Some activists, researchers and brain injury attorneys have raised concerns about a possible link between cell phone usage and brain tumors. However, according to a new study published by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, which encompassed 30 years of research from 1974 to 2003 among 16 million adults, there was no link between cell phone usage and brain tumors. Researchers found that although cell phone usage steadily rose during that time period, the number of brain tumors did not become any more frequent.
The study, conducted by the Danish Cancer Society, examined the rates of brain tumors among 20-79-year-olds from Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. According to a researcher for the Danish Cancer Society, “We did not detect any clear change in the long-term time trends in the incidence of brain tumors from 1998 to 2003 in any subgroup.”
Still, researchers admit that longer follow-up studies are required to prove the absence of a link between cell phone usage and brain tumors. Indeed, the study acknowledges that radio frequency electromagnetic fields emitted from cell phones are a potential “risk factor” for brain tumors, although a “biological mechanism” to explain the potential effects has not been identified.
Thus, because of the high prevalence of mobile phone radio frequency exposure worldwide, longer follow-up studies regarding brain tumor incidence rates are necessary. For a Free Consultation with one of our Chicago brain injury lawyers, call us at (312) 527-4500.