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Cell Phones and Cancer Risk- Task #2, Paragraphs 4 and 5
Paragraph #4: What has research shown about the possible cancer-
causing effects of
radiofrequency energy?
Although there have been some concerns that radiofrequency energy from cell
phones held closely
to the head may affect the brain and other tissues, to date there
is no evidence from studies of cells,
animals, or humans that radiofrequency energy
can cause cancer.
It is generally accepted that damage to DNA is necessary for cancer to develop.
However,
radiofrequency energy, unlike ionizing radiation, does not cause DNA
damage in cells, and it has
not been found to cause cancer in animals or to
enhance the cancer-causing effects of known
chemical
carcinog
e
ns
in animals (3
–
5
).
Researchers have carried out several types of epidemiologic studies to investigate
the possibility of
a relationship between cell phone use and the risk of malignant
(cancerous) brain tumors, such as
gliomas
, as well as benign (noncancerous) tumors,
such as
acoustic
neuromas
(tumors in the cells of
the nerve responsible for hearing),
most
meningiomas
(tumors in the meninges, membranes that cover and protect the
brain and spinal cord), and
parotid
gland
tumors
(tumors in the salivary
glands) (6
).
In one type of study, called a
case-control
study
, cell phone use is compared
between people with
these types of tumors and people without them. In another
type of study, called a
cohort
study
, a
large group of people is followed over time
and the rate of these tumors in people who did and
didn’t use cell phones is
compared. Cancer
incidence
data can also be analyzed over time to see if
the
rates of cancer changed in large populations during the time that cell phone use
increased
dramatically. The results of these studies have generally not provided
clear evidence of a
relationship between cell phone use and cancer, but there
have been some statistically significant
findings in certain subgroups of people.
Findings from specific research studies are summarized below:
The Interphone Study, conducted by a consortium of researchers from 13
countries, is the
largest health-related case-control study of use of cell
phones and head and neck tumors.
Most published analyses from this study
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- Fall '09
- Physics, Epidemiology, Energy, Brain tumor, cell phone, brain cancer
