Since the advent of mobile phones, people have wondered if they emit radiation that can cause cancer.
Despite concerns, everyone has one.
even this important business monkey has one
Years of research has gone into this, but scientists still haven’t found conclusive evidence to suggest iPhones are baking our brains. And like microwaves before it (which do not, and can not, cause cancer), cellular phones are too handy to go without, even if they do pose a potential risk we’re not yet aware of.
Researchers are still out in the field, picking apart Candy Crush-enabled devices to discern whether they’re killing us. And thankfully, according to the NY Times, two new studies suggest they probably aren’t.
Two US government studies that have just been released, one in rats and one in mice, that suggest that if there is any risk, it is small.
These two studies on the effects of the type of radiation the phones emit, conducted over 10 years, involving 3,000 animals and costing $25 million, are considered the most extensive to date.
In short, rodents in the studies were exposed to radiation nine hours a day for two years. In male rats, the studies linked tumours in the heart to high exposure to radiation from the phones. Interestingly, female rats and mice of all genders weren’t affected.
Senior scientist at the National Toxicology Program, John Bucher, pointed out that the result cannot be applied directly to humans because even people who use their phones all the time aren’t exposed to this level of radiation.
But he also noted that the heart tumours in rats — called malignant schwannomas — are similar to acoustic neuromas, a benign tumour in people involving the nerve that connects the ear to the brain, which some studies have linked to cellphone use.
He didn’t seem too concerned with these results, and said they had not led him to reduce his phone use or urge his family to do so.
He also said almost 20 animal studies on this same subject have been done, “with the vast majority coming up negative with respect to cancer.”
The F.D.A. issued a statement saying it respected the research by the toxicology program, had reviewed many other studies on cellphone safety, and had “not found sufficient evidence that there are adverse health effects in humans caused by exposures at or under the current radio-frequency exposure limits.”
The statement, from Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, director of the F.D.A.’s center for devices and radiological health, also said, “Even with frequent daily use by the vast majority of adults, we have not seen an increase in events like brain tumors. [sic]”
So back to it you go.
