Cell phone and cancer link is inconclusive

survey of 13,000 cell phone users has come to the conclusion that cell phone use does not increase the risk of developing meningioma, a common form of cancer, or glioma which is a rare deadly form of cancer. The study’s finding will be released Tuesday in Geneva; the study was conducted by the World Health Organization. Other findings in the study were deemed inconclusive.

The United States was not one of the countries participating in the study, but Americans are paying close attention to the results. The study began in 2000 when heavy use of a cell phone was determined to be 30 minutes or more a day. Today common cell phone use has gone way beyond that.

The survey cost almost $24 million to conduct and interviewed people in England, France, Germany, and Japan as well as nine other smaller countries. Another factor is survey takers were not asked, or could not remember which ear they used with their cell phone. Scientists would want to track this variable, especially if a cancerous tumor appeared on one side of the brain.

Today, 285 million cell phones in use in the U.S., covering 91 percent of the population. Also not taken into account is the fact that cell phone users are getting younger and younger.