Cell Phone Danger

This is not what we want to hear, but emerging evidence shows a link between cell phone usage and benign and malignant tumors of the salivary gland. A recent report on the American Journal of Epidemiology published findings from Israel. Researchers compared the lifetime cell phone use of 1,300 adults with 500 adults who were newly diagnosed with benign or malignant tumors of the salivary gland.

The results showed a 50% greater risk for such a tumor in heavy cell phone users who held the cell phone on the side of their heads where the tumors developed.

Researchers in Sweden have also recently found a doubling of risk for a tumor of the auditory nerve and potentially deadly brain tumor after 10 years of heavy cell phone use.

On the other side of the coin, the wireless communications industry claims there is no definitive evidence that cell phones pose a health risk. I can remember when the same thing was being said about tobacco. While it is true that the studies to date are not conclusive, it seems that caution is warranted.

Here are some tips you may consider to help reduce your risk of health problems from cell phone usage:

1. Don’t use your cell phone when it’s not necessary. If you have a choice, use a land line.
2. Use the speaker phone mode to keep the body of the phone away from your head.
3. Don’t keep your cell phone near your body at night.
4. Avoid using your cell phone when the signal is weak, because it automatically increases the power output as the phone repeatedly attempts to establish a connection.