Dec. 19, 2000-- A new study released today says there is NO evidence that cellular telephones increase your risk for brain cancer.
The news is good for millions of habitual cell phone users, but scientists warn this study does not necessarily measure all of the possible long term effects of portable phones.
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Science Specialist Ed Yeates has the story.
The study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found no evidence that electrical energy from the antenna of a cell phone increases the risk for brain cancer.
JOSHUA MUSCAT, AMERICAN HEALTH FOUNDATION: "WE FOUND THAT REGARDLESS OF HOW FREQUENTLY THE PHONES WERE USED PER MONTH OR HOW MANY YEARS THAT THE PHONES WERE USED, THERE WASN'T ANY RELATIONSHIP WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF BRAIN CANCER."
The study involved 900 people, some with cancer, some without! If the theory is true, you would expect to find more brain tumors among heavy users of cellular phones. It didn't happen!
But researchers say there're still a lot of if's, even though new generation digital phones may pose less of a risk.
ED YEATES, SCIENCE SPECIALIST: "DIGITAL PHONES REQUIRE A LOT LESS ENERGY - ONE-HALF TO ONE-FIFTH LESS THAN THE OLD ANALOG PHONES. BUT IT'S THE FUTURE LONG-TERM USE AND CONTINUAL PLACEMENT OF THE PHONE AGAINST THE HEAD - THAT'S STILL IN QUESTION."
JOSHUA MUSCAT, AMERICAN HEALTH FOUNDATION: "BUT WE NEED TO KEEP IN MIND THAT CELL PHONES HAVE ONLY BEEN AROUND FOR A FEW YEARS AND SO MOST PEOPLE WHO HAVE USED CELL PHONES HAVE USED THEM ON AN AVERAGE FOR ABOUT TWO OR THREE YEARS."
That's not enough time to measure the possible growth of slow-growing tumors. University of Utah cell phone researcher Dr. Om Gandhi told Eyewitness News six months ago, long-term studies are essential.
DR. OM GANDHI, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH: "IN ANOTHER FIVE TO SEVEN YEARS, 90 PERCENT OF THE PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES WILL BE USING WIRELESS TYPE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS. SO THERE IS A REAL NEED FOR RESEARCH - CONTINUING RESEARCH."
Studies are now underway in several European countries which primarily use digital telecommunication networks.
Some researchers believe radio frequency fields from digital phones might have a different effect on brain tissue than the old analog phones.
