cell phone cancer : Cell-Phone Use Possibly Cancer-Causing, WHO Group Says

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A woman speaks on her mobile phone along a street in Beijing. Photographer: Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images

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May 31 (Bloomberg) -- Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields from mobile phones may cause cancer in humans, a World Health Organization agency said today, citing a review of studies. Shannon Pettypiece reports on Bloomberg Television's "Fast Forward." (Source: Bloomberg)

Mobile phones may cause brain cancer in humans, a World Health Organization agency said, citing a review of studies.

Exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields from handsets is greater than that from phone towers and base stations, Robert Baan, the senior scientist in charge of the International Agency for Research on Cancer  reporton the subject, said on a conference call with reporters. The fields are “possibly” carcinogenic, the same category as diesel fuel, chloroform and working as a firefighter, according to the IARC, based in Lyon, France, which classifies cancer risks.

This is the first time an agency working group has surveyed research on radiofrequency electromagnetic fields to make a definitive classification, the IARC said yesterday. The agency didn’t issue guidelines for cell-phone use and said more study is needed after finding some evidence for an increased risk of glioma, or brain cancer

“It’s not at the moment clearly established that the use of mobile phones does in fact cause cancer,” said Kurt Straif, head of the IARC Monographs Program, adding that the research points to ways in which risks may be lowered. “For example, the highest exposure is from voice calls. If you use text messaging or headsets, this will lower the exposure.”

Flawed Data?

Concerns have risen in recent years that cell phones might be harmful to the health of people who use them, according to the WHO agency, which said there are 5 billion wireless subscriptions worldwide. The U.S. Federal Communication Commission has said devices with a specific absorption rate, the amount of radio-frequency energy absorbed by the body, within a set limit are safe.

The IARC considers studies in its reviews that may have flawed data, John Walls, vice president of public affairs for the CTIA wireless industry trade group in Washington, D.C., said in an e-mailed statement yesterday. The classification doesn’t mean mobile phones cause cancer, Walls said.