Mobile phones a cancer risk? Depends who you ask and when

Stan Beer
Monday, 31 March 2008 15:40

Opinion and Analysis

I also watched as various media outlets printed one story after another based on studies that seemingly contradicted each other. For instance, in the UK, The Independent ran a story on 31 August 2005, titled: ‘Using a mobile phone regularly does not cause cancer, scientists conclude.’ The story led with: ‘Using mobile phones regularly for up to 10 years does not cause brain tumours, according to one of the largest studies into the link between cancer and cell phone radiation.’

Two years on, The Independent told a very different tale on 7 October 2007 which led with: ‘Research into the link between regular handset use and disease reveals the risks rise significantly after 10 years, despite official assurances that they are safe.’

This week we see The Independent running a report which resurrects the comparison between cell phones and cigarettes titled: ‘Mobile phones more dangerous than smoking’.  As near as I can tell, this latest media report appears to be written around the conclusions drawn by a distinguished neurosurgeon who has studied a number of scientific studies released over the years.

In essence, Dr Vini Khurana has come to the same basic conclusion as those Australian neurosurgeons I interviewed 10 years ago: cell phones increase the risk of brain cancer in a similar way that cigarettes increase the risk of lung cancer. However, as was the case with AMTA 10 years ago,  a UK peak body, the Mobile Operators Association is dismissive of the prominent neurosurgeon’s findings calling it ‘a selective discussion of scientific literature by one individual.’

As a regular mobile phone user, along with about 3 billion other humans on this planet, including most of my family, I certainly hope that AMTA and the Mobile Operators Association are right.  The alternative is too terrible to contemplate.