Global study into mobile cancer link

AN international study may have found a link between long-term mobile phone use and brain tumours.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is to release a 10-year study into the connection between mobile phones and cancer.

The report will set alarm bells ringing in Australia, which has one of the world’s highest phone populations.

There are more mobile phones in Australia than people. Children as young as six now regularly use mobiles.

The WHO has questioned almost 123,000 mobile phone users in 13 countries and investigated studies already published. It will reveal its results by the end of the year.

But the UK’s Daily Telegraph newspaper reports the WHO’S study results showed “a significantly increased risk” of some brain tumours related to use of mobile phones for a period of 10 years or more.

The Australian Mobile Communications Association’s CEO, Chris Althaus, said he would be surprised if the WHO report made a conclusive link between mobile phone use and cancer.  

“When you look at the national studies that make up the WHO report, none of those studies are identifying a linkage of note,” he said.

Brain tumour specialist Professor Andrew Kaye said it had been very hard to make a link between mobile phone use and brain tumours.

He said more tumours were being picked up because of an increase in MRI scans.

And most studies did not differentiate the effects of radiation from other appliances – such as microwaves and TVs.