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Do Cell Phones Cause Brain Cancer?- Comprehensive Review Related Links Top 7 Natural Cleanses for Your Brain Do Laptops Reduce Sperm Count? -New Study Cognitive Computing-Robots Are Getting Scary Smart How I Finally Cut the Cord and Went Cable Free Eating Orange Rinds Lowers Cancer Risk Soy Reduces Sperm Count -New Study Low Folate Harms Your Sperm Laughter Improves Erectile Function BodyBuilding-How Much Protein Do You Need? Whey Versus Creatine-Which Is Better? Zinc Increases Your Testosterone Level Fatty Diet Linked to Prostate Cancer Foods That Strengthen Erectile Performance Blood Pressure-What It Means Foods That Reduce Blood Pressure Penis Shaving Bumps-Home Remedies Yoga That Improves Erectile Performance April 16, 2010, last updated October 10, 2015 By Rory McClenaghnan, Contributing Columnist and Editorial Staff of MangoBoss The cell phone has become so essential that it's like an extension of our arms. We use them so much that sometimes it feels odd not to have one in our hands. But ever since their introduction some 20 years ago, the heat that cell phones generate -- and indeed the very wireless technology that makes them possible -- have raised fears. Do cell phones cause brain cancer? Do cell phones emit harmful radiation? Do the wireless rays that make cell phones work also radiate our brains? Should you limit the amount of time you use cell phones? First, some facts. According to a March 2009 Marist poll, over 87% of all adult Americans (and 92% of all those who have jobs) own a cell phone. But, deep down, we human beings very often doubt and fear what we cannot see. As technology moves further and further away from appliances with visible working parts, it is little surprise that people are suspicious of just how these things operate. Cell phones have also been implicated because of a number of high profile deaths from brain cancer of habitual cell phone users. More on these later. But is there any scientific link between the use of cell phones and brain cancer? Are cell phones dangerous to your health? Let's look at the evidence: Cell Phones Emit ElectroMagnetic Radiation When people talk about cell phones causing brain cancer, they mean that electromagnetic fields (EMFs), also known as electromagnetic radiation, are to blame. Plenty of everyday applicances emit electromagnetic fields – microwaves, radios, power lines and of course, cell phones. An EMF is an area that energy produced by electrically charged particles passes through. The amount of this radiation that actually passes through our bodies is measured by the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR). Using the SAR measurement, a cell phone exposes us to more radiation than a microwave oven. So, how much do cell phones "cook" our brains? Very little, it turns out. According to the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, the SAR level when you are standing 30cm away from a microwave is as low as 0.0056 W/kg. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has reported that the maximum SAR level found in a laptop was 0.55 W/kg. But the limit set on cell phones by the FCC is 1.6 W/kg. So cell phone radiation effects us far more than that from a microwave oven or a laptop, another reason for people's fears. According to a 2006 study by University Hospital, Orebro, Sweden, there is a link between EMFs and cancer. The research team found an increased risk of brain cancer in frequent cell phone users. There are however limitations to the study. Firstly, it was a relatively small study (10,652 people), and most importantly, it relied heavily on the participants filling in questionnaires detailing their exposure to radiation. This leaves plenty of room for human error and weakens the findings. In the same year a far more extensive Danish study contradicted these results. Researchers from the Danish Institute of Cancer Epidemiology in Copenhagan tested over 420,000 cell phone users. Of that number, over 56,000 had been cell phone users for at least a decade. The study found no link between cell phone usage and the risk of getting brain cancer. The results were commended as being reliable by Professor Tricia McKinney, of the Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Leeds. "The results of this Danish cohort study are important as they have analyzed data from mobile phone company records and do not rely on users remembering for up to ten years in the past how often they used their phone,” said Professor McKinney. "The large numbers of subscribers in the study mean we can have some confidence in the results that have not linked mobile phone use to a risk of any cancer, including brain tumors." Much of the weight behind stories linking cell phones and brain cancer comes from anecdotal evidence. World-famous lawyer Johnny Cochran died of a brain tumor in 2005 and his physician, Dr. Keith Black, believed cell phone use played a part, as the tumor was found on the same side of the brain as Cochran held his cell phone. "We do know that there is a significant correlation between the side that one uses their cell phone on and the side that you develop the brain tumor on," Dr. Black told CNN. This evidence was disputed and when pressed Dr. Black revealed he was only reporting what he had seen in his own patients, rather than evidence from a wide-ranging study. Celebrated businessman Reginald Lewis, former CEO of TLC Beatrice, also died from brain cancer, and many attributed his early death to his constant cell phone use, although without strong evidence. The last word on EMFs and cancer should go to the most authoritative work carried out in this area, a report by the