Cellphones could be just as carcinogenic as the pesticide DDT or gasoline engine exhaust, a World Health Organization panel said Tuesday after reviewing dozens of published studies.
While studies so far do not show definitively that cellphone use increases cancer risk, "limited" scientific evidence exists to suggest that the radiofrequency energy released by cellphones may increase the risk of two types of cancers: glioma, a type of brain cancer, and acoustic neuroma, a tumor of the nerve that runs from the ear to the brain, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which develops scientific cancer-prevention strategies for the WHO.
Scientists have long debated the potential cancer risk linked to cellphone use, but this statement marks the first time an independent group of scientists has taken anything other than a neutral stand.
"My first reaction was, `But, of course,' " said Blake Levitt, a science journalist from Warren who has followed the evolution of cellphones. "The information has been there for a very long time."
But others say the panel's new classification of cellphones does not mean they cause cancer.
IARC ruled that cell phones were "possibly carcinogenic," the third strongest designation on its carcinogen rating scale. The agency's other four categories for substances or agents are: carcinogenic to humans, probably carcinogenic to humans, not classifiable and probably not carcinogenic to humans.
"IARC conducts numerous reviews and in the past has given the same score to, for example, pickled vegetables and coffee," said John Walls, vice president for public affairs for CTIA-The Wireless Association, an industry group. "This IARC classification does not mean cellphones cause cancer."
Bridgeport Hospital neurosurgeon Kenneth Lipow said before anyone throws out their cellphone, they should know it's a "very tenuous" link.
"There aren't any really good medical studies that absolutely prove there is a medical connection, and they put it in the same category as smog," Lipow said.
If anything, cellphones pose a safety issue, not a disease issue, he said. Many more people are hurt in distracted driving incidents than by the brain tumors they may cause, he said.
Kenneth Dressler, chief of oncology and hematology at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport, said existing studies have only examined the cellphone usage of people who already have brain cancer. He said a random sample of cellphone users should be followed over time to see how many develop brain cancer.
Because brain cancer tends to be slow growing and cellphone technology is just more than a decade old, it will take a few more decades until any substantial conclusions can be drawn, said Tarek Sobh, vice president of research at the University of Bridgeport.
Many cellphone users said they would not change their habits because of the panel's recommendation.
Teacher Judy Savitt, 71, of Bridgeport, said she thought the IARC's recommendation was blown out of proportion.
"At my age, it's not going to make any difference," she said.
Fairfield University student Craig Borge, 21, said he ignored the findings. "I don't really pay attention to that stuff that much," Borge said. "I don't really have enough knowledge about it. I'm not too worried about it."
Even if cellphones were directly linked to cancer, recent college graduate Sarah Tung, 23, of Fairfield, said she was unlikely to use her phone any less.
"It's my lifeline," said Tung who sleeps with the phone next to her pillow. "I go everywhere with it. It's how I talk to everybody. I don't know what I would do without it."
长期不当使用手机有致脑肿瘤的风险
科学家以前指出过，长期使用手机可增加脑部癌症风险。但世界卫生组织对手机的安全性进行的一项为期10年的研究得出的结论不再认为“手机确实会引发癌症”，因为相关证据不足以给手机的危害盖棺定论。虽然为了研究手机对人类健康产生的影响，他们在过去10年间耗费了1500万英镑，但是这篇论文的作者们不得不承认，还需要进一步研究这种影响，才能给出最终定论。
世界卫生组织的报告要在本周晚些时候才会公布，但是英国两份全国性的报纸在15日报道指出，它将援引科研证据告诉人们，在至少10年内每天使用手机不少于30分钟，会使患脑癌的风险增加三分之一。过去10年间，他们一直在13个国家进行这项“通电话”研究，它是迄今为止这方面规模最大的研究。
尽管大家清楚，当把手机放在耳朵上接电话时，手机辐射会被大脑吸收，但是，经常使用手机会危害健康的结论并未得到证实，这可能是因为手机在大众中普及的时间并不长。在2000年到2004年间，研究人员对近1.3万人进行了研究，查看他们使用手机的时间长短有什么不同。这些人中，有一部分人患有肿瘤，有一部分人的身体非常健康。
其中有些研究成果已经发表，这些研究显示，那些承认在10年间每天使用手机至少30分钟的人，患神经胶质瘤的风险增加了。很多人表示，长脑瘤的一侧，正好是他们经常放手机接听电话的脑袋一侧。
另外，这项研究的另一个发现也存在很大疑问：短期内使用手机事实上有助于预防癌症。即使论文作者也认为这种情况的可能性不大。对于这个问题，他们还要进行更多研究才能得出最终结论，他们尤其要在年轻人之间展开调查。
英国卫生部虽然在4年多时间里一直没更新相关指南，但该部指出，成年人应该劝阻儿童少打闲聊电话，成人应该尽量“长话短说，缩短通话时间”。其他国家也采取了相应措施，例如鼓励人们使用耳机接电话、利用发短信代替打电话，或者禁止向儿童推销手机。
