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Is Ted
Kennedys Cancer Linked to Cell Phone UseFrom:
News MaxBy Sylvia Booth Hubbard - 06/04/08 |
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Senator Ted Kennedys
diagnosis of a malignant brain tumor is, once again,
stirring debate over the safety of cell phones. Kennedys
brain tumor, called a glioma, is the type critics have
associated for years with the use of cell phones.
Prominent neurosurgeons have stated they do not use cell
phones held next to their ears. I use it on the
speaker-phone mode, said Dr. Vini Khurana, a prominent
researcher and an associate professor of neurosurgery at
the Australian National University. I do not hold it to
my ear. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNNs chief medical
correspondent and a neurosurgeon at Emory University
Hospital admitted that, he too, used an earpiece. CTIA
the Wireless Association and the FDA both say that
studies show cell phones are not a health risk. Other
experts disagree. They point to research that indicates
a link between cell phones and three types of tumors:
glioma (the type Senator Kennedy has); cancer of a
salivary gland near the ear called the parotid; and
acoustic neuroma, which is a tumor found near the ear.
An Israeli study published last year found a 58 percent
increase in risk for parotid tumors among people who
relied heavily on their cell phones. And a Swedish study
found the risk for glioma and acoustic neuroma doubled
after ten years of heavy use. Since cell phones are
relatively new, there hasnt been a chance for long-term
studies that will settle the question of whether there
is truly a link between cell phone use and brain tumors.
Some critics express particular concern for children who
begin using cell phones as kids and continue throughout
their lives. More and more kids are using cell phones,
said Dr. Paul Rosch, clinical professor of medicine and
psychiatry at New York Medical College. They may be much
more affected. Their brains are growing rapidly and
their skulls are thinner. Dr. Khurana admits that cell
phones are convenient and can save lives in an
emergency, but he says that there is a significant and
increasing body of evidence for a link between mobile
phone usage and certain brain tumors, adding that
malignant brain tumors are a life-ending diagnosis. It
is anticipated that this danger has far broader public
health ramifications than asbestos and smoking, he said. |
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