Mobile Phones Are Not Linked to Brain Cancer: WHO Confirms in Major Study
hubie writes:
Mobile phones are often held against the head during use. And they emit radio waves, a type of non-ionising radiation. These two factors are largely why the idea mobile phones might cause brain cancer emerged in the first place.
The possibility that mobile phones might cause cancer has been a long-standing concern. Mobile phones - and wireless tech more broadly - are a major part of our daily lives. So it's been vital for science to address the safety of radio wave exposure from these devices.
Over the years, the scientific consensus has remained strong - there's no association between mobile phone radio waves and brain cancer, or health more generally.
Despite the consensus, occasional research studies have been published that suggested the possibility of harm.
In 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified radio wave exposure as a possible carcinogen to humans. The meaning of this classification was largely misunderstood and led to some increase in concern.
IARC is part of the World Health Organization. Its classification of radio waves as a possible carcinogen was largely based on limited evidence from human observational studies. Also known as epidemiological studies, they observe the rate of disease and how it may be caused in human populations.
Observational studies are the best tool researchers have to investigate long-term health effects in humans, but the results can often be biased.
Read more of this story at SoylentNews.