Dr John: Mobile cancer risk

Olivia, when you consider there are an estimated 4.3 billion mobile phones in use around the world, your question is appropriate, valid and important. It’s easy to take the reassuring view that mobile phones must be OK because so many nations now rely on the technology.

Mobiles work by using electromagnetic radiation in the microwave range, and even though the World Health Organisation currently states: ‘There is no convincing evidence of an increased cancer risk with mobile phone use,’ many people remain concerned.

However, being wary is a good idea and there is a large amount of international research being done on mobiles and base towers. There is a Nobel prize out there for the scientist who discovers microwaves are behind all sorts of undefined medical problems.

The recent view that there’s a definite link between mobile phones and brain tumours by an Australian neurosurgeon has been criticised as an ‘unbalanced review of the literature’. Nonetheless, there is controversy about other health effects that can occur if you often put an electromagnetic machine to your ear – most of this debate comes out in favour of mobiles.

But a definite risk from a mobile phone is to put it to the ear and try to talk and drive at the same time. Some experts say even the hands-free option takes the mind off the road and can lead to accidents.

A good rule of thumb is to use the loudspeaker setting as often as possible and don’t allow children and teens to repeatedly use mobile phones unless using wireless earphone technologies such as Bluetooth, and to keep using headphones or headsets.