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Scientists at the World Health Organisation claim mobile phones pose a possible risk of causing cancer. Researchers from the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer sussed out hundreds of scientific studies and articles to conclude that radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, as given off by mobile phones, are “possibly carcinogenic to humans”.
The IARC panel
was made up of 31 scientists from 14 countries. Chairman Dr Jonathan
Samet of the University of Southern California said, “The evidence, while
still accumulating, is strong enough to support a conclusion and the 2B
classification.”
The panel suggests keeping a “close watch for a link
between cell phones and cancer risk” and calls for “additional research
into the long‐term, heavy use of mobile phones”.
Stuff that can and can’t cause cancer is classified into four groups,
from Group 4 — no evidence of cancer — to Group 1 — which means there
is extremely strong evidence that the item, virus or job leads to
cancer.
The radio waves from mobile phones fall into Group 2B, which
means there is some evidence but it isn’t yet convincing. Cancer
Research UK describes this group as “a bit of a catch-all category, and
includes everything from carpentry to chloroform”.
Further research is required to reveal whether mobile phones should be downgraded to the non-carcinogenic Group 3 or upgraded to Group 2A, alongside things that are probably carcinogenic.
A definitive answer is still elusive, as there’s actually a
relatively low number of studies on the subject, and in fact only one
study has monitored a group of healthy people to see if their phone use
increases the risk, rather than comparing healthy people with those who
already have cancer.
And there’s still doubt about what it is about
mobile phones that could actually cause cancer, whether external factors
— like phone masts or tree-killing Wi-Fi — are affecting results, and even how to
accurately measure someone’s mobile phone use.
Further research includes the MOBI-KIDS study, which will look at phone use in children across 13 countries.
In the meantime, the panel suggest using hands-free kits or texting to moderate your mobile use. You could also keep your calls short — or get an iPhone, and then you won’t be able to make any calls at all.
For a clear-headed and friendly guide to the issue, Cancer Research UK has written a blog post about the WHO report, and the questions surrounding the issue.
Are you worried about using your mobile phone? Will you be breaking out the tin-foil hat? Are you sick of us making jokes about the iPhone? Let us know in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
