Latest Research Reveals Cell Phones Don't Cause Cancer

Q. I would like to get my 82-year-old mother a cell phone, but she remembers all that speculation in the early days about how these phones could cause cancer. Is there any new data on this topic?

Indeed there is. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that available scientific evidence, including World Health Organization (WHO) findings released in May, shows no increased health risk due to radiofrequency (RF) energy, a form of electromagnetic radiation that is emitted by cell phones.

FDA also cites a separate National Cancer Institute program finding that, despite the dramatic increase in cell phone use, occurrences of brain cancer did not increase between 1987 and 2005. Although cell phones can be sold without FDA clearance or approval, the agency monitors the effects the phones have on health. FDA has the authority to take action if cell phones are shown to emit RF energy at a level that is hazardous to the user.

The study reported little or no risk of brain tumors for most long-term users of cell phones. “There are still questions on the effect of long-term exposure to radio frequency energy that are not fully answered by Interphone,” says Abiy Desta, network leader for science at FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “However, this study provides information that will be of great value in assessing the safety of cell phone use.”

WHO reports that Interphone is the largest case-control study of cell phone use and brain tumors to date, and includes the largest numbers of users with at least 10 years of RF energy exposure.

Although evidence shows little or no risk of brain tumors for most long-term users of cell phones, FDA says people who want to reduce their RF exposure can reduce the amount of time spent on the cell phone or use speaker mode or a headset to place more distance between the head and the cell phone.

These findings should help put your mom’s mind at ease. There are also other ways besides cell phones to help your mom stay independent. She can remain connected to her friends and family with the help of a non-medical CAREGiver from the Home Instead Senior Care® network.

For more information about Home Instead Senior Care of Frederick County, visit www.homeinstead.com/627. For more about the study, visit http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm212273.htm.