The most definitive study yet could finally determine whether cellphone use causes cancer

Head-Sick Cancer-related brain tumors (yellow-ringed areas) can take up to a decade to develop. Living Art Enterprises/Photo Researchers

Nearly five decades ago, Americans learned that one of their most treasured habits—smoking—was lethal. This year, we could get more scary news, when scientists announce the results from Interphone, the largest-ever study to investigate whether cellphones cause cancer.

Interphone researchers are pooling and analyzing the results gathered from studies on 6,400 tumors sampled from patients in 13 countries. If the final results mirror the preliminary ones, the world’s three billion cellphone users might want to dial back their talk time. Israeli researchers participating in Interphone found that people who use cellphones regularly are 50 percent more likely than non-users to develop brain tumors. And a joint Interphone analysis from the U.K., Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland reported a 40 percent increase in tumor risk in people who use cellphones for more than a decade; the study found no discernable risk for people who have used cellphones for fewer than 10 years.

No one yet knows specifically how cellphones could cause cancer. The radiation they emit has too little energy to cause genetic damage, but some scientists believe that it may have indirect effects that cause cells to proliferate uncontrollably. But there’s no consensus on these theories.

Scientists like David Carpenter, the director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University of Albany, who spoke about cellphone risks at a Congressional subcommittee hearing in September, are looking to Interphone for a definitive ruling on cellphone safety but have expressed frustration over the two-years-delayed results.

An answer from Interphone is crucial for public health, Carpenter says. Although a handful of studies have been published on cellphones over the past few years, most have been statistically useless. For one thing, they surveyed too few people. Additionally, the majority of studies focused on the effects of cellphone use after several years, but in most cases brain cancer takes a decade to develop. Interphone looks at the influence of both short- and long-term use. That’s not to say that the study is perfect. Interphone defines “regular” use as one call, once a week. It’s possible that this definition underestimates the risk to people who use cellphones more frequently.

And what happens if Interphone reveals a definite link between cellphones and cancer? Will we find ourselves dependent on land lines again? Unlikely. The technology is probably here to stay, says Siegal Sadetzki, who ran the Israeli Interphone study: “We know that there are car accidents, and we still use vehicles, right? We’ve just learned how to do it wisely.”

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13 Comments

And you think that people will really care? They won't want to believe anything until it happens to them and it will be too late. Look at Aspartame that is in diet sodas and just about any diet product and you will see people's ignorance of the product and their reluctance to acknowledge the dangers. BIG MONEY and BIG COMPANIES will try to manipulate the data, the outcome and the government agencies, to make MONEY... to hell with the public good. Nothing ever changes. Now that's change you can count on!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELgW4KBY-o4&feature=related

"Nothing ever changes. Now that's change you can count on!"

actually... the one constant in history is change

Interesting, I wonder if they will ever discover the mechanism.

a3rdleg: your both right and wrong. The results of this study won't change anything unless the results are drastically more severe. Your wrong because it will be individuals choice about the dangers and it will be entirely rational. In fact, even a 100% increase in brain tumors would probably NOT be a good rational for abandoning cell phones, only for taking a few preventive measures...

The reason for this is that small risks can be greatly amplified and still be to small to care about.

For example: Say this study ultimately shows that brain tumors increase by an astounding 100% for heavy users! Current lifetime risk of brain cancer in the US is 7/100,000 so lets say we double that to 14/100000. This looks huge when consider the whole US population and 21,000 extra cases of brain tumors every generation.

That is a lot of people, but first consider that every day you live in LA you increase your risk of dying by 1/1,000,000 from air pollution (even with today's historically strict air standards). That's 70 days in LA to offset 10 years of cell phone use. If people were worried about that much risk, there would be some very deserted cities. Still worried about that much air pollution? the same 1/1,000,000 increase is about equal to every 300 km you drive (accident), every 1/2 cigarette (cancer), 3 months living in brick building (cancer from natural radiation) or every serving of alcohol you drink (cirrhosis of liver). Also, remember that the cell phone usage is over at LEAST 10 years of usage, and each of those things mentioned are for every time you do that activity! In fact, long term living in a brick building is roughly equal (a little more than) the reported 50% increase in risk of long term cell phone usage. Anyone about to start lining their old brick homes with lead?

