Cell phones cause cancer?

A study commissioned by the World Health Organization suggests that electromagnetic fields given off by cell phones may cause brain cancer.

Written byCristina Luiggi
| 1 min read

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After commissioning a review of the literature by a panel of experts, the World Health Organization (WHO) concluded that electromagnetic fields given off by cell phones may cause brain cancer. The international committee, which relied mostly on epidemiological data comparing mobile use between cancer patients and cancer-free individuals, placed these electromagnetic fields on a par with other carcinogens such as lead and engine exhaust. But even scientists involved with the committee caution that further research is required, Nature reports, adding that results from animal studies have been mixed and that there are flaws with the way the epidemiological data were acquired.

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