Do cell phones cause cancer?

My uncle was over here a few hours ago (the one who gave me the M1 rifle) and was talking to my grandpa and grandma and they were all talking about how they had heard that cell phones cause cancer. My uncle insisted that a new study had proven a definite link between cell phones and brain tumors, and that “it’s going to be just like cigarettes, 30 years from now.” My grandparents (who really have very little formal education and are somewhat gullible) did nothing but agree with him and say they don’t trust cell phones and that they only keep their cell phone around for emergencies.

I was listening to this skeptically and chalked it up to technologically-illiterate old-people paranoia.

This article would indicate that there is at least one high level scientist who does believe there is a risk.

What is the truth here?

We did this one about two months ago http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=461743&highlight=cell+phones+cancers

Upshot was: your “expert” has a theory, unpublished. Sorry, currently unpublished.

No.

The truth is we don’t know for sure, but…probably not. Cell phone radiation isn’t ionizing, like UV, x-rays and gamma rays are–all of which are known to be capable of causing cancers and other tissue damage with sufficiently high exposure. Cell phone emissions are capable of causing tissue heating, the way microwaves (which is actually what cell phones emit) and infrared do. However, the power levels are extremely low; so much so that it seems dubious that even heavy phone use with the antenna right up against your head could lead to enough localize heating to cause problems. Your whole body is exposed to a whole range of RF frequencies 24/7. Thus far, no studies have demonstrated a strong and consistent link between cell phone use and any health problems to the extent we can say, “Yeah, there’s a problem here.” The best we can say right now is, “Maybe. But, probably not.”

OK, speaking of microwaves, during the conversation my uncle was actually saying, “it’s the same as a microwave!” and I just told my grandma, “well, if it’s true that cell phones emit microwaves, and microwaves cause cancer, how come we’ve been using microwaves for 50 years and everyone doesn’t have cancer?” My grandma said, “well, you’re not supposed to stand in front of a microwave when it’s on, you know that, right?”

I didn’t know that.

Is that true?

Nope.

Nope. And if you can’t trust me, who can you trust?

Oh, you’re on my list now, Pal. Steal my thunder, will you?

Well, my grandma also thinks that Beluga caviar comes from the Beluga whale, and a lot of other amusing things. She’s also constantly forwarding urban legend emails to me, the kind that were all debunked on Snopes 4 years ago. I love her to death, she’s a great woman, but still.

Top o’the world, ma! Top o’the world!

There’s also the matter that we’ve evolved a wonderful defense against tissue damage through heating: Before a cell phone could heat up any tissue enough to damage it, it would heat up the skin enough that you’d go “Ouch” and drop the hot phone.

Whew. I spend approx 5-6,000 minutes a month on one of those damn things.

I figure I’m going to die by bear, anyways.

Neurosurgeons say they’re cautious about cel phones.

OTOH, all this might indicate is that brain surgeons are just as susceptible to media fearmongering as the rest of us…

Crescend and QED, you both missed the point of the statement in the post you responded to.

The point was microwaves (the radiation) are dangerous. The shield on the door of the microwave oven just answers the question about standing in front of it.

Argent, I think it’s safe to say that we don’t know yet, contradictory studies etc.

There are those that think the cell phone can’t possibly hurt us because the radiation is too weak, etc., which may be true, but the electromagetic field possibly could (depending on strength), here are some links on this topic:

magnetic fields do affect the human brain.

They appear to cause DNA damage in rats:
http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2004/6355/abstract.html

Magnetic field and melatonin:

This one contains info on “three established physical mechanisms through which” magnetic fields affect us:
http://www.inchem.org/documents/hsg...ctionNumber:2.1

Doesn’t affect sensory threshold, does affect pain threshold:
http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=15780154

Abstract indicates a statistically significant result in this one:

Magnetically stimulating eye-control areas of brain:
http://jocn.mitpress.org/cgi/content/abstract/14/7/1109

Actually, on re-reading the post, you did answer the exact question, I guess I was thinking of the point being made in their conversation.