Cellphones Not Responsible for Tumors in Ears

The risk of acoustic neuroma, or auditory tumor, is unrelated to the frequency and duration of cellular telephone use, according to a study published in the April 23 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Researchers from New York University Medical Center and New York Presbyterian Medical Center conducted a case-control study of 90 acoustic neuroma patients, with 86 control subjects. All study subjects answered questions about hand-held cellular telephone use and lifestyle information such as smoking habits, alcohol consumption, medical history, occupations and occupational exposures. Specific information was gathered regarding the number of years of cellular phone use, minutes/hours used per month, year of first use, phone manufacturer, and reported average monthly bill.

An acoustic neuroma is a benign (non-cancerous) tissue growth that arises on the eighth cranial nerve leading from the brain to the inner ear.

"The risk of acoustic neuroma was unrelated to cellular telephone use," said study author Joshua Muscat, Ph.D., of the American Health Foundation in New York. "A slightly elevated risk was found for subjects with three or more years of cell phone use, but these subjects were also infrequent users. No association was observed with cumulative use, and we found no evidence of a trend in the odds of risk with increasing levels of exposure."

There are no established environmental causes of acoustic neuroma, although there has been concern that hand-held cellular telephone users may be at increased risk. The radio frequency radiation emitted from cellular phones is absorbed superficially on the skin and bones surrounding the ear, and intracranially behind the ear.

This study was supported by funding from Wireless Technology, Inc. and Public Health Service Grants. The American Academy of Neurology, is an association of 18,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals.'"

Posted to the site on 24th April 2002