According to a new information released by one of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) arms known as the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the use of cell phones may cause cancer due to the radiation being emitted from them. Further, phones are now listed in the same category as: lead, engine exhaust and chloroform. According to WHO, officially, cell phone radiation is now listed as a “carcinogenic hazard.” This is a big change for WHO’s IARC, an organization which, until now said there were no adverse effects on human health from using cell phones. The belief that cell phone use is safe is also one that’s been held by the wireless industry - including the CTIA (Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association) lobbying group, the American FCC (Federal Communications Commisision), and the US Food and Drug Administration (commonly referred to as the FDA).

Once this statement came out from WHO’s IARC, the CTIA released their own statement that the the study put out by IARC never says that cell phones definitely cause cancer. John Walls, VP of public affairs for CTIA said in a statement that, ”IARC conducts numerous reviews and in the past has given the same score to, for example, pickled vegetables and coffee. This IARC classification does not mean cellphones cause cancer. Under IARC rules, limited evidence from statistical studies can be found even though bias and other data flaws may be the basis for the results.” The CTIA also stressed that this new released report is not based on any new information or any new scientific research but, rather, on reviewed and previously published studies.

It seems that this is a never ending debate. Every couple of months we hear a new study being released saying that cell phones are or are not dangerous for humans. Clearly, the jury remains out on this one.

For More Info:

Full Cnet story here

Above picture via linked cnet article