While the number of people who own mobile phones has dramatically increased in the last decade, so has the controversy about the possible relationship between cell phone use and brain cancer risk. A review of published studies finds that most of those investigating the effect of using mobile phones for less than 10 years find no association with brain cancer risk. However, the risk of glioma, a type of brain cancer, was increased by 50 percent in people who used mobile phones for 10 years or more. 10 April 2009. More...

Studies of health risks of cell phone use that are funded exclusively by industry are substantially less likely to report statistically significant effects. Compared to studies funded by public agencies or charities, industry funded studies find adverse effects approximately 1/10th as frequently. This pattern is consistent with research funded by the tobacco and chemical industries. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2 January 2007. More... [related stories]

Fruit flies exposed to cell phone radiation for 6 minutes per day over 6 days had reproductive damage. The experiments used actual cell phones activated with someone speaking throughout the exposure. Both GSM 900 and DCS 1800 mobile telephony radiations strongly induce cell death (DNA fragmentation) in ovarian egg chambers of the exposed groups. Insects typically are thought more resistant to radiation than people. Mutation Research 15 November 2006. More... [related stories]

Six case-control studies by the same team of Swedish epidemiologists consistently found an increased risk of brain tumors associated with cell phone and cordless phone use. Odds ratios ranged from 1.3 to 6.1, depending upon tumor type and phone technology, with confidence limits showing statistical significance. No consistent associations were found for salivary gland tumors, B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or testicular cancer. World Journal of Surgical Oncology. 25 October 2006. More... [related stories]

A case-control study in Denmark and Sweden finds no association between parotid gland tumors and the use of mobile phones. The study matched 60 cases of malignant parotid gland tumors and 112 cases of benign pleomorphic adenomas with appropriate controls. They found no association, regardless of duration of mobile phone use, including use for more than 10 years' duration. American Journal of Epidemiology. 14 July 2006. More... [related story]

Science Byte: A case-control study of 966 people with glioma finds no overall relationship between mobile phone use and this brain tumor. The overall odds ratio for regular phone use was 0.94. However, the study noted a 24% increase in risk for tumors on the side of the head on which users held their phone, and a decrease on the opposite side. British Medical Journal. 22 January 2006. More... [related stories]

Science Byte: A case-control study in Sweden finds no indication of an increased risk of brain tumors associated with long-term use of mobile phones. Detailed information about mobile phone use was obtained from several hundred people with either glioma or meningioma. The research compared them with over 600 controls. American Journal of Epidemiology. 14 March 2005. More... [related stories]

Microwave radiation from cell phones damages rat brains at levels experienced commonly by users of mobile phones. The damage involves increases in blood-brain barrier permeability, and resultant neuronal death. A team of Swedish researchers has published research documenting significant damage in rat brains following one-time exposures to cell phone radiation. The damage involved decreases in the effectivness in the blood brain barrier and increases in neuron deformities. The scientists reporting this work expressed concern about possible human impacts, and the journal publishing the paper recommends that users use headsets. 26 August 2003. More... [related stories]