Cellphones Can Cause Cancer, Meta-Study Confirms

There have been hints for years that cellphones could cause cancer, and now a new meta-study finds that the radiation cellphones emit are a real danger. The new research, which is based on a review of 100 studies, found that the low-intensity radiofrequency radiation (RFR), cellphones emit, has an effect on living cells and can damage DNA.

RFR causes oxidative stress, a condition in which the body creates harmful radicals at a rate so high it doesn't have the ability to repair the damage they cause.

Study author Igor Yakymenko wrote that of "100 currently available peer-reviewed studies dealing with oxidative effects of low-intensity RFR, in general, 93 confirmed that RFR induces oxidative effects in biological systems."

"These data are a clear sign of the real risks this kind of radiation poses for human health," said Yakymenko in the New York Daily News.

The type of damage caused by RFR is cumulative and can cause numerous health problems, including cancer, fatigue, and headaches.

According to Yakymento, using a cellphone for 20 minutes each day for five years increased the risk of one type of brain tumor by 300 percent, and talking on a cellphone for an hour a day for four years increased the risk of some tumors up to 500 percent.

Yakymento notes that the cancers can take years to develop, and most of the data he examined was on adults who had used cellphones up to 10 years as an adult. He warned that results could be dramatically different for children who use cellphones when their bodies are much more vulnerable to RFR damage.

Yakymenko advised minimizing risk by using cellphones less and using hands-free devices to keep radiation away from the head.

The study was published in the journal Electromagnetic Biology & Medicine.

According to an article published in Forbes earlier this year, a study of radiation emitted by cellphones and other modern electronics found that while children are more vulnerable than adults because their skulls are thinner and their brains more absorbent, fetuses are the most vulnerable of all. It warned that pregnant women should avoid all sources of radiation, and that women should avoid placing cellphones in their bras.