Editor's
Note: Acoustic neuromas are non-cancerous tumors found
in the brain and are accompanied by hearing loss and
tinnitus. You can read more about the nature of Acoustic
Neuromas in our Tinnitus Information Center.
Do
Cell Phones Cause Acoustic Neuroma?
by Barry Keate
There
has been a good deal of discussion in scientific circles
recently over the concern that radio-frequency (RF)
radiation, from cell phone usage, may cause damage
to the human brain in the form of an acoustic neuroma.
The
incidence of acoustic neuroma among tinnitus patients
is approximately one in one thousand individuals as
opposed to one in one hundred thousand in the general
population. This is the reason many ENT physicians
require an MRI of their tinnitus patients; to rule
out the possibility of acoustic neuroma.
One
of the primary symptoms is hearing loss and tinnitus,
usually occurring in only one ear. Acoustic neuromas
are rare, non-malignant growths that occur on the
auditory nerve leading from the cochlea to the brain.
They are slow growing, developing over many years,
and are not cancerous. They do not spread but continue
growing from the point where they begin.
They
can be very dangerous, however, if left undiagnosed.
As they grow they may begin to press against the brain,
causing pressure on the brainstem and endangering
vital functions necessary to life.
 In
2003, a study was published that showed microwave
radiation emitted from GSM (digital) mobile phones
caused damage to the brains of laboratory rats. Leif
Salford and colleagues at Lund University Hospital
in Lund, Sweden attached cell phones to the cages
of rats and varied the intensity of radiation to reflect
the range of exposures a human cell phone user might
experience over the same time period. They exposed
the rats to this radiation for two hours.
Fifty
days after the one-time, two-hour exposure, the rats’
brains showed significant blood vessel leakage as
well as areas of shrunken, damaged neurons. The higher
the radiation exposure, the more damage was apparent.
1
The
safety of cell phone usage was first brought to the
public’s attention in a 2003 lawsuit filed in
the death of a Florida woman by her husband. He claimed
that the cell phone he bought for her when she was
pregnant caused or accelerated the growth of the brain
tumor that killed her. The case was later dismissed
for lack of scientific evidence but the media had
hold of it by then and started raising questions.
Hand-held
phones appear to be the most damaging. Phones mounted
in cars, with the antenna outside, appear safe. Using
a headphone that allows the individual to hold the
main power source away from their head is also preferable.
Network
news programs ran their own tests of mobile phones
and found that some exceed the maximum level of emitted
radio-frequency energy allowed by the US Federal Communications
Commission (FCC).
In
2004 a landmark study was completed at the prestigious
Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden on the use
of cell phones and acoustic neuroma. The study, published
in Epidemiology, provided conclusive proof
that use of cell phones over a 10 year period significantly
increased the user’s chance of developing acoustic
neuroma. It showed there was no increased incidence
of the tumor within 10 years but that after that time
the risk increased two-fold. When tumors appearing
on the same side of the head as used for cell phones
were compared, the risk increased four-fold. 2
Researchers
said they found no association between the tumors
and the amount of use measured in hours or cumulative
number of calls but rather on the length of time those
in the study had been regular users of cell phones.
“It
is a natural place to look for a problem because this
is the area of the head that is exposed” said
Anders Ahlbom, director of the Institute of Environmental
Medicine at the Karolinska Institute.
 Dr.
Henry Lai, research professor of bioengineering at
the University of Washington in Seattle, WA said the
Karolinska study is not the first to show a link between
cell phones and acoustic neuroma. “Another Swedish
researcher, Dr. Lennart Hardell found similar results
in 2002, so this is, in effect, a replication. I think
the data is quite solid and is cause for concern on
long-term cell phone use.” 3
Dr.
Sam Milham, epidemiologist and pioneer in studying
the effects of electromagnetic radiation on humans,
said it usually takes 20 years or more for solid tumors
to develop. “I’m actually astonished that
they found anything like this early,” Milham
stated in an article published in Florida's Sun-Sentinel.
