Long-term use of mobile phones is not associated with an increased risk of developing brain tumors, according to a major international study.
Researchers tracked 250,000 mobile users during the 17-year project, including those who used their phones for extended periods of time.
The study, led by Imperial College London and Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet, asked volunteers about their mobile phone use and then followed them to see if they developed tumors. There have long been concerns that electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones poses a health risk, but the new study found no link to an increased risk of brain tumors.
Professor Mireille Toledano from Imperial College said the results were “reassuring”, especially since mobile phone usage today is very different from when the study began. New cell phones have weakened electromagnetic fields, and “people today spend far less time holding their phones to their heads and more time on video calls, social media, and surfing the Internet.”
Professor Paul Elliott, also from Imperial University, added: “This is the world’s largest multinational long-term study.” [of its kind]. We found no evidence that long-term or frequent use of mobile phones is associated with the risk of common brain tumors.
The research team’s study, published in the journal Environment International, found that the prevalence of brain tumors among the 10% of people who spend the most time on their phones is significantly lower than among those who spend less time on their phones. It turns out that there is no difference.
