All clear? Use of cell phones does not lead to brain tumors

Long-term study over 30 years finds no carcinogenic effect of cell phones
It has been speculated for a long time whether mobile phones can cause cancer. Researchers now found that long-term use of cell phones does not increase the likelihood of brain tumors.

The researchers from the University of Sydney discovered in a comprehensive, 30-year long research that there is no increased risk of developing brain tumors when people use long-term mobile phones. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Cancer Epidemiology".

It has long been argued that the long-term use of cell phones can lead to health problems or cancer. A long-term study from Australia has now revealed that mobile phone users can breathe easy, cell phones do not produce brain cancer. (Image: Syda Productions / fotolia.com)

Study considered cancers and cell phone usage data
The researchers investigated in Australia the occurrence of brain tumors in the population. The study began in 1982 and ended in 2013. The physicians found that there is no statistical evidence of an increased cancer risk from the use of a mobile phone in humans. Over the 30 years, the results showed only a slight increase in brain cancer in men, while the rate in women was stable, say the experts. The team was able to examine data from 19,858 men and 14,122 women diagnosed with brain cancer during the study period. In addition, the mobile phone usage data from 1987 to 2012 have been taken into account, said the doctors.

Today about 90 percent of the population use a mobile phone
The share of the population using mobile phones has increased dramatically in the last 20 years. In 1993, about 9 percent used a mobile phone, in today's time it is about 90 percent, say the scientists. In fact, the physicians in their study found a significant increase in brain cancer incidence, which began in 1982, five years before the introduction of mobile phones. The increase is simply due to an improvement in diagnoses, explains lead author Professor Simon Chapman of the University of Sydney. Australia has been an outstanding area for the study because all cancer cases need to be legally registered, the professor adds. Previous research from the United States, England, New Zealand and other countries support the current findings.

Further studies on the topic are being carried out internationally
In 2008, scientists from Imperial College in London also began a 10-year study to find out if cell phones cause cancer. The survey involves 200,000 participants, of whom 90,000 are British. Researchers in Denmark and Sweden are also conducting similar studies. The results of the Australian study do not make these studies superfluous, but there is increasing evidence that the long-term use of cell phones does not appear to be carcinogenic, the authors explain.

Probability of a connection very low
The observed stability of brain cancer incidence in Australia between 1982 and 2012 suggests that the likelihood of such a disorder is not related to cell phone use, the experts explain. In addition, the observed increase in brain cancer in people over the age of 70 is unlikely to have anything to do with the use of cell phones, says Professor Chapman. (As)