Do Cell Phones Cause Cancer? What You Need to Know

Dr. Josh Axe | draxe.com

Do cell phones cause cancer? As with any type of science looking at this type of issue, it’s going to take decades to come to a definitive conclusion. Meanwhile, though, more and more studies are painting a picture suggesting that cell phone radiation is not completely safe and could very well be carcinogenic.

I don’t know about you, but I’m practicing the precautionary principle, making simple tweaks in my cell phone use today while scientists continue to study the effects this type of non-ionizing radiation has on our bodies.

Remember, people once thought smoking was safe. Today, are we risking good health by using our smartphones in not so smart ways?

The Cell Phone–Cancer Link

The “do cell phones cause cancer” debate is still not settled and will likely take years to play out. Here’s what we do know, though:

• Cell phone radiation is radiofrequency energy and a type of electromagnetic radiation classified as non-ionizing radiation, similar to harmful microwaves and radar.
• Ionizing radiation is known to cause cancer and includes things like X-rays and radon. (1)

The latest evidence suggesting wireless radiation poses a huge public health risk comes from partially released data from a large, $25 million well-designed U.S. National Toxicology Program study. Researchers found exposure to very high signal cell phone radiation led to a slightly increased risk of malignant gliomas in the brain and schwannomas of the heart in male rats. Schwannomas are tumors that form in the nerve sheath. (2)

Otis W. Brawley, MD, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, called this latest study “good science” and added:

The NTP report linking radiofrequency radiation (RFR) to two types of cancer marks a paradigm shift in our understanding of radiation and cancer risk. The findings are unexpected; we wouldn’t reasonably expect non-ionizing radiation to cause these tumors. This is a striking example of why serious study is so important in evaluating cancer risk. It’s interesting to note that early studies on the link between lung cancer and smoking had similar resistance, since theoretical arguments at the time suggested that there could not be a link. (3)

The study found a dose-response effect. That means the higher the dose, the higher the risk. The results backed up previous research suggesting cell phone radiation could increase the risk of gliomas. Acoustic neuromas have also been linked to cell phone use.

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