Health of 250,000 mobile phone users to be tracked

[Park Life 71]

Health of 250,000 mobile phone users to be tracked

 

Scientists to look for increased risk of a range of conditions in study spanning five countries, including Britain

 

 

 

* Ian Sample, science correspondent

* guardian.co.uk, Thursday 22 April 2010 19.33 BST

* Article history

 

Mobile phones at Nokia HQ in Finland, one of the countries where users' health is to be tracked

 

Mobile phones at Nokia HQ in Finland, one of the countries where the health of users is to be tracked for up to 30 years. Photograph: Kimmo Mantyla/AFP/Getty Images

 

A quarter of a million mobile phone users are to have their medical records tracked for more than 20 years in the world's largest study into the health effects of the devices.

 

Network operators, including Vodafone and O2 in the UK, have agreed to invite a random selection of customers aged 18 to 69 to take part in the study, which will look for increased rates of cancer, dementia and other conditions, such as depression and sleep disorders.

 

The cohort study on mobile communications (Cosmos) is the latest to be funded by the government's mobile telecommunications health research programme (MTHR), set up after the Stewart inquiry into mobile phones and health in 2000.

 

Then it was concluded that, while there was no evidence mobile phones were dangerous, more research was needed to rule out an increased risk of brain tumours and other cancers over the long term. As a precautionary measure, the report advised against children using mobile phones unless essential.

 

Mobile phone ownership has soared since the mid-1990s to more than 70m in the UK – more than one handset for every individual. Because cancers grow slowly, any increase due to mobile phone use is unlikely to have become apparent yet.

 

"The balance of scientific evidence to date does not suggest that mobile phones cause cancer but, because of the uncertainty, we cannot rule out the possibility that it might," said Professor Lawrie Challis, of the MTHR management committee.

 

"With many cancers it takes 10 or 20 years for symptoms to show, and most of us have not had mobile phones that long. There just hasn't been enough time for cancer to develop."

 

 

Death to all of them. Stupid fucks...Especially ones who use them on trains while I'm reading...Fucko fucks.

Edited April 23, 2010 by Park Life

[Renton 22445]

Death to all mobile phone users? Bit harsh isn't it?

[Park Life 71]

Death to all mobile phone users? Bit harsh isn't it?

 

No.

[Guest alex]

Well, they're all going to die anyway

[Renton 22445]

Death to all mobile phone users? Bit harsh isn't it?

 

No.

 

Have you got an aluminium foil hat on by any chance?

[Park Life 71]

Death to all mobile phone users? Bit harsh isn't it?

 

No.

 

Have you got an aluminium foil hat on by any chance?

 

Yeah but I haven't got the bad head cancer.

[Renton 22445]

As it happens I currently have otitis externa in my right (phone) ear. It's one of the most painful conditions I've ever had, I'm taking ibuprofen by the truckload.

 

Worried it might be bad brain cancer now.

[Park Life 71]

As it happens I currently have otitis externa in my right (phone) ear. It's one of the most painful conditions I've ever had, I'm taking ibuprofen by the truckload.

 

Worried it might be bad brain cancer now.

 

Rents killed by his own jokes.