Scientists: Mobile phones ‘possibly’ cause brain cancer

A WORKING group of experts has concluded that mobile phones could “possibly” cause brain cancer.

Members of the International Agency for Research on Cancer met in Lyon, France, in May.

The 30 scientists from 14 countries delivered a cautious verdict on “limited” evidence from a number of human and animal studies.

Most supported the view that radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) were “possibly carcinogenic to humans”. However, a few insisted the evidence was not strong enough. The findings were summarised online yesterday in The Lancet Oncology journal.

One large study, Interphone, published last year, found overall, mobile phone use was associated with a slightly lower risk of developing a glioma, or brain tumour.

But focusing on the top 10% of heavy users — those with total exposure times of 1,640 or more hours — revealed a 40% increased risk of glioma. The risk rose with increased exposure over seven years or more.

The working group also looked at a combined analysis of Swedish studies which showed that using a mobile phone for more than one year led to a 30% increased risk of glioma.

The level of risk rose as more time elapsed since first use, and also with total call time. More than 2,000 hours of use was linked to a 3.2-fold increased risk.

“The working group concluded that the findings could not be dismissed as reflecting bias alone, and that a causal interpretation between mobile phone RF-EMF exposure and glioma is possible,” wrote the scientists.

“A few members of the working group considered the current evidence in humans ‘inadequate’,” wrote the scientists, led by group chairman Dr Jon Samet, from the University of Southern California, US.

However, the judgment that mobile phone radiation was “possibly carcinogenic” was “supported by a large majority of working group members”.