Cellphone Use and Brain Tumors - Is There a Link?

The controversy between the use of cell phones and their relation to brain tumors continues without much conclusive evidence either way. Research studies done for more then 20 years seem to have yielded conflicting results. In some recent studies conducted, more speculation has risen as to whether adverse health effects are possible due to the electromagnetic waves coming off of a cellphone.

People who have been exposed to a type of radiation called "ionizing" radiation have an increased risk of brain tumors, according to Mayo Clinic research. Common forms of that radiation include the radiofrequency radiation from cellphones, although that has not been proven to be linked to brain tumors.

In a recent article published in the Journal of the America Medical Association researchers who used PET Scans to measure brain activity in 47 participants that held cell phones to their ears in both the on and off, but muted positions found that exposure to the in-use cellphone for more than 50 minutes increased brain activity by about 7% in the regions close to the antenna, thus causing the debate to continue on the hazards of ones cellphone habits.

The study measured the brains consumption of glucose, the fuel of the brain, in order to measure localized activity near the antenna area. This study showed that the human brain is sensitive to those weak magnetic impulses, although no link has been proven of an increased risk of cancer.

Dr. Nora Volkow of the National Institute of Drug Abuse said, "sensitivity does not necessarily equal harm". "In fact", she went on to say, "that it may turn out that the ability of this radiation to boost brain activity could have some therapeutic effects. Further study is needed to explore the potential detrimental or beneficial effects of such an increase in activity. Although this research has been mixed and inconclusive, the findings do reopen and make it impossible to ignore prolonged cellphone use and the concerns it may have on ones health," Dr. Volkow concluded.

Timothy Moynihan, M.D. at Rochester's Mayo Clinic, reported that years of studies on cellphone use and cancer have yielded conflicting results and currently there are no concerns about the degree of risk, if any, posed by cellphone use. A recent study suggested a possible increased risk of glioma, a specific type of brain tumor for the heaviest cellphone users, but no risk in brain tumor risk overall, according to the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Moynihan said, "it's possible that too little time has passed to detect an increase in cancer rates directly attributable to cellphone use". "The bottom line", he said, " no one knows if cellphones are capable of causing cancer."

No doubt this controversy over the speculation of cellphone use and its risk on ones health will continue. Both the American Medical Association and Mayo Clinic, where information for this report was obtained, I'm sure will continue to do studies to determine if there is any link to health risks in this somewhat controversial debate.

Sources:Journaloftheamericanmedicalassociation/cellphonestudy
cellphonesandcancerwhatstherisk.mayoclinic