Cell phone use may cause cancer: WHO
By Agence France-Presse, Updated: 6/1/2011
Mobile phone users may be at increased risk from brain cancer and should use texting and free-hands devices to reduce exposure, the World Health Organisation’s cancer experts said.
Radio-frequency electromagnetic fields generated by such devices are “possibly carcinogenic to humans,” the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) announced at the end of an eight-day meeting in Lyon, France.
Experts “reached this classification based on review of the human evidence coming from epidemiological studies” pointing to an increased incidence of glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer, said Jonathan Samet, president of the work group.
Two studies in particular, the largest conducted over the last decade, showed a higher risk “in those that had the most intensive use of such phones,” he said in a telephone news conference.
Some individuals tracked in the studies had used their phones for an average of 30 minutes per day over a period of 10 years.
“We simply don’t know what might happen as people use their phones over longer time periods, possibly over a lifetime,” Samet said.
There are about five billion mobile phones registered in the world. The number of phones and the average time spent using them have both climbed steadily in recent years.
The CTIA-The Wireless Association dismissed the report saying the UN agency “conducts numerous reviews and in the past has given the same score to, for example, pickled vegetables and coffee.” Reax: Industry disputes report on cell phone cancer link
This classification “does not mean cell phones cause cancer,” the industry association said in a statement, noting that “limited evidence from statistical studies can be found even though bias and other data flaws may be the basis for the results.”
The IARC cautioned that current scientific evidence showed only a possible link, not a proven one, between wireless devices and cancers.
“There is some evidence of increased risk of glioma” and another form of non-malignant tumour called acoustic neuroma, said Kurt Straif, the scientist in charge of editing the IARC reports on potentially carcinogenic agents.
“But it is not at the moment clearly established that the use of mobile phones does in fact cause cancer in humans,” he said.
The IARC does not issue formal recommendations, but experts pointed to a number of ways consumers can reduce risk.
“What probably entails some of the highest exposure is using your mobile for voice calls,” Straif said.
“If you use it for texting, or as a hands-free set for voice calls, this is clearly lowering the exposure by at least an order of magnitude,” or by tenfold, he said.
A year ago the IARC concluded that there was no link between cell phones and brain cancer, but that earlier report was criticised as based on data that was out of date.
The new review, conducted by a panel of 31 scientists from 14 countries, was reached on the basis of a “full consensus,” said Robert Baan, in charge of the written report, yet to be released.
“This is the first scientific evaluation of all the literature published on the topic with regard to increased risk of cancer,” he said.
But the panel stressed the need for more research, pointing to incomplete data, evolving technology and changing consumer habits.
“There’s an improvement in the technology in terms of lower emissions but at the same time we see increased use, so it is hard to know how the two balance out,” Baan noted.
The IARC ranks potentially cancer-causing elements as carcinogenic, probably carcinogenic, possibly carcinogenic or “probably not carcinogenic”. It can also determine that a material is “not classifiable”.
Cigarettes, sunbeds and asbestos, for example, fall in “Group 1”, the top threat category.
Cell phones now join glass wool and gasoline exhaust in Group 2B as “possibly carcinogenic”.
Industry groups reacted cautiously, pointing to other common consumer items — including coffee and vegetables pickled in chemicals — that are included in the same category.
“In France, the health ministry already applies a precautionary approach to cell phones because it considers that no danger has been established, that doubts remain and, thus, that more research is needed,” the French Federation of Telecoms said in a statement.
Some consumer advocacy groups said the new classification was overdue.
“As of today, no one can say the risk does not exist, and now everyone — politicians, telecoms, employers, consumers and parents — have to take this into account,” said Janine Le Calvez, head of PRIARTEM, a consumer advocacy group concerned with cell phone safety.
Source: http://news.malaysia.msn.com/top-stories/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4892940
Please support us so that we can continue to bring you more Dharma:
If you are in the United States, please note that your offerings and contributions are tax deductible. ~ the tsemrinpoche.com blog team
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article. Whether or not the cell phone causes cancer, we must take our own precautions. And that is by limiting ourselves on the time talking on the phone. We also need to change our habits. For me, I prefer texting than talking on the cell phone because after a while, my ears will get hot and it is uncomfortable. Normally, I will only make phone calls when it’s urgent.
With folded palms,
Vivian
Coffee is on the same “danger” list as cell phones. I especially like the way in which the actual study talks of damage occurring after “decades of use” – a particularly vague term, since simply living for decades will eventually result in death.
Scary but long expected. Lots of political and commercial red tapes before the test results are published. However, we do not need scientific proof to tell us of the danger cell phones posed over long use in talking time.
If I can avoid, I try not to talk long on the cell phone. The old fashion telephone is safer.
Most things in this world can become objects of harm to us if not used or consumed properly. If we take things to the extreme, even water can harm us.
