had serious methodological limitations.
What has been achieved since then?
In total, about 30 papers of original studies on mobile phone use and cancer were published in the last five years. Results are summarized in Table 2 for brain tumours and in Table 3 for acoustic neuroma. All but one study were case-control studies, mostly on brain tumours, some on salivary gland tumours or uveal melanoma. One was a large cohort study of all Danish mobile phone subscribers between 1982 and 1995 who were followed up for a variety of cancers; no increased risk for any cancer was observed but follow up time was short (Johansen et al. 2001). A recent update of the cohort study with an average follow up time of 8.5 years yielded 14,249 cancer cases observed in the cohort versus 15,001 expected cases based on cancer rates observed in the rest of the Danish adult population (Schüz et al. 2006b). The deficit was mainly attributable to smoking-related cancers, suggesting a healthy cohort effect. The overall relative risk estimates for brain tumours and leukaemia were close to one, however, only 28 brain tumour cases occurred in subscribers of a mobile phone of 10 years or more, whereas 42.5 cases were expected.
The Interphone study is a multinational case-control study coordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). It is a population-based study with prospective ascertainment of incident cases and face-to-face interviews for exposure assessment. With regard to brain tumours, results from the first four components of the Interphone study suggest no risk increase for meningioma or glioma. This is consistently so among subjects with less than 10 years of use. For regular mobile phone users of 10 years or more, no indications of risk increases were seen in three out of four components, namely in Sweden (Lönn et al. 2005), Denmark (Christensen et al. 2005) and the UK (Hepworth et al. 2006), but the German component does reveal a somewhat raised relative risk estimate for glioma (Schüz et al. 2006a). This increase, however, is based on small numbers and due to the wide confidence interval the result is not in contradiction with the other Interphone components.
In contrast, a Swedish group not participating in the Interphone-study, conducting several case-control studies using self-administered questionnaires for exposure assessment, has repeatedly observed increased relative risk estimates for brain tumours. In 2006, the group revisited their previously published studies and reported statistically significant risk increases for both analogue and digital mobile phones as well as cordless phones already after one year of use (Hardell et al. 2006). After ten years of use they observed about a doubling of the relative risk estimates, with the strongest increase for high grade glioma.
Acoustic neuromas, benign tumours that develop very slowly, arise from the Schwann cells, which enfold the vestibulocochlear nerve (VIII. cranial nerve). They are of particular interest because of their location. The Hardell-group from Sweden has in several studies reported raised relative risk estimates for acoustic neuroma, also with very short induction periods (Hardell et al. 2005b). Three of the Interphone components, Denmark, Sweden, and Japan, have reported their country specific acoustic neuroma results (Christensen et al. 2004, Lönn et al. 2004, Takebayashi et al. 2006). Lönn et al. (2004) reported a doubling of the relative risk estimate after ten years of regular mobile phone use compared to subjects who never used a mobile phone regularly. This association became stronger when the analysis was restricted to preferred phone use at the same side as the tumour. Christensen’s and Takebayashi’s results did not support this, but they were based on fewer long-term users. Five of thirteen countries of the Interphone study (including Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the UK) were pooled for a joint analysis to examine the association between mobile phone use and risk of acoustic neuroma (Schoemaker et al. 2005). While no overall association was seen among all long-term users (see Table 3), the data suggest that there may be an increased risk when the preferred side of the head of use is considered in the analysis. For 10+ years of use of mobile phones, the relative risk for acoustic neuroma at the preferred side of use was 1.8 (95%-CI 1.1-3.1). Because of methodological inter-study differences it would have been of considerable interest to compare the results across the six studies, but small numbers in most of the centres preclude that analysis.
