A respected international panel of scientists says cellphones are possible cancer-causing agents, putting them in the same category as the pesticide DDT, gasoline engine exhaust and coffee.
The classification was issued Tuesday in Lyon, France, by the International Agency for Research on Cancer after a review of dozens of published studies. The agency is an arm of the World Health Organization and its assessment now goes to WHO and national health agencies for possible guidance on cellphone use.
Classifying agents as possibly carcinogenic doesn’t mean they automatically cause cancer, and some experts said the ruling shouldn’t change people’s cellphone habits.
“Anything is a possible carcinogen,” said Donald Berry, a professor of biostatistics at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas. He was not involved in the WHO cancer groups assessment.
“This is not something I worry about, and it will not in any way change how I use my cellphone, he said, speaking from his cellphone.
The same cancer research agency lists alcoholic drinks as a known carcinogen and night shift work as a probable carcinogen. Anyone’s risk for cancer depends on many factors, from genetic makeup to the amount and length of time of an exposure.
After a week-long meeting on the type of electromagnetic radiation found in cellphones, microwaves and radar, the expert panel said there was limited evidence cellphone use was linked to two types of brain tumors and inadequate evidence to draw conclusions for other cancers.
“We found some threads of evidence telling us how cancers might occur, but there were acknowledged gaps and uncertainties,” said Jonathan Samet of the University of Southern California, the panels chairman.
“The WHO’s verdict means there is some evidence linking mobile phones to cancer, but it is too weak to draw strong conclusions from,” said Ed Yong, head of health information at Cancer Research UK.
“If such a link exists, it is unlikely to be a large one.”
Since many cancerous tumors take decades to develop, experts say its impossible to conclude cellphones have no long-term health risks. The studies conducted so far haven’t tracked people for longer than about a decade.
Cellphones send signals to nearby towers via radio frequency waves, a form of energy similar to FM radio waves and microwaves. But the radiation produced by cellphones cannot directly damage DNA and is different from stronger types of radiation like X-rays or ultraviolet light.
At very high levels, radio frequency waves from cellphones can heat up body tissue, but that is not believed to damage human cells.
AP
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