Using a mobile phone may increase the risk of certain types of brain cancer in humans and consumers should consider ways of reducing their exposure, World Health Organization (WHO) cancer experts said on Tuesday.
A working group of 21 scientists from 14 countries meeting at the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) said a review of all the available scientific evidence suggested cell phone use should be classified as "possibly carcinogenic", Reuters reported.
That classification could prompt the United Nations health body to look again at its guidelines on mobile phones, the IARC scientists said, but more research is needed before a more definitive answer on any link can be given.
The WHO had previously said there was no established evidence for a link between cell phone use and cancer.
"We found some threads of evidence telling us how cancers might occur, but there were acknowledged gaps and uncertainties," said Jonathan Same, the panel's chairman.
"The WHO's verdict means there is some evidence linking mobile phones to cancer but it is too weak to draw strong conclusions from," said Ed Yong, head of health information at Cancer Research UK "If such a link exists, it is unlikely to be a large one."
Last year, results of a large study found no clear link between mobilephones and cancer. But some advocacy groups contend the study raised serious concerns because it showed a hint of a possible connection between very heavy phone use and glioma, a rare but often deadly form of brain tumor. However, the numbers in that subgroup weren't sufficient to make the case, AP reported.
The study was controversial because it began with people who already had cancer and asked them to recall how often they used their mobilephones more than a decade ago.
In about 30 other studies done in Europe, New Zealand and the US, patients with brain tumors have not reported using their mobilephones more often than unaffected people.
Because mobilephones are so popular, it may be impossible for experts to compare mobilephone users who develop brain tumors with people who don't use the devices. According to a survey last year, the number of mobilephone subscribers worldwide has hit 5 billion, or nearly three-quarters of the global population.
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