Damn! Cell phones may pose cancer risk after all

The New Black · 05-31-2011, 04:12 PM

Cell phones may pose cancer risk after all.

Cellphone Use May Be A Cancer Risk After All : Shots - Health Blog : NPR

ninja dog · 05-31-2011, 06:22 PM

I got bored with having one. Guess it's a good thing.

Eilonwy · 05-31-2011, 06:26 PM

Well, some scientists did a meta-analysis of a lot of studies and concluded that this is an area that warrants further research. Cell phones very well may cause cancer, but as the article said the current evidence is "scant" and far from conclusive.

I don't think anyone ever ruled out the possibility of cell phones causing cancer. Cell phones come with disclaimers about possible links to cancer.

curlypearl · 05-31-2011, 07:40 PM

I read up on this very carefully. I am the absolutely last person to dismiss a brain cancer risk but apparently, if there is a risk, it is very small. Also, the media loves to sensationalize these stories.

ETA: If I had children, I would try to minimize the cell phone use, because the developing brain is much more susceptible to radiation than the adult brain.

RedCatWaves · 05-31-2011, 08:25 PM

I think if the link was conclusive, we'd all be hearing about a lot more glioma cancers than we are.

coilynapp · 05-31-2011, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eilonwy

Well, some scientists did a meta-analysis of a lot of studies and concluded that this is an area that warrants further research. Cell phones very well may cause cancer, but as the article said the current evidence is "scant" and far from conclusive.

I don't think anyone ever ruled out the possibility of cell phones causing cancer. Cell phones come with disclaimers about possible links to cancer.

this!

Also, the studies were done (there are only two that have shown a link to cancer) on the most extreme users of cell phones. They didn't randomly pick from the population at large. And even with these extreme users, risk is small.

it needs to be studied more. 2 studies does not a certain conclusion make.

curlypearl · 05-31-2011, 08:42 PM

I just read that unfortunately, the same risk (if there is one) applies to cordless phones.

Gahhh! Everything causes cancer. Living causes cancer.

Boomygrrl · 06-01-2011, 02:47 PM

Yeah, there would be an epidemic of brain cancer if this was true. Maybe in extreme cases??
I get all paranoid when it comes to my upcoming baby's health...better safe than sorry...but with my own? meh! LOL

I just don't like giving in to scare tactics and sensationalism.
And yes, life causes cancer, heart attacks, and all sorts of ailments. Moderation is the key.
I'm sure our computers, TVs, the foods we eat, the drinks we ingest, the minimal sleep most of us get, the lack or minimal exercise that most of us get, the air we breathe, the chemicals we put on our body (deodorant, perfumes, hair products, lotions) are all slowly killing us...slowly being the key word. In fact, we might die at age 85 instead of 86! or 97 instead of 96! Egads!!!

The New Black · 06-01-2011, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Yeah, there would be an epidemic of brain cancer if this was true.

That seems logical. But I've also heard that the incubation period for brain cancer(s) can be 20 years. And didn't it take even much longer than that for CurlyPearl to be diagnosed after she'd been exposed to radiation?

Poodlehead · 06-01-2011, 08:56 PM

"The study was controversial because it began with people who already had cancer and asked them to recall how often they used their cellphones more than a decade ago. In about 30 other studies done in Europe, New Zealand and the U.S., patients with brain tumors have not reported using their cellphones more often than unaffected people."

coilynapp · 06-01-2011, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poodlehead

"The study was controversial because it began with people who already had cancer and asked them to recall how often they used their cellphones more than a decade ago. In about 30 other studies done in Europe, New Zealand and the U.S., patients with brain tumors have not reported using their cellphones more often than unaffected people."

oh dear, that is terrible methodology

1st humans are poor introspectors
2nd memory is reconstructive (there is no memory book in our minds from which we pull out a memory intact, memories are always changing)

WOW how did this even get published? (or was it?)

The New Black · 06-01-2011, 09:32 PM

Yeah, self-reporting (from 10 years ago, no less) is pretty unreliable.

I think it'll be published in the Lancet Oncology in July.