National Research Council in 1996. A committee of 16 scientists looked into over 500 studies on the health effects of EMFs and found no conclusive link between a standard level of EMF exposure and cancer. Chairman of the panel, Dr Charles F Stevens, a neurobiologist, concluded: “Research has not shown in any convincing way that electromagnetic fields common in homes can cause health problems, and extensive laboratory tests have not shown that EMFs can damage the cell in a way that is harmful to human health." BUt EMFs are not the Whole Story All this is not to say that you should not be careful. A study for the UK government in the late 1990s led by William Stewart also found no link between cell phones and brain cancer but (along with many experts) advised that young people should not use cell phones often as their heads and central nervous systems may still be in a developmental stage. The 2010 Interphone Study --What About Radio Frequency Waves All of the above studies looked at electromagnetic energy. But there is another type of energy emitted by cell phones which does not produce heat. This non-thermal energy is called "radio frequency (RF)" energy. Does radio frequency energy emitted by cell phones cauise brain cancer? The results of studies are mixed. In the largest study of its kind, the International Agency for Research on Cancer examined the links between cancer rates and cell phone usage in 13 countries. The countries were Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The research team, led by Dr. Elisabeth Cardis of Spain, examined 2708 cases of brain cancer called glioma and another 2409 cases of a type of brain cancer called meningioma. The participants in the study ranged in age from 30 to 59. The primary objective of the Interphone study was to determine if radio frequency (RF) energy exposure from cell phones is associated with an increased risk of brain tumors (malignant or benign) or any other head and neck tumors. What they found is that, overall, cell phone usage has no statistically significant link to brain cancer. But, digging deeper into the study, you see something else. If you look at the segment of cell phone users who spend the most time on their cell phones, these users have a 40% higher rate of brain cancers called gliomas. This is the type of cancer that killed Ted Kennedy. How much time did these “heavy users” spend on their cell phones? The heaviest users reported spending more than 12 hours per day on their cell phones. The second heaviest users reported spending more than 5 hours per day on their cells phones. The researchers doubted whether some of the participants were recalling the amount of their cell phone usage accurately, speculating that perhaps the brain tumors had affected their memory and thus their ability to recall just how long they had been using the cell phones. As the report stated “Some subjects reported very high daily average call times and this was more common among cases than controls. Thirty- eight cases and 22 controls reported >5 h use/day and 10 cases and no controls reported ≥12 h/day. There is reasonable doubt about the credibility of such reports”. If we believe the participants,--and we choose to believe them—then super-heavy cell phone use did in fact contribute their risk for getting brain cancer. It’s also significant that the Interphone study found that gliomas tended to occur on the same side of the brain where the heavy users reported they held their cell phones. [ Editors Note: This article has been updated to include the May 31, 2011 WHO (World Health Organization) report on the link between cell phones and cancer ] On May 31, 2011, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer issued a report from 31 researchers which concluded that cell phone usage may cause cancer. The report did not advance the body of knowledge on the linkage between cell phones and cancer, however tenuous that connection is. The bottom line here is that cell phone use, especially very heavy cell phone use, has in been linked to a 40% increased risk for a particular kind of brain cancer called gliomas. Therefore, it just makes sense to take precautions.
The UK government has published "guidelines for safe use of mobile phones" for those who have concerns about exposure to radio waves. These guidelines are •Only make short calls on your mobile phone, and do not use it more than necessary. •Children should only use mobile phones for essential purposes and keep all calls short. •Keep your mobile phone away from your body when it is in standby mode. •Only use your phone when the reception is strong (this is often indicated by bars of energy on your phone screen). Weak reception causes the phone to use more energy to communicate with the base station. •Use a hands-free kit to keep your phone as far away from your head as possible. Update: In October 2012, The Supreme Court of Italy based in Romes ruled that a "causal link" existed between a man's brain tumor and his cell phone use. The man, Innocente Marcolini, is a 60 year old businessman, who developed a benign brain tumor after reportedly using a mobile phone for up to six hours a day for 12 years. At his trial, Mr. Marcolini's doctor, respected oncologist Dr. Angelo Levis, testified that the tumor appeared in the trigeminal nerve at exactly the site where the cell phone touched his head. Related: Top 7 Natural Cleanses for Your Brain Snoring Affects Erections Build Up Your Arms-Ideal Rotation Routine Top 7 Health Risks of Video Game Marathons Whey Versus Creatine- Which One Is Better for Strength Celebrity Workouts Foods That Strengthen Erectile Performance |
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