All those studies are facing limitations in their exposure assessment, which was either a list of subscribers from the operators or self-reported mobile phone use. While the first method is an objective measure, it has limitations because subscription predicts use of a mobile phone only to some extent. Recent validation studies in volunteers comparing current self-reported use with traffic records from network operators show a moderate agreement, but it cannot be excluded that agreement is worse with respect to past mobile phone use or among patients with brain tumours (Vrijheid et al. 2006). Especially patients with high stage glioma showed some memory performance problems in the Danish Interphone study (Christensen et al. 2005). What seems to be reassuring despite these shortcomings is, that once the amount of mobile phone use is estimated with some validity, this is a satisfactory proxy for RF field exposure from these devices, as was shown in studies recording output power of mobile phones during operation (Berg et al. 2005). Laterality (side) of use is not easy to obtain in a retrospective study, as early symptoms may affect the side of use. Although some results are now available for long- term users, their numbers are still small and the results of the whole Interphone dataset should be awaited before drawing conclusions.
No striking new results appeared for studies on occupational and residential RF fields exposures since the previous opinion. While some positive associations have been reported from occupational studies, the overall picture is far from clear (Ahlbom et al. 2004). Many studies lack individual exposure assessment and only job titles or branches were used as exposure proxies. Studies on exposure from transmitters are limited by crude exposure measures and small numbers of exposed subjects, and the ecological nature of most studies.
Discussion
Mobile phones in relation to health are now being studied with great effort and in comprehensive studies, particularly in the Interphone Study. The results of the Interphone Study will soon become available. It has to be doubted, however, that the results will be entirely conclusive, as the first results from published national components of this study already raise a number of questions with respect to the potential of bias. Another limitation is that also in the current studies, long-term mobile phone users have had hardly more than 10 years of regular use of mobile phones, which still may be a relatively short latency period, particularly for slowly growing benign tumours. Among those long-term users, most were initially users of analogue mobile phone and thus, the number of long-term users of the digital technology is even smaller. Prospective long term follow up studies overcome both the limitations of retrospective exposure assessment and the latency problem and are recommended as a powerful long-term surveillance system for a variety of potential endpoints, including cancer, to fill current gaps in knowledge.
Current Practice in Mobile Work
Workshop Innovation Mobile Collaborative Workplaces February Rome Session Current practice mobile work Insights from European case studies Torsten Brodt University Gallen Liz Carver BAE Systems Erik Andriessen and Robert Verburg Delft Olli Martikainen Oulu University Adam Turowiec ITTI Innovation Mobile Work Rome Brodt page Agenda Introduction Mobile work how working Key success factors Discussion Innovation Mobile Work Rome Brodt page This workshop deals with the current practice mobile work and its actual enablers and barriers From the workshop announcement The objective this workshop bring together practitioners researchers solution developers and policy makers explore the potential for innovation and change supporting work practices particular will discuss current practice and future scenarios for new ways working address important societal and organizational challenges creating systems change Innovation Mobile Work Rome Brodt page The current practice assessment has two main objectives stay real and derive insights from the field Main objectives Stay real Keep the research efforts realistic and with two feet the ground what the state the art compared all the visions Where and why are mobile work environments found really novel the development evolutionary revolutionary Which organizations are waiting for what type guidelines Derive insights into potential technical organisational process.
Mobile Encountered Problems
Problems encountered by disabled and elderly people using mobile telephones
Blind and Partially Sighted
The decreasing size of handsets has brought advantages to many users but at the expense of small keypads, limited sidetone, and small visual displays that people with visual disabilities find inaccessible.
People with visual impairments often cannot locate or identify controls or input slots or operate controls that require sight.
Some people are unable to distinguish between certain colour combinations used on mobile telephone screens and keypads.
Photograph of a man with a hearing aid holding a telephone receiver
Hearing impaired
Users of hearing aids experience disturbances due to electromagnetic interference (EMI) from digital mobile phones. The rapid pulsation of radio signals from digital mobile telephones can give rise to a buzzing, humming, squealing or squelch inside the hearing aid.
Hearing impaired users cannot locate or identify controls that require hearing (e.g. a voice-based interactive mobile telephone that can be controlled only by listening to menu items and then pressing buttons).
Physically impaired
With the advent of smaller mobile telephones, people who have physical impairments may find it hard to hold and activate the buttons on a phone.
