A 50% increase in the number of parotid tumors

Feb 20, 2008 11:20 GMT  ·  By

The wireless technology has invaded our lives. But do you think this comes with no consequences on our health? Cell phones expose you for long periods to RF (radio frequencies).

A recent research has shown that chatting on a mobile phone before bedtime would cause you insomnia. The team from Sweden's Karolinska Institute and Wayne State University, in Michigan, found that mobile phone radiation of 884 MHz provokes insomnia, headaches and concentration difficulties.

But these are short-term effects, and many cancers have a 10-to-20-year latency period. Still, one cancer risk has just been detected by a team at the Tel Aviv University. The new research published in the "American Journal of Epidemiology" shows that people using cell phones for many hours daily are 50% more likely to develop mouth cancer, than individuals who do not use cell phones at all. Moreover, cell phone users in rural areas could be exposed to a higher risk for cancer because cell phones have to emit higher levels of radiation for picking up the signal of the fewer available antennas.

The research was made on 500 patients with benign and malignant tumors of the salivary gland and 1,300 healthy individuals. Those who used cell phones for several hours per day displayed a 50% increase in the probability to grow a tumor of the parotid gland, compared to infrequent users of the cell phone.

The parotid gland represents the largest salivary gland, found near the jaw and ear, exactly where users hold the cell phones while using them.

So far, this type of research paid special attention to the effects of RF energy on children, adolescents, pregnant women and fetuses, but this one has been made on the overall population. It is commonly believed that children are more susceptible to the negative effects of the RF, because of their developing tissue and organ systems.