Senator Ted Kennedy’s diagnosis of a malignant brain tumor is once again stirring debate ove the safety of cell phones. (Kennedy is an habitual user).
Doctors point to research that indicates a link between cell phones and three types of tumors: cancer of a salivary gland near the ear called the parotid; glioma (the kind Senator Kennedy has); and acoustic neuroma, which is a tumor found near the ear.
An Israeli study published last year found a 58 per cent increase in risk for parotid tumors among people people who relied heavily on their cell phones. And a Swedish study found the risk of glioma and acoustic neuroma doubled after 10 years of heavy cell phone use.
Prominent neurosurgeons have stated they do not use cell phones next to their ears: « I use it on the speaker-phone mode, » said Dr. Vini Khurana, a prominent professor of neurosurgery at the Australian National University. « I do not hold it to my ear », explained Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s chief medical correspondent and a neurosurgeon at Emory University Hospital. He also uses an earpiece.
Dr. Khurana says « it is anticipated that this danger { from cell phones] has far broader public health ramifications than asbestos and smoking. »
Would these warnings modify in any way your use of a cell phone?
Neil McKenty Weblog 