Brain cancer fears over heavy mobile phone use

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http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/mobiles-greater-risk-than-asbestos/2008/03\

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A top Australian neurosurgeon says the world's heavy reliance on

mobile phones could be a greater threat to human health than smoking

and even asbestos.

 

Vini Khurana, who conducted a 15-month " critical review " of the link

between mobile phones and malignant brain tumours, said using mobiles

for more than 10 years could more than double the risk of brain cancer.

 

He has called for " immediate and decisive steps " by industry and

governments to reduce people's exposure to invisible electromagnetic

radiation emitted by handsets.

 

Dr Khurana also called for a " solid scientific study " observing heavy

mobile phone users for a period of at least 10-15 years.

 

" It is anticipated that this danger has far broader public health

ramifications than asbestos and smoking, and directly concerns all of

us, particularly the younger generation, including very young

children, " Dr Khurana said in a research paper published on the

website brain-surgery.us.

 

In a phone interview Khurana clarified the statement, saying he was

not implying smoking was better for people than using mobile phones,

but mobile-phone related health issues affected a far greater number

of people.

 

He said there were currently 3 billion mobile phone users worldwide, a

number that is growing daily, and people started using them as young

as three.

 

He said mobile phone radiation could heat the side of the head or

potentially thermoelectrically interact with the brain, while

Bluetooth devices and " unshielded " headsets could " convert the user's

head into an effective, potentially self-harming antenna " .

 

Dr Khurana, who is a staff specialist neurosurgeon at the Canberra

Hospital and an associate professor of neurosurgery at the Australian

National University, said there had been increased reports of brain

tumours associated with heavy and prolonged mobile phone use,

particularly on the same side as the person's " preferred ear " for

making calls.

 

Chris Althaus, chief executive of the industry body, the Australian

Mobile Telecommunications Association, rejected Dr Khurana's

conclusions, saying handsets were designed, built and tested to comply

with strict science-based guidelines.

 

Mr Althaus pointed to various research papers including a World Health

Organisation fact sheet on the issue, published in 2000, which said no

recent reviews had concluded that exposure to the radiofrequency

fields from mobile phones and their base stations caused any adverse

health consequences.

 

But the WHO said there were " gaps in knowledge " that required further

research to better assess health risks, which would take several years

to complete.

 

Further, Khurana said the WHO fact sheet was irrelevant in this

instance because " most of the worrisome data has been surfacing in the

last 12-24 months " .

 

A fact sheet on the NSW Cancer Council's website said there was no

reason for concern over harmful effects from using mobile phones but

relatively little was known on the long-term effects of

electromagnetic field exposure, so more research was needed.

 

Dr Khurana, who since 1994 has received 14 awards, said the time

between the commencement of regular mobile phone usage to the

diagnosis of a malignant solid brain tumour might be in the order of

10-20 years.

 

He said the link between mobile phones and brain tumours had not yet

been " definitively proven " because widespread mobile phone usage

commenced in the mid-1980s and solid tumours might take several years

to form.

 

" In the years 2008-2012, we will have reached the appropriate length

of follow-up time to begin to definitively observe the impact of this

global technology on brain tumour incidence rates, " Dr Khurana said.

 

But he said there was already enough evidence to warrant industry and

governments taking immediate action to reduce mobile phone users'

exposure to electromagnetic radiation and inform them of potential

dangers.

 

" Worldwide availability and use of appropriately shielded cell phones

and hands-free devices including headsets, increased use of landlines

and pagers instead of current mobile and cell phones, and restricted

use of cellular and cordless phones among children and adults alike

are likely to limit the effects of this physically 'invisible'

danger, " Dr Khurana said.