TITLE: Cell phones and brain tumors: A review including the long-term epidemiologic data
CITATION: Surgical Neurology, September 2009; 72; pp. 205–215
AUTHORS: Vini G. Khurana, Ph.D., F.R.A.C.S., Charles Teo, M.B.B.S., F.R.A.C.S., Michael Kundi, Ph.D.,
Lennart Hardell, M.D., Ph.D., Michael Carlberg, M.S.
TITLE: Cell phones and brain tumors: A review including the long-term epidemiologic data
CITATION: Surgical Neurology, September 2009; 72; pp. 205–215
AUTHORS: Vini G. Khurana, Ph.D., F.R.A.C.S., Charles Teo, M.B.B.S., F.R.A.C.S., Michael Kundi, Ph.D.,
Lennart Hardell, M.D., Ph.D., Michael Carlberg, M.S.
Key Points from Dr. Dan Murphy
1. This article has 68 references. An editorial comment ascribed to this study indicates that it is “the most comprehensive study and analysis to date of this topic.”
2. These authors found 11 long-term studies in the PubMed database of participants using cell phones for ≥10 years.
3. “The results indicate that using a cell phone for ≥10 years approximately doubles the risk of being diagnosed with a brain tumor on the same (“ipsilateral”) side of the head as that preferred for cell phone use.”
4. “The authors conclude that there is adequate epidemiologic evidence to suggest a link between prolonged cell phone usage and the development of an ipsilateral brain tumor.”
5. The power [and danger] generated by a cell phone will vary according to the amount of interference with the signal. Higher power is required when using a cell phone in a moving vehicle, within a building, or in an elevator.
6. “The output power [and danger] of the phone is generally set to the highest level during ‘handovers’ between networked base stations as a user moves from one geographic area to another or when signal interference is greatest.”
7. Evidence presented suggests that cordless phones are also not safe.
8. Cell phones emit electromagnetic radiation only during calls.
9. Cell phone systems have been presumed to be safe because their longer wavelengths are nonionizing, lacking sufficient energy to break intermolecular bonds. Therefore, their increased cancer risk is not as a consequence of ionization.
10. “Science Magazine has recently acknowledged that there are several peer-reviewed studies from laboratories in at least 7 countries, including the United States, showing that cell phone or similar low-intensity electromagnetic fields can (contrary to expectations of non-ionizing sources) break DNA or modulate it structurally.”
11.”Irrespective of the type of phone, exposure is highest on the side of the head against which the cell phone is held and appears to be even higher in children owing to thinner scalps and skulls, increased water content of their brain, and lower brain volume.”
12.”Many independent laboratory investigations have suggested adverse biologic effects of cell phone radiation.” (12 references)
13.The authors present evidence that cell phones can be DNA-damaging as a consequence of “non-thermal interaction between incoming microwaves and exquisitely sensitive oscillatory electrical processes found in living tissues.” “This is akin to the reception of a clock radio being susceptible to interference from a nearby cell phone.” This “oscillatory similitude may lead to genetic or epigenetic damage through increased local production of reactive oxygen species or free radicals.” [Wow!]
14.”There are several hundred studies that support the existence of low-intensity, non-thermal effects of cell phone radiation on biological systems. The consequences are mostly adverse: DNA single- and double-strand damage, changes in gene transcription, changes in protein folding, heat shock protein generation, production of free radicals, and effects on the immune system.”
15.”Taken together, the long-term epidemiologic data suggest an increased risk of being diagnosed with an ipsilateral brain tumor related to cell phone usage of 10 years or more.”
16.There are also “significantly elevated odds for the development of ipsilateral parotid gland tumors among heavy cell phone users.”
17.The Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States maintains comprehensive tumor incidence rates in the USA, and their data shows an increase in incidence of brain tumors of about 36% in less than a decade. This increase is not explained by an aging population (because these figures were age-adjusted) or by better detection.
18.”The authors believe that the aforementioned epidemiologic and laboratory findings underscore the need for reassessment by governments worldwide of cell phone and also most radiation exposure standards and the usage and deployment of this technology. If the epidemiologic data continue to be confirmed then, in the absence of appropriate and timely intervention and given the increasing global dependence on cell phone technology, especially among the young generation, it is likely that neurosurgeons will see increasing numbers of primary brain tumors, both benign and malignant.”
Dr. Dan Murphy graduated magna cum laude from Western States Chiropractic College in 1978. He received Diplomat status in Chiropractic Orthopedics in 1986. Since 1982, Dr. Murphy has served part-time as undergraduate faculty at Life Chiropractic College West, currently teaching classes to seniors in the management of spinal disorders. He has taught more than 2000 postgraduate continuing education seminars. Dr. Murphy is a contributing author to both editions of the book Motor Vehicle Collision Injuries and to the book Pediatric Chiropractic. Hundreds of detailed Article Reviews, pertinent to chiropractors and their patients, are available at Dr. Murphy’s web page, www.danmurphydc.com.