I think it is about minimizing the dangers if we cannot live or do without it. Warnings from health studies about certain products etc may or may not be accurate depending on individuals as all of us have different genetic make up, fitness n immunity levels, habits and living environments.
If we happen to be a frequent consumer or user of such products, it makes sense to reduce our exposure to them or find alternatives. Wiser to err on the safe side. If we can’t change , at least we should thank those who had sounded out the warning for us to make a conscious decision.
I get the impression – as with so many revelations – this amounts, on the whole, to good old-fashioned scaremongering. Not that I say there’s no truth in the research (I don’t know either way, I’m not a scientist), but the talk of possibility and potential is just too vague for me. Possibly, I could potentially become an astronaut. Most likely, I won’t.
The advent of microwaves caused this same panic. And yes, there could be a possibility of cell phones causing cancer over decades of continual use. If you eat enough meat, you can develop colon cancer. There is a risk of cancer if you use body sprays, cologne or live in a city where exhaust fumes are high in volume…there is a countless number of every day things can cause all sorts of problems to our health.
But the problem with stories like these is that there is the danger of causing undue worry and stress to a number of people who may very well ditch the cell phone and all its dangers, while turning ironically turning to their favourite brand of cigarettes to calm their nerves.
For me, the reality is that, unless you’re willing to live a monastic or Amish life, your health will be vulnerable to all sorts of risks day-in, day-out. But even monks and the Amish get ill. As the line in Fight Club goes, “On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.”
Throughout today, I’ve been hearing discussions about this story, which was fun for a time. However, it was quite interesting for me to see that those who appeared genuinely concerned about the news walked away with their cell phones still tight to their ears…
Kind regards,
Sandy
Thank you, Rinpoche, for sharing this with us. In this day and time, the mobile phone is indispensable to us.It’s a means by which we can keep in close touch with people, especially close friends and relatives.However, I agree that the best and safest approach is to text messages to people as much as we can and call them as little as we can.
Personally I do believe there is such risk of cancer to the brain casued by close contact with these electromagnetic fields generated by using cell phones. In fact, it is proven that any electromagnetic field generated, be it from a high tension tower, x-ray machine, can cause harm to the human body if there is a constant or extended exposure. The key point here, I think concerns with how often you are exposed to these electromgnetic field.
For City dwellers like many of us, we use the handphone almost 24/7. So even though with better technology of phones that emit less electromagnetic fields, the frequency and duration of exposure is on the rise. We have to pay attention to the “long term” effect, which has yet to be evaluated and proven.
A lot of us charge our phones at night near our bedside table. I have also heard that it is advisable to switch off your phones when charging at night to avoid exposure to electromagnetic field during your 8 hours of sleep.
Try the middle way, balance it out, try to text message rather than calling someone, or switch off your phone when charging at night, if you can’t switch it off for some reasons, at least place the phone away from your bed when charging. Afterall, phones are devices meant to connect people together, we need them but at least we do our best to minimize the potential harm they may bring.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this with us.
Thank you so much for the article Rinpoche.
Very strange because my friend posted a very similar one just today which I tried to respond to.
I will post the relevant links and my response (which was not to a high lama like yourself, or even Buddhists, at the time) in attempt to help others by elaborating.
Initial sources: 1) http://www.facebook.com/jeffrey.kotyk/posts/195212610510978 , 2) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13608444 , 3) http://kimknight101.wordpress.com/2010/02/04/the-startling-effects-of-wifi-wireless-appliances/
“I remember someone who was (for lack of a better word) a “healer” scheduled to visit a Buddhist FPMT center near me. I didn’t go to it, but one of the conditions in the description of the event was that all cell phones must be turned off. Also she typically lived in secluded high-altitude places where there wasn’t electromagnetic waves like cell phones and so forth, she claimed it affected her mind.
I personally am very skeptical about this, with just brief experience in learning about electromagnetic waves. They come from everywhere, the sun, space, our bodies, electricity, etc. The element to look at is which frequency, as any frequency above our visible light spectrum has the potential to affect the body and create free radical damage. Our bodies emit infrared radiation (just from the kinetic energy/heat of the molecules) that is higher frequency than cell phones: http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/cell-phone-radiation1.htm
If something about (older maybe?) cell phone is creating free radical damage then there is something wrong. Maybe the transmitter sucks. I used to put one of those radiation absorbing things over my ear piece, it doesn’t affect call signals at all, but can absorb other radiation. However I don’t think we can start classifying wireless signals as harmful, or even claim it affects the brain. I personally just don’t buy it. It’s like how people say the moon’s gravity affects the brain. Even if it does it’s like come on, eat some omega 3s, work out, meditate, it will have a greater positive effect than moving to the mountains.”
I’d also like to add you can buy these small “stickers” to your cell phone which absorb abnormal radiation at the “speaker” end. I suspected the cancer phenomenon is a result of older phones but either way a person (especially a Mahayana practitioner) should live as long as possible so why risk it. I hope this is beneficial in some way.