June 7, 2005 – Cell phone users in rural areas may be up to four times more likely to develop brain tumors than those who use them in urban areas, Swedish study finds1.
To reach this conclusion, the researchers identified nearly 1,500 cell phone users diagnosed with brain cancer, from January 1997 to June 2000 inclusive. For control purposes, they matched them to as many other healthy cell phone users.
All participants then completed a questionnaire on the frequency of cell phone use over a period of up to ten years. The telephones studied were either analog (older, with a frequency of 900 MHz) or digital (1900 MHz).
Overall, the use of a digital cell phone increased the risk of developing a brain tumor by 3.5 times in rural residents compared to urban users, with this additional risk increasing somewhat in heavy users. . The use of a similar model – the older cell phones – however led to a lower risk increase than in the case of digital devices, and similar for both urban and rural people.
According to the authors of the study, the increased risk of brain cancer could be explained by the fact that in rural areas, digital devices, equipped with an automatic power regulation device, often operate at full power. to reach the cell phone towers, which are further apart. Cellular cells would then produce more microwaves, which would affect brain cells. Cellular microwave emissions are at their peak between the time you attempt to initiate communication and the time it is established. Researchers believe it might be safe to make a habit of keeping the cell phone away from your head during this short period.
In Canada, where regulations set the maximum transmission power of digital devices at 0.69 watts, the risk would be much less, according to Gabriel Merizzi, cell phone specialist at Norcom. “It’s the toughest regulations in the world and manufacturers have adjusted,” he explains. Most of the new cellphones sold here do not emit more than 0.5 watts, which is well below the international standard, set at 1 watt. “
Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
According to Agence France Presse (AFP).
1. Hardell L, Carlberg M, Hansson Mild K, Use of cellular telephones and brain tumor risk in urban and rural areas, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, June 2005, Vol. 62, 390-394. The study, in PDF format, is available at: http://press.psprings.co.uk [site consulté le 6 juin 2005].
