We always knew cell phones would fry your brain, now there’s some evidence. A recent study in Sweden showed evidence of people in rural areas having a higher chance of brain tumors from the higher radiation levels required to boost the cell phone signals for those rural.
“We found that the risk of brain tumor was higher for people living in rural areas than in towns. The stronger the signal, the higher the risk,” said Lennart Hardell, lead author of the study and a professor of oncology at University Hospital in Orebro.
The team monitored 1429 people with tumors, both malignant and benign and 1470 healthy people from various regions of Sweden. They determined that people who lived in rural areas and used a cell phone for at least three years were three times more like to contract a brain tumor. If used it for 5 or more years, then your chances are quadrupled.
The prospects don’t look promising for kids who use their cell phones all the time and live in the country.
The scientists did say these results were preliminary and much more study would need to be done for conclusive proof.
“We still cannot exclude that there might be other undetected risks in the countryside, but we have tried to adjust the results, as far as we know,” said Hardell. For now, he suggested it was better to “operate the precautionary principle”. “Use hands-free kits when possible and children should only be using mobiles when necessary,” he said.
John Stith is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business.