For people who are speech impaired, communicating using a mobile telephone in general and speaking clearly to activate functions by voice commands is not always possible.
Cognitively impaired
People with cognitive or learning impairments may experience problems with the operating systems of complicated mobile telephones.
Elderly lady using a mobile telephone
Elderly
Elderly people can often experience a range of difficulties with mobile telephones, such as those stated above: from the screen being too small to see; incompatibility with a hearing aid and too many complicated specialised functions.
Blind and Partially Sighted
The decreasing size of handsets has brought advantages to many users but at the expense of small keypads, limited sidetone, and small visual displays that people with visual disabilities find inaccessible.
People with visual impairments often cannot locate or identify controls or input slots or operate controls that require sight.
Some people are unable to distinguish between certain colour combinations used on mobile telephone screens and keypads.
Photograph of a man with a hearing aid holding a telephone receiver
Hearing impaired
Users of hearing aids experience disturbances due to electromagnetic interference (EMI) from digital mobile phones. The rapid pulsation of radio signals from digital mobile telephones can give rise to a buzzing, humming, squealing or squelch inside the hearing aid.
Hearing impaired users cannot locate or identify controls that require hearing (e.g. a voice-based interactive mobile telephone that can be controlled only by listening to menu items and then pressing buttons).
Physically impaired
With the advent of smaller mobile telephones, people who have physical impairments may find it hard to hold and activate the buttons on a phone.
For people who are speech impaired, communicating using a mobile telephone in general and speaking clearly to activate functions by voice commands is not always possible.
Cognitively impaired
People with cognitive or learning impairments may experience problems with the operating systems of complicated mobile telephones.
Elderly lady using a mobile telephone
Elderly
Elderly people can often experience a range of difficulties with mobile telephones, such as those stated above: from the screen being too small to see; incompatibility with a hearing aid and too many complicated specialised functions.
About Mobile Phone Usages
* In 2005 there were 55 million subscribers in the UK
* At the end of March 2005 there were an estimated 61.1 million active mobile subscriptions in the UK, of which almost 90% were held directly by the five mobile network operators
* There is an estimated 140 million handsets/SIM cards in the UK
* In January to April 2006, 30% of households possessed a mobile telephone that could access the Internet
* Research for the last quarter of 2005 showed that 36% of mobile owners used their phones to send and receive picture messages, up from 21% at the same point in 2004.
* Less than 40% of consumers who own a 3G handset actually use it for 3G services
* Around 40 million adults in Europe (around 9% of the adult population) experience problems using mobile telephones
* In September 2007, Britons sent 4.8 billion text messages
* In December 2007, Britons sent 57.6 million picture messages, up 50% on 2006.
* It is estimated that over 2007 a total of 52 billion text messages were sent
* Shipments of multimedia mobile phones in 2008 will exceed 300 million units
* In 2009 it is estimated that there will be three billion mobile phone users worldwide
* Sales of touchscreen phones will hit 200 million by 2011
* At the end of March 2005 there were an estimated 61.1 million active mobile subscriptions in the UK, of which almost 90% were held directly by the five mobile network operators
* There is an estimated 140 million handsets/SIM cards in the UK
* In January to April 2006, 30% of households possessed a mobile telephone that could access the Internet
* Research for the last quarter of 2005 showed that 36% of mobile owners used their phones to send and receive picture messages, up from 21% at the same point in 2004.
* Less than 40% of consumers who own a 3G handset actually use it for 3G services
* Around 40 million adults in Europe (around 9% of the adult population) experience problems using mobile telephones
* In September 2007, Britons sent 4.8 billion text messages
* In December 2007, Britons sent 57.6 million picture messages, up 50% on 2006.
* It is estimated that over 2007 a total of 52 billion text messages were sent
* Shipments of multimedia mobile phones in 2008 will exceed 300 million units
* In 2009 it is estimated that there will be three billion mobile phone users worldwide
* Sales of touchscreen phones will hit 200 million by 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
