Finally, A Definitive Answer On Whether Cell Phones Cause Cancer -- In 20 Or 30 Years

from the long-wait dept

Thu, Apr 22nd 2010 11:13pm — Carlo Longino

For years, there's been conflicting research on the health risks posed by mobile phones. For every study that found a link between the radiation from phones and cancer, there was another that didn't. Part of the problem is that the health issues that could be caused by phones can take years to emerge, and since mobile phones are relatively new -- and have changed significantly over the past 10 or 15 years -- so definitive research is a long and difficult task. But now, some researchers in Europe are embarking on a large-scale, 20- to 30-year study to examine just how phones affect people's health. They're looking at cancer, but also other issues commonly tied to phones, such as brain diseases, headaches, tinnitus, depression and sleep disorders, and will also be examining radiation emitted by other devices, like baby monitors and cordless phones. It will be great to have some more definitive answers as to exactly what risks we're subjecting ourselves to by putting mobile phones up against our heads, so be sure to check back in a few decades.

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Filed Under: cancer, health risks, mobile phones

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Anonymous Coward, 22 Apr 2010 @ 11:39pm

And when this study is finally released, we'll all stare blankly and think "Hey, anyone remember cellphones?"

Hopefully with a clean bill of health, of course.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Apr 2010 @ 11:41pm

Exactly What was a cell phone?
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bishboria (profile), 22 Apr 2010 @ 11:46pm

Other EM radiation?
What about all the other (man made) EM radiation emissions that have been bombarding us already for 50+ years, like TV transmissions, radio, etc? There's no escaping those what so ever.

This 20-30 year study will be probably be inconclusive unless they put a control group of people inside a Faraday cage for the period of the study.
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steve, 23 Apr 2010 @ 1:21am

Re: Other EM radiation?
faraday cages havent been used for ten years. So what is a faraday cage?
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Anonymous Coward, 23 Apr 2010 @ 1:59am

On Faraday Cages
A Faraday Cage is something of Tesla-day origin. It's designed to protect it's inhabitants from being hit by lightning. In the past, being hit by lightning usually resulted in instantaneous death. However, if you're in a Faraday Cage, you are protected from death.

An example of this is:
"Mismanagement doesn't exist in the entire Wallstreet district of New York, because it exists in a Faraday Cage."

That's a Faraday Cage.
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Comment Gimp, 23 Apr 2010 @ 2:01am

Re: Other EM radiation?
I volanteer for the faraday cage, as long as I can bring my gimp suit.

Oh thats right - David Blane already did this. So lets ask him....
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Another Gimp, 23 Apr 2010 @ 2:05am

Re: Re: Other EM radiation?
David's not done this yet but... Good idea 30 years in a cage without food. I'm sure he will jump at the challenge.
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Michael Lockyear, 23 Apr 2010 @ 2:12am

I suspect that it will be very difficult to control for other factors which may give rise to cancer: diet, environment, etc.

Heavy cell phone may also be linked to factors which may lead to cancer (example: stress), so it will be interesting to see how they separate causation from correlation.
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Three mobile phones, 23 Apr 2010 @ 2:32am

If mobile phones don't get you something else will. There has been no definitive evidence that phones will cause any damage but you can protect yourself with tools like phones shields.
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Anonymous Coward, 23 Apr 2010 @ 2:47am

Financial Humor is the cancer that kills /B/
I tend to think some people have a better understanding of this than others.

People like Dimon, maybe even Pandit who get out of the that faraday cage and maybe even travel coach every once in a while. Some of the best conversations I've ever had were with normal people.

It may take four or five trips before you find that 'one', but when you do, it will make it all worthwhile.

Tips for the non-sociable (Pandit):

1.) Don't give a business card.
2.) Just say "I run a small business in New York" What do you do?
3.) Don't talk about what you do, but instead ask about how the crisis has hurt/helped them.
4.) Pandit: "You know, I ran into the same thing. I had an account that Citibank sent to collections and they started contacting everyone I knew, even people from High School"
5.) Let them talk
6.) Say (Pandit): What really earks me is that Citibank returned to sender my bankruptcy discharge. Now they can claim the bankruptcy never happened, and sell the account to another party.
7.) Let the person beside you say that Citibank is a bad company to do business with.
9.) Agree.
10.) Go home and wallow in the sorrows of the company you run.
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Anonymous Coward, 23 Apr 2010 @ 2:52am

Financial Humor is the cancer that kills /B/
Bonus points if you tell them the only reason you filed bankruptcy is because of "Citibank"
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NAMELESS.ONE, 23 Apr 2010 @ 3:52am

what are we gonna do tonight BRAIN
same thng we do every night pinky
try and squeeze out of my cancer cells
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Anonymous Coward, 23 Apr 2010 @ 4:40am

Re: what are we gonna do tonight BRAIN
Yeah?

