WEDNESDAY, Dec. 6 (HealthDay News) -- The widespread use of cell phones -- which emit electromagnetic fields that penetrate the head and neck -- is not associated with an increased risk of cancer, including brain tumors, according to a report in the Dec. 6 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Joachim Schuz, Ph.D., of the Institute of Cancer Epidemiology in Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues studied 420,095 Danish subjects who began using cell phones in 1982-1995 and followed them through 2002.
The researchers found that the subjects developed 14,249 cancers, which was no more than would be expected in the general population (standardized incidence ratio, 0.95). They also found that cell phone use was not associated with increased risk for brain tumors (SIR, 0.97), acoustic neuromas (SIR, 0.73), salivary gland tumors (SIR, 0.77), eye tumors (SIR, 0.96) or leukemias (SIR, 1.00), and that cell phone usage for 10 years or more was not associated with an increased risk for brain tumors (SIR, 0.66).
"Despite uncertainties in estimating actual telephone use, the consistency of the findings with case-control studies conducted in Denmark and in other parts of the world is reassuring," the authors conclude. "The methods used suggest that the use of cellular telephones does not pose a substantial risk of brain tumors among short-term or long-term users, but for the latter group, further follow-up is required."
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