Cell phones and brain cancer: is there a link?

Posted on 21/08/2023

The cell phone appeared in the United States in 1983, 10 years after its invention by Martin Cooper. In France it was in 1991 that he came into our lives. It did not become a success quickly, it was not until 2002 that the number of mobile subscriptions exceeded that of fixed lines. Today there are more laptops than humans on earth, some people even have several! The smartphone is so present in our lives that we develop a certain behavioral addiction in response .

What about the harmfulness of mobile phones on health and in particular on the brain?

Mobile phones use radio waves to operate, these radio frequency waves are low energy magnetic fields.
Do these waves act on our brain ? We know that they can penetrate a few centimeters into the cranial box, at the level of the parietal and temporal lobes, with a lower risk the further away the device is from our head.

Could there be a link between the constant use of these devices and brain cancer?

In 2011 British cancer research noted an increase of almost 40% in brain tumors over the past 20 years, with an increased risk among the heaviest users. On this occasion, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified the radio frequencies emitted by mobile phones as potentially carcinogenic.

What are the symptoms of brain cancer? They vary depending on the location of the tumor and its size.

✦ In the case of a development at the level of the temporal lobe , we note the appearance of memory disorders, eating habits, social and sexual disorders.
✦ At the level of the frontal lobe , language disorders, attention, memory, behavior and motor problems.
✦ At the level of the parietal lobe , sensory disorders, vision, hearing, walking.
✦ If the tumor develops in the cerebellum , there are balance disorders and abnormalities in the precision and coordination of movements.
✦ If it reaches the brainstem it leads to heart and respiratory problems.
✦ The presence of a mass in the brain also causes intracranial hypertension which can lead to frequent and violent headaches, nausea, vomiting and can even promote the onset of epileptic seizures.

Since 2011 many other studies have been carried out, a recent study carried out over 20 years and involving 800,000 women questioned on their mode of use of the laptop, the duration of use per day, per week, the time interval since the first use with in parallel a questioning on the state of health in particular on the occurrence of malignant brain tumors noted that there was no difference whatever the type of cancer between the different groups questioned. 0.42% of women who used their cell phone moderately had developed a brain tumour, but 0.44% of women who had never used it had also developed cancer. The study therefore noted that the link was not conclusive .