Children and adolescent cell phone users at no greater risk of brain cancer than non-users, study suggests

ScienceDaily (July 28, 2011) — Children and adolescents who use mobile phones are not at a statistically significant increased risk of brain cancer compared to their peers who do not use mobile phones, according to a study published July 27 in the Journal of The National Cancer Institute.

Mobile phone usage has increased among children and adolescents in recent years. The increased usage has raised a concern about the possibility of the development of brain tumors in this population since children have a developing nervous system; also, because their head circumference is smaller, the radio frequency electromagnetic fields may penetrate regions that are deeper in their brains. However, no previous study has examined whether mobile phone usage among children and adolescents is associated with a difference in brain tumor risk.

To determine the relationship between mobile phone usage and brain tumor risk among children and adolescents, Martin Röösli, Ph.D, of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute in Basel, Switzerland, and colleagues looked at the medical records of children aged 7-19 with brain tumors, identified through population registries. Researchers did face-to-face interviews with them regarding their mobile phone usage. They also consulted data from phone network providers.

The study, conducted between 2004 and 2008, included participants from Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland. They looked at data for 352 brain cancer patients, and 646 control subjects.

The researchers found that patients with brain tumors were not statistically significantly more likely to have been regular mobile phone users than control subjects. They found that 265 (75.3%) of case patients and 466 control subjects (72.1%) reported having spoken on a mobile phone more than 20 times before the time when the case patient was diagnosed. Furthermore, 194 case patients (55%) and 329 control subjects (51%) reported regular mobile phone usage. However, in a subset of study participants for whom operator recorded data were available, brain tumor risk was related to the time elapsed since the mobile phone subscription was started (but not to amount of use). No increased risk of brain tumors was observed for brain areas receiving the highest amount of exposure.

The researchers write, "Because we did not find a clear exposure-response relationship in most of these analyses, the available evidence does not support a causal association between the use of mobile phones and brain tumors." Nevertheless, since mobile phone usage among children and adolescents has increased over the years, they encourage a careful watch on the trend.

In an accompanying editorial, John D Boice, Jr., ScD. and Robert E. Tarone, PhD., of the International Epidemiology Institute in Rockville, Maryland and Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee write that Röösli and his colleagues "have filled an important gap in knowledge by showing no increased risk of brain tumors among children and adolescents who are regular cell phone users"

Boice and Tarone conclude that it is reassuring that the incidence rates of brain cancer in the general population, including children and teenagers, have not changed over the past 20 years in the United States and many other countries despite the steady and marked rise in the use of cell phones throughout the world since the 1980s. They recommend that investigators continue to monitor population incidence rates and that in the meantime, individuals who are concerned might consider alternatives to holding a cell phone up to their ears, such as using an ear piece or using the phone's speaker. They also point out that individuals should heed what is known about real risks by avoiding the use of cell phones while driving a car, because such distractions have been clearly documented to increase the risk of accidents and injuries.

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The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Journal of the National Cancer Institute, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Journal References:

John D. Boice, Jr and Robert E. Tarone. Cell Phones, Cancer, and Children. J Natl Cancer Inst, July 27, 2011 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djr285Denis Aydin, Maria Feychting, Joachim Schüz, Tore Tynes, Tina Veje Andersen, Lisbeth Samsø Schmidt, Aslak Harbo Poulsen, Christoffer Johansen, Michaela Prochazka, Birgitta Lannering, Lars Klæboe, Tone Eggen, Daniela Jenni, Michael Grotzer, Nicolas Von der Weid, Claudia E. Kuehni, and Martin Röösli. Mobile Phone Use and Brain Tumors in Children and Adolescents: A Multicenter Case–Control Study. J Natl Cancer Inst, July 27, 2011 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djr244

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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Why people phone hack: A look into the psyche of wrongdoing

ScienceDaily (July 28, 2011) — Phone hacking. It doesn't even sound ethical. Neither does phone spying nor so called, 'phreaking.' So how does management at a best-selling newspaper approve this and everyone else play along?

"Some people may have remained quiet because they believed that this was acceptable practice -- perfectly normal for the non-naïve," says UAB social psychologist Rex Wright, Ph.D. "Some people consider you to be naive if you abide by conventional rules of ethics."

The first allegations of phone hacking against News of the World came in 2005 when the Royal Family accused the paper of intercepting voice mails. The investigation led to two resignations and two guilty pleas in January 2007. Many believed the violations extended beyond the Royal Family but the investigation ended.

Four years later to the month the Metropolitan Police announced a new investigation into the phone hacking scandal. The new investigation revealed the phone hacking continued despite the 2007 convictions.

"People might have felt that this was a small price to pay for a very lucrative activity," says Wright, professor in the UAB Department of Psychology. "They also might have believed the odds of getting caught twice were small, especially if police officials were turning a blind eye. They might have had some arrangement with officials that allowed them to continue if they had resignations and convictions on occasion."

There is a lot more to this scandal than we know or may ever know. We know phone hacking went on for years. We know a lot of people knew, yet nobody stopped the behavior. "People can become convinced that something is okay as a result of watching others," Wright says. "Consider a boy watching an uncle sell drugs. If the uncle is admired, the kid could come to believe that selling drugs is in fact okay and ethical."

"Life is complicated and people are not always right just because they think they are right," says Wright. "Wise people tend to have a strong measure of modesty about the conclusions that they draw, including ones relevant to ethics."

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The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by University of Alabama at Birmingham.

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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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