Your phone's a tumour risk

The link between mobile phones and brain tumours should "no longer be regarded as a myth" after research suggests high cellphone use could double the risk of brain cancer.

The review, headed by Australian-based neurosurgeon Vini Khurana, uses more than 100 sources in recent medical and scientific literature.

It claims to highlight an emerging global public health concern - with broader public health ramifications than asbestos and smoking.

Dr Khurana says in a research paper published on the website brain-surgery.us that using cellphone handsets for 10 years or more can double the risk of brain cancer and is more dangerous than smoking.

"Malignant brain tumours may take several years to develop, and the incidence of malignant brain tumours is increasing."

The time from when someone became a heavy mobile phone user to receiving a diagnosis of a malignant solid brain tumour could be about 10 to 20 years.

Mobile phones were launched in Europe in the mid-1980s.

The first 10 years of widespread usage ended in the mid 1990s, he said.

"In the years 2008-2012, we will have reached the appropriate length of follow-up time to begin to definitively observe the impact of this global technology on brain tumour incidence rates.

"Malignant brain tumour incidence and its associated death rate will be observed globally to rise within a decade from now, by which time it may be far too late to meaningfully intervene."

A malignant brain tumour was a fatal diagnosis in the vast majority of cases, he said.

The safest ways to avoid potential harm were to opt for hands-free mode while keeping the device more than 20 centimetres away from the head and only using cellphones in emergencies.

Enough evidence and technology were available for industry and governments to take "immediate steps" to reduce consumers' exposure.

Vodafone New Zealand spokesman Paul Brislen said research into radio frequency fields had continued for nearly 70 years, and more specific research into mobile phones for the past couple of decades.

"Expert scientific reviews conclude it is unlikely there are adverse health effects linked to mobile phones that comply with applicable safety standards."

Telecom spokeswoman Rebecca Earl said research on risks of electronic devices was issued regularly but was often contradictory.

Speaking by cellphone last night, New Zealand Cancer Society medical director Chris Atkinson called the study's results "interesting", but said local experts would have to consider them carefully for any correlation here.

"I could be wrong, but I don't think there's been an increased incidence in the number of brain tumours in adult New Zealanders ... and New Zealand has been a society that has embraced cellphone technology."

- © Fairfax NZ News