An ongoing study by the U.S. National Toxicology Program found increased cancer instances in male rodents exposed to cellphone radiation
The link between cellphone use and some forms of cancer have risen anew as an ongoing U.S. study found some connection in rats and mice exposed to certain levels of radio frequency radiation.
The study, being conducted by the U.S. National Toxicology Program, found some male rodents developed heart and brain tumors as part of the testing, while female rodents did not show any tumor development.
“The tumors in the brain and heart observed at low incidence in male rats exposed to GSM- and CDMA-modulated cell phone RFR in this study are of a type similar to tumors observed in some epidemiology studies of cell phone use,” the study notes, citing support for a previous study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
While the report has yet to be completed or submitted for peer review, the partial results were released due to the current findings and public interest.
“Given the widespread global usage of mobile communications among users of all ages, even a very small increase in the incidence of disease resulting from exposure to RFR could have broad implications for public health,” a summary of the results notes. “There is a high level of public and media interest regarding the safety of cell phone RFR and the specific results of these NTP studies.”
The connection between cancer and cellphone use has been an ongoing issue for the industry, with numerous studies having been conducted on the topic with most results seeming to downplay the risk.
Wireless industry trade association CTIA – The Wireless Association cited the preliminary angle of the latest study and past peer-reviewed research in stating a lack of causality between cellphone use and an increased risk of cancer.
“Numerous international and U.S. organizations, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, World Health Organization and American Cancer Society have determined that the already existing body of peer-reviewed and published studies shows that there are no established health effects from radio frequency signals used in cellphones,” the organization noted. “The evidence includes official federal brain cancer statistics showing that since the introduction of cellphones in the mid-1980s, the rate of brain cancer in the United States has remained stable.”
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