Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Cell Phones May Be 'Carcinogenic': Scientists

WHO cancer agency ranks them in same category as DDT

By John Johnson, Newser Staff

Posted May 31, 2011 1:32 PM CDT

(Newser) – The evidence linking cell phones and other wireless devices to cancer seems to be getting stronger: An international team of scientists has concluded cell phones are "possibly carcinogenic to humans," reports AFP. After reviewing scores of published studies on the issue, the International Agency for Research on Cancer—an arm of the World Health Organization—ranked cell phones in category 2B, the same as DDT and gasoline engine exhaust.

The finding now goes to WHO and other health agencies, which may issue official warnings on use, notes AP. The radio frequency electromagnetic fields generated by the phones and other such devices got the ranking "based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer," the agency said. Similar concerns have been around for a while. Click for one writer's safety check list.

(Shutterstock)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

CLICK BELOW TO VOTE

70%

10%

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Getty Images

Man Goes to Hospital For Kidney Stone...Leaves a Woman (Huff Post)

Is Chase Crawford Dating a Cougar? (Bleacher Report)

My Boss Walked in on Me Touching Myself, Now He Won't Stop Flirting (Slate)

7 Gross Celebrity Items Sold at Auction (The Week)

The Lowest-Rated Show on TV Is Actually Awesome (Slate)

Partner Links

Sponsor Links

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

Showing 3 of 10 comments

tangeri

May 31, 2011 8:18 PM CDT

Carcinogens are all over everywhere. You can't avoid them. What you can do is use diet and exercise to your advantage to make your body less prone to allowing cancer to develop. Read The China Study.

Sir_Cancelout

May 31, 2011 6:44 PM CDT

PEOPLE aren't the only potential victims of the pervasive cell phone culture! There is now compelling evidence that HONEYBEE colonies may be dying off due to cell phone communications. http://www.fastcompany.com/1752894/are-cell-phones-killing-all-the-bees Good luck in getting the problem straightened out! It'll be another one of those "inconvenient truths" that noboby will be able to deal with in the face of monumental vested interests and consumer demand! But what the hell! The convenience of cell phones is far more important than putting FOOD on the table, right!? And if you think honeybees aren't vitally important for food production, think again!

brawne

May 31, 2011 6:40 PM CDT

Really--how simple is this? Don't hold the thing to your ear. My brother-in-law fought this cancer for ten years. Didn't get it from a phone--got it in a hanger at Wright Patterson along with the other two guys who died earlier. Before he died he said it over and over--don't hold the thing against your head. Speaker phone--ear thingy--anything. Just don't put the fucking waves next to your temple--easy.

What's Popular Now on Facebook

Japanese Artist Serves Up Own Cooked Genitals

Rape Conviction Cleared, Thanks to Facebook

Associated Press (Source Grid »)
Associated Press (Source Grid »)
AFP (Source Grid »)

Health • Science • Technology

cancer • cell phones • carcinogens • World Health Organization • mobile phones • cellphones • WHO • cell phone dangers

More Newser Stories

Relax, Your Cell Phone Won't Kill You

People are overreacting to WHO panel's report: Farhad Manjoo

(NEWSER) - While much of the techno-savvy world screamed "WTF?" at a WHO panel's announcement that cell phones might have something to do with cancer, Slate 's Farhad Manjoo simply LOL'd. "When you dig into this issue, the decision seems to be an over-cautious interpretation of the current understanding of cell phones and our brains," he writes. "There's very little in the research about cell phones and cancer to suggest we should consider them to be among the more deadly products we come into contact with every day." More»

Pregnant Cell Phone Gabbers Have Kids Who Misbehave

It's bad enough if pregnant mom uses phone, worse if child does

(NEWSER) - You probably already knew that cell phones might cause cancer —but did you know they also might cause your unborn child to act up? New research shows that women who used cell phones regularly while pregnant were 40% more likely to have children with behavioral problems, Reuters reports. The probability rose to 50% if the children, once born, also used cell phones. More»

Obama 2012 Makes Donors Ditch Phones at Fundraisers

Cell phones confiscated in strange practice

(NEWSER) - President Obama’s re-election campaign is asking donors to not only open their wallets, but fork over their cell phones before entering small fundraisers, a practice that veterans of other campaigns find very odd. The practice of turning over cell phones is common in secure spaces where state secrets would be discussed and espionage is a concern, but BuzzFeed reports that it is unheard of in terms of protecting only political secrets. The president is relatively unscripted at fundraisers, and reporters are asked to leave before the Q&A sessions commence. More»

You Don't Want to Know What's on Your Cellphone

There's a good chance it's fecal matter: study

(NEWSER) - If you’re reading this on your smartphone, you might want to go wash your hands now: A new study out of London finds that one out of six cellphones has fecal matter on it. UK researchers swabbed 390 mobile phones and the British hands that used them, and found that 16% of both were contaminated with E. coli bacteria—which, yes, comes from poop, Time reports. More»

Wireless Devices Officially Outnumber People in US

Why? Because many of us need a phone and a tablet

(NEWSER) - For every person, a mobile device … or two. In the United States, wireless devices now outnumber people, according to a new survey by trade group CTIA. That’s possible because so many people own more than one such device, for example a smartphone and a tablet. There are now 327.6 million mobile devices in the country and its territories (a 9% increase during the first six months of the year), compared to 315 million people. More from the Washington Post : More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Cell Phones May Be 'Carcinogenic': Scientists

WHO cancer agency ranks them in same category as DDT

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

cancer • cell phones • carcinogens • World Health Organization • mobile phones • cellphones • WHO • cell phone dangers

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Relax, Your Cell Phone Won't Kill You

People are overreacting to WHO panel's report: Farhad Manjoo

Pregnant Cell Phone Gabbers Have Kids Who Misbehave

It's bad enough if pregnant mom uses phone, worse if child does

Obama 2012 Makes Donors Ditch Phones at Fundraisers

Cell phones confiscated in strange practice

You Don't Want to Know What's on Your Cellphone

There's a good chance it's fecal matter: study

Wireless Devices Officially Outnumber People in US

Why? Because many of us need a phone and a tablet

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?