No cancer risk from mobile phones

An international study conducted in five Northern European countries has found no clear connection between mobile phone use and malignant brain tumours.

Research on the possible connection between mobile phone use and the risk of a malignant brain tumour, glioma, was carried out in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and England.

It showed that mobile phone users were not at an increased risk of developing a glioma.

Regular use of a mobile phone, duration of use, or the cumulative number of calls had no effect on the risk, according to the scientists.

The only indication of a potential effect was found among mobile phone users who had used a phone for at least 10 years.

They were found to have a slightly increased risk of a tumour on the side of the head on which they held the handset.

Information on mobile phone use was collected using personal interviews.

There is always a risk of error associated with recall, the researchers explained, which affects the reliability of the results.

Five-year research

The research data from the participating countries was analysed by the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK).

Study data collected between 2000 and 2004 included 1,521 glioma patients and 3,301 healthy controls.

The number of people who had used a mobile phone for longer than 10 years was higher (222) than in previous studies.

"Even though the results do not indicate that mobile phone use increases the risk of cancer, we need more research data on long-term use,” said Anssi Auvinen, Research Professor at the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority.

The results of the study were published in the web version of the International Journal of Cancer on 19 January.

A more extensive international study (INTERPHONE) on the connection between the use of mobile phones and brain tumours based on data collected in 14 countries is to be completed in the near future. 

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