WHO Says Mobile Phones Are a Cancer Risk

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It’s an oft-debated topic. Are mobile phones a health hazard? The World Health Organization has recently published a study that finds mobile phones to be a possible source of cancer risk.

Mobile phones are ubiquitous, and everyone’s calling, texting or browsing. But before the cellphone became popular as it is today, critics have often claimed that the low-powered radio signals emitted by mobile phones are a potential cancer risk. The WHO has recently listed mobile phones in the same category as lead, engine exhaust and chloroform as a “carcinogenic hazard.”

Seemingly equivocal, the WHO has given assurance that no adverse health effects had actually been established, although it has issued the warning all the same. Studies have shown evidence of an increase in brain cancer cells in people who use mobile phones, although has not established other conclusions. WHO says the radiation from mobile phones is akin to that of a low-powered microwave oven.

What microwave radiation does in most simplistic terms is similar to what happens to food in microwaves, essentially cooking the brain. So in addition to leading to a development of cancer and tumors, there could be a whole host of other effects like cognitive memory function, since the memory temporal lobes are where we hold our cell phones.

Of course, the cellphone industry has responded, saying the study does not necessarily mean causation. Cell phone use may be correlated with cancer, although no conclusive evidence has yet been found. Still, health agencies have started to push for further studies, particularly given the long-term implications of exposure to low-powered radiation.

So does this mean we’ll be reducing our mobile phone use from now on?