The Cell Phone & Cancer Connection

Currently, cell phones are classified as carcinogenic category 2b — potentially carcinogenic to humans — by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).  Among those in the scientific community, there is an ongoing debate about the possible harmful effects of regular cellular phone use, but to-date no study has managed to produce definitive results.   Yaniv Hamzany, from Tel Aviv University (Israel), and colleagues examined the saliva content of 20 “heavy use” cell phone users, defined as speaking on their phones for a minimum of eight hours a month. Their salivary content was compared to that of a control group, which consisted of deaf patients who either do not use a cell phone, or use the device exclusively for sending text messages and other non-verbal functions.  The team found that the saliva of heavy users showed indications of higher oxidative stress — a process that damages all aspects of a human cell, including DNA — through the development of toxic peroxide and free radicals. Higher oxidative stress is also considered a major risk factor for cancer. The lead researcher observes that: “This suggests that there is considerable oxidative stress on the tissue and glands which are close to the cell phone when in use.”