WHY IS THERE STILL CONCERN?
Most experts and health authorities like the FDA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization agree that there’s no evidence that smartphone radiation causes health problems. Still, several studies over the years have made headlines for suggesting their links to brain tumours. Many of these studies have since been debunked, Dr Fine said, including those focused on fifth-generation mobile networks, or 5G.
In one study published in 2010, for instance, researchers found a small association between one type of brain tumour and the highest levels of cellphone use. But the study’s own researchers noted that “biases and error” prevented them from proving cause and effect. Of the study’s various flaws, according to its authors, one was that it relied on people with brain cancer to correctly remember exactly how much they used their phones over many years.
All of the experts interviewed for this story said that the few studies that have suggested that smartphones pose radiation risks didn’t actually prove that cellphones caused those health issues.
Most people in the United States own cellphones, according to the Pew Research Center – and it would be nearly impossible to single out cellphones as a reason someone developed cancer, Dr Fine said. Unrelated risk factors, such as exposure to air pollution, smoking, unhealthy habits or even just chance, could have been the culprits.
Yet studies with flaws like these have muddied perceptions about phone safety, the National Cancer Institute says.
Source: CNA
