Scientists have long debated whether or not radiation from cellphones can cause adverse health affects, but a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) has found that mobile devices may increase chances of developing glioma, a type of brain cancer.
A group of 31 scientists from 14 countries attended the WHO/International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) meeting last week in Lyon, France, and reviewed hundreds of scientific articles to discuss the possibility that these exposures might induce long-term health effects, in particular an increased risk of cancer.
The concern for this has been escalating over the years as the number of mobile phone users has grown, particularly among young adults and children.
Although the report is not claiming that cellphones cause cancer, the scientists are calling for more research to be done to draw further conclusions about the health effects.
Working Group Chairman Dr. Jonathan Samet, of the University of Southern California, indicated that "the evidence, while still accumulating, is strong enough to support a conclusion, which means that there could be some risk, and therefore we need to keep a close watch for a link between cellphones and cancer risk."
The researchers included cellphones in a group of 266 other potentially carcinogenic factors, such as the pesticide DDT and automobile exhaust.
"Pending the availability of [more] information, it is important to take pragmatic measures to reduce exposure, such as hands-free devices or texting," IARC Director Christopher Wild said.
The scientists will be releasing a longer report on its conclusions and evaluations in the July 1 issue of The Lancet Oncology.
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