There is a link between mobile phones and cancer: Radio waves emitted by devices ‘increase the risk of brain and heart tumours’, report claims
- Rats exposed to the type of radio waves emitted by mobile phones were more likely to develop tumours in their brains and hearts
- Critics: Extensive research on humans has found no evidence phones pose health risks – and new research not strong enough to raise concerns
Ben Spencer Medical Correspondent For The Daily Mail
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A major trial backed by the US Government has found a link between mobile phones and cancer.
The peer-reviewed study found rats exposed to the type of radio waves emitted by mobile phones were more likely to develop tumours in their brains and hearts.
British scientists today stressed that extensive research on humans has found no evidence mobile phones pose health risks – and said the new research is not strong enough to raise concerns.
The study found that rats exposed to the type of radio waves emitted by mobile phones were more likely to develop tumours in their brains and hearts
But the authors of the study, led by the US National Toxicology Program, said: ‘Given the widespread global usage of mobile communications among users of all ages, even a very small increase in the incidence of disease resulting from exposure to radiofrequency radiation could have broad implications for public health.’
The £17million trial involved exposing 2,500 rats to radio waves for nine hours a day, every day for two years.
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The researchers found ‘low incidences’ of tumours in rats exposed to the radiation.
Ron Melnick, a former National Toxicology Program researcher who worked on early stages of the study before his retirement, told the Wall Street Journal: ‘Where people were saying there’s no risk, I think this ends that kind of statement.’
But Professor Kevin McConway, an expert in applied statistics at The Open University, said: ‘It’s good that the US National Toxicology Program is researching these issues.
Other scientists stressed extensive research on humans has found no evidence mobile phones pose health risks
‘But these partial findings don’t cause me any real concern about health risks from mobile phone use.
‘There has been much previous research on this topic, some of which has found no evidence of any risk, and some of which has found limited evidence of a small risk with heavy phone use.
‘I don’t think that these results have moved us on from that yet.’
He said the rats had been exposed to levels of radiation far in excess of that seen by people who use mobile phones.
‘I’m not going to stop using my mobile phone in the light of this,’ he added.
Dr Rodney Croft, director of the Australian Centre for Electromagnetic Bioeffects Research, said: ‘At present, and particularly given a range of uncertainties regarding its results, the report does not provide reason to move from the current scientific consensus that mobile phone-like exposure does not impact health.’
Mobile phones emit radiation energy in the form of radio waves.
Tissues closest to the phone can absorb this energy – but despite many studies investigating the issue, none have found evidence that this contributes to cancer risk.
The closest scientists have come to highlighting a link was when the International Agency for Research on Cancer said, in 2011, that the devices could ‘possibly’ cause cancer in humans.
But even then they said there was not enough evidence to come to a clear conclusion.
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