In cases where your risks are already extremely low, it takes a very large increase (say 300-400%) to end up with an appreciable risk. Assuming this study confirms a danger, a few simple restrictions (like repositioning the antenna and adding some level of shielding) would statistically save lives, but overall the risk is still so low that individuals have no reason to worry about it.

First of all i would like to thank Melinda for paying attention to this very serious danger.In fact since the past years most people and even youth are complaining from irregular unknown painful headaches.I'm sure after a certain investigation the result will prove that all headaches are signals for tumor.

Why not use a plug in ear peace? "like head phones" and dock the cell phone on your hip using metal or something to block the waves from entering your body, I don’t know about you but id rather have hip cancer at least that can be removed with out damaging my brain...I know what your thinking the blue tooth’s look cool. If your one of those need to look cool people by all means rock on with half a brain.

This is scary. Since I was a kid I have not had a land line, and a lot of people have switched to using cell phones as their primary means of phone communication. Is everything around us in the 21st century cancerous? Everyone wants to blame cigarettes but there is just so much more going on environmentally that makes us so much more susceptible to cancers than previous generations were.

WOULD YOU STICK YOUR HEAD

IN A MICROWAVE OVEN?

EXPERT DISCUSSES CONTROVERSY
OVER CELL PHONE SAFETY.

Today there are an estimated 3 billion cell phones in the world. In Europe 80% of the population uses them, compared to 60% in the US. The US. Market is growing quickly especially among teens and children who are at the greatest risk. . All this points to one fact: cell phones are BIG business. Even though the health risks from radiation are being reported and the evidence is mounting, the industry giants continue to claim their products are safe.
Shelly Kalnitsky, an authority on cell phone issues wants to ask you three questions.
1. Do you now believe nicotine is non-addictive?
2. Do you now believe that cigarette smoking does not cause lung cancer?
3. Do the words “radiation” and “microwaves” sound like something you want going into your brain?

“The jury is still out on the extent of the long term effects of cell phones” says Kalnitsky “but we are discovering more evidence of cell phone dangers.” He points to an independent reporting site www.cprnews.com which documents hundreds of articles , studies and research on cell phone dangers under world news.
He discusses :
• How the industry suppresses negative stories.
• The increased risks cell phones pose to teens and children.
• Why current hands free kits are more dangerous.
• New products that can reduce the risk.
• Safety tips in cell phone usage.

Kalnitsky is an expert on the subject and can add insight on recent scientific findings as well as discuss protection devices such as shields, new hands free radiation free kits and safety tips that can offer a remedy for cell phone users.
561-989-9147

the director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University of Albany, who spoke about cellphone risks
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Dec 15 2006

Microwave Sickness / Deadly Electronic Weapons / Canada

Hello

When I worked in the diesel generator business,
I worked with a lot of communications companies all across Canada.
Bell Canada was a big one I did a lot of work with.
They have "standby diesel generators" at their central offices and all their repeater stations.
A lot of "national security" concerns within these systems.
I worked on a fairly large "fibre optics" project in 1996 into 1997 when I was poisoned for the first time in 1997
People within these systems have more than enough resources to make you "sick" if you ......"step on the wrong toes."
Lots of surlpus "microwave generators." and "radio equipment."
All with "no forensic evidence."
It just takes one "idiot" to put something together who does not like you.
There may be a union / non union theme to my problems.
I worked at a non union company, Harper Detroit Diesel.
I had no idea about "radio waves as weapons" until 2005,
......8 years after I initially got sick
I started my research project in January 2004 on the internet with the keywords "constructive dismissal"
in relation to my own problems at Harper Detroit Diesel.
I am not sure about ......"microwave mind control",
seems to be a lot of articles on the internet about this topic.
It does look like more and more people world wide are looking at
......"radio waves as weapons".
I think maybe thats because there is now so much "radio equipment"around the world with the advancements in "communications."
The problems with all these types of systems is the technology falls into the wrong hands.
Some real horror stories from people worldwide about this topic on the internet.
What an eye opener !

Gerry Duffett

3358-A McCowan Rd
Basement
Scarborough Ontario
Canada M1V 5P5

duffett52@yahoo.com,
gerryduffett@fastmail.ca,

http://gerryduffett.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general


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