“If that energy can do that to normal nerve
tissue cells, what can it do to adjacent brain cells?
I think it’s the tip of a big iceberg and the
peak could be 25 years past exposure. What’s
really alarming is that in the last five years an
enormous number of people started using cell phones,
including kids, so I think this is just the beginning
of it. I hope I’m wrong.”
At
least three federal agencies, the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), have
roles in regulating radio-frequency radiation. Only
recently has the federal government committed funds
to study the cell phone issue. Those studies are not
expected to be completed for five to seven years.
In
October, 1999, the FDA responded to increased media
focus by issuing a Consumer Update on Mobile Phones
in which it stated, “The available science does
not allow us to conclude that mobile phones are absolutely
safe or that they are unsafe. However, the available
scientific evidence does not demonstrate any adverse
health effects associated with the use of mobile phones.”
4
To
be sure, there are clinical studies that show cell
phones do not cause acoustic neuroma or other brain
tumors. However, the majority of these studies were
conducted on users of less than ten years. A study
published in the British Journal of Cancer in 2005
is representative of these and states, “The
study suggests that there is no substantial risk of
acoustic neuroma in the first decade after starting
mobile phone use. However, an increase in risk after
longer term use or after a longer lag period could
not be ruled out.” 5
 Those
at highest risk of suffering long-term consequences
are children, who are now beginning to use cell phones
at 8 to 10 years old. Some experts say research conducted
in the past decade indicates the world’s 1.6
billion cell phone users are the equivalent of lab
rats in a grand living laboratory and that children,
with many years of cell phone use ahead of them, might
be particularly vulnerable.
In
the United Kingdom, Education Secretary David Blunkett
has written to all schools in England and Wales. He
stated that pupils under 16 years old should not use
cell phones except in emergencies. His order to schools
follows an investigation by Government chief scientist
Sir William Stewart that children could be susceptible
to damage from radiation because their immune system
is not fully developed. He also pointed out that the
younger the child, the more years they could be exposed
to radiation.
 In
2006, Walt Disney Internet Group, teaming with Sprint,
began Disney Mobile to provide cell phones for “the
family mobile market.” Disney withdrew cell
phone faceplates featuring Mickey Mouse and other
cartoon characters when health concerns were raised
by cell phone research. Nonetheless, Disney Mobile
is today offering cell phones and calling plans to
children as young as 8 years old.
How
do we protect ourselves and our children from the
consequences of long-term exposure? Awareness and
moderation are the best courses to follow. Being aware
that a potential danger exists can help change our
own behaviors and modify ovedrall useage. Until further
research resolves this issue, here are some idaeas
to reduce exposure to cell phone radiation.
1.
Reduce the amount of time spent using cellular phones.
Whenever possible, use a land-line.
2.
Use a hands-free kit which dramatically reduces the
absorption of RF energy in the head.
3.
Use the cell phone in speaker-phone mode and hold
it in front of you. This is not practical in noisy,
public settings but works fine in the home or office.
4.
Restrict cell phone use in children and adolescents
except in emergency situations.
References:
-
Sanford, L., Brun, A., Eberhardt, J., Malmgren,
L., Persson, B. Nerve cell damage in mammalian brain
after exposure to microwaves from GSM mobile phones.
Environmental Health Perspectives Volume 111, Number
7, June 2003.
- Lonn
S, et al, (2004) Mobil phone use and the risk of
acoustic neuroma, Epidemiology, Volume 15, No 6,
653-659, November 2004.
-
Hardell L, Mild KH, Carlberg M, Further aspects
on cellular and cordless telephones and brain tumors.
Int. J. Oncology, 2003 Feb; 22(2): 399-407.
-
US Food and Drug Administration, Center for Devices
and Radiological Health, October 20, 1999.
-
Schoemaker MJ, et al., Mobile phone use and risk
of acoustic neuroma: results of the interphone case-control
study in five North European countries. Br J Cancer
2005 Oct 3:93(7):842-8.
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