You know, [redacted]... oh nevermind.
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abc gum, 23 Apr 2010 @ 4:48am

Re: On Faraday Cages
Protection from lightning is hardly the only use for a Faraday cage.
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Anonymous Coward, 23 Apr 2010 @ 5:00am

Re:
What's a cell phone? uhm... what's a .... computer. What website am I on? Wait, what's a website? Wait, what's my name?
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Anonymous Coward, 23 Apr 2010 @ 5:03am

Re: Other EM radiation?
"What about all the other (man made) EM radiation emissions that have been bombarding us already for 50+ years,"

What man made EM transmissions.

"like TV transmissions, radio, etc?"

What's a TV? What's a radio? etc? Wait, what does that mean?
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Chronno S. Trigger (profile), 23 Apr 2010 @ 5:15am

Re:
You mean those little tiny round copper things that go over the ear holes on cell phones? Those same things that don't go over the parts of the phone that transmit the supposed radiation?
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Jake, 23 Apr 2010 @ 5:33am

Well it's about bloody time. Maybe it'll actually shut the tinfoil-hat merchants up this time.
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Anonymous Coward, 23 Apr 2010 @ 5:46am

Re: Re: Other EM radiation?
I can't remember if there is any evidence that cell phones cause memory loss.
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Bradley Stewart, 23 Apr 2010 @ 8:51am

If I Were To Guess
It was as I recall at least a decade ago I remember an article on the very same subject of cell phone safety. The article had something interesting in it that I had not seen and I don't remember seeing in any other article on the subject since. There were a couple of X-Rays taken of people heads while they were using these phones. One was of an adult. The second X-Ray was of a young child. In both X-Rays as I believe it is known by non-ionizing radiation was penetrating both skulls and the brains. The radiation penetrated the child"s skull and brain to a deeper degree as children have thinner skulls. If I were to guess I can't say how harmful this was and I know improvements have been made so I can't say how harmful this may be now if at all but I don't believe these devices contribute to good health.
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Duck, 23 Apr 2010 @ 12:25pm

What happen(n)ed?
bacon, wrapped in cheese, wrapped in chicken...
cigarettes...

i heard that water or the other water will kill you also. one of which is.... A WITCH!

--faraday cages havent been used for ten years. So what is a faraday cage?

I had something I considered witty, however, I have been watching too much footage of the good mister chapel as of late, and decided that I would not make a comment. Except for the previous and following:

On the tubes of various people (i'm looking at you), I am quite sure that you might find a video of someone on a... wearing a who?
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xenomancer (profile), 23 Apr 2010 @ 12:27pm

Since we still use analog...
Isn't this study missing the fact that cell phone technology AND usage is changing way faster than the sample period? For example: text messages. The use of text messages throws a wrench in to mix from the start. Without properly controlling for even (non-constant) rates of use other than zero there can be no statistical measure for relative use, making the entire study a waste of money.
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peter, 25 Apr 2010 @ 2:20pm

Wait another 20 years?
There is already a 20 year study carried out in Denmark

http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?no_d2=1&sid=06/12/07/223218

I think that if a study of nearly 1/2 million users over a 20 year period was not able to find a correlation, the actual risk is so miniscule that it is just not worth worrying about.

Are they saying that another 20 year study is really required.....or are they touting for a 20 year meal ticket?
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peter, 25 Apr 2010 @ 2:42pm

Re:
Phone shields are just about the worst way to protect yourself (even if there is a problem in the first place!). Using a phone shield reduces the recieved signal, which causes the phone to transmit at higher powers - a most idiotic way to try to reduce the amount of radiation. In fact I would go as far as calling these shields a scam.
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AF, 29 May 2011 @ 10:26am

test
ygy
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