Medical professions attending a congressional hearing this week have said that a large-scale study of the long-term health effects of cell phones needs to be carried out, especially in children.  During a hearing before the House subcommittee on domestic policy, Ronald Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute discussed how cell phones affect adult and growing brains.

Herberman used model brains of an adult and a 5-year-old, each with a cell phone held to a corresponding ear to demonstrate that while cell phone radiation travels two inches into the adult brain, it reaches far beyond the center of a child’s brain. “I cannot tell this committee that cell phones are dangerous, but I certainly can’t tell you they are safe,” said Herberman.  Herberman recently made news with his much-publicized memo urging his 3,000 staffers to limit their and their children’s cell-phone use.  “We urgently need to do a study [to resolve this question],” he told the subcommittee, which was chaired by Representative Dennis Kucinich (Democrat-Ohio). (more…)

Children and teens who use cell phones are five times more likely to get brain cancer, according to a new study.  The new research raises fears that today’s young people may suffer an “epidemic” of the brain cancer in later life.

Concern has been growing about the health risks of cell phone use for some time.  In July, the director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and UPMC Cancer Centers issued an internal advisory memo to about 3,000 faculty and staff members advising them to take precautions to avoid the possible cancer risks of cell phones.  It marked the first time that a major U.S. cancer center had ever issued such an advisory.  The memo advised that children - whose brains are still developing - only use cell phones in emergencies. Adults should keep the phone away from the head and use the speakerphone or a wireless headset, the memo said. (more…)

Dr. Ronald Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and UPMC Cancer Centers, very recently made headlines by issuing a staff advisory on the potential cancer risks of cell phone use.  Now Herberman is looking to create a research project focusing on long-term cell phone users.  Last week’s announcement represented the first time a U.S. cancer center director issued an advisory to staff and faculty on the potential health risks of cell phone use.

Herberman said he is talking with others, including a researcher at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and Dr. Devra Davis, director of the Pitt cancer institute’s Center for Environmental Oncology.  “We don’t want to frighten people.  We want them to take precautions,” Davis announced on CNN’s “Larry King Live.”  Herberman is hoping to secure phone records from cell phone companies or customers so that the research can better identify long-term users who might be at increased risk for health problems, such as brain tumors.   Herberman pointed out other studies’ research tends to rely on user recollections.  Herberman plans to seek funding from organizations such as the National Cancer Institute, once a proposal is developed. (more…)

The head of one of the country’s top cancer centers has warned his staff that cell phones could be dangerous to their health. Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, the director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and UPMC Cancer Centers, issued an internal advisory memo to about 3,000 faculty and staff members advising them to take precautions to avoid the possible cancer risks of cell phones.

Scientists and the federal government have been studying the effects of radiation for years and have established guidelines with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to limit the amount of exposure. Cell phones emit radiofrequency energy, a type of radiation that is a form of electromagnetic radiation, according to the National Cancer Institute. Though studies are being done to see if there is a link between it and tumors of the brain and central nervous system, and so far, findings have been inconclusive. (more…)

Scientists have still not been able to say whether or not cell phone use increases the chances of developing cancer or health problems. The uncertainty over the health effects of cell phone use has created a great deal of controversy, and has left both consumers and medical professionals confused over the possible hazards of these now ubiquitous devices.

Earlier this year, an Australian neurosurgeon published a paper on the Internet saying cell phone use “has far broader public health ramifications than asbestos and smoking.” The doctor, Vini Khurana, analyzed data from more than 100 studies, and concluded that most weren’t long enough to uncover a risk of brain cancer and that children haven’t been adequately studied (more…)

Cell phones and their health consequences have become an increasing source of worry, especially as use of the wireless devices has increased exponentially in the last several years. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is no calling for a re-examination of cell phone health risks saying that past studies related to cell phone radiation need to be re-examined given the recent rise in mobile devices and their use. This follows a recent suggestion from the U.S. National Research Council advising further studies should be conducted on children and pregnant women to determine if cell phones or other wireless devices could damage health.

The FDA has asked the National Research Council—a part of the National Academies, a group that provides science, technology, and health policy advice to Congress and the federal government—to identify further research on the effects of long-term exposure to these devices. The council identified the need for studies of the potential health issues resulting from multiple, long-term, and low-intensity radio frequency exposure from mobile devices. Most current studies have evaluated effects of short-term exposure of healthy adults to radio frequency, according to the council.

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