Brain tumors and salivary gland cancers among cellular telephone users
Auvinen A, Hietanen M, Luukkonen R, Koskela R-S, · 2002
View Original AbstractEarly Finnish study found weak link between brain tumors and analog cell phones, but researchers noted major exposure measurement limitations.
Plain English Summary
Finnish researchers studied 398 brain tumor patients and 34 salivary gland cancer patients from 1996 to see if cell phone use increased cancer risk. They found no overall link between cell phones and these cancers, but discovered a weak connection between brain tumors called gliomas and older analog cell phones. The researchers noted their study had significant limitations because they couldn't measure actual radiation exposure levels.
Why This Matters
This Finnish study represents an important early attempt to examine cell phone cancer risks using national health records, but its limitations highlight the challenges researchers faced in the early 2000s. The finding of a weak association between gliomas and analog phones is noteworthy because analog phones operated at higher power levels than digital phones and lacked many of the safety features we see today. What makes this study particularly relevant is the researchers' honest acknowledgment that register-based studies have 'limited value' without proper exposure assessment. This transparency contrasts sharply with industry-funded research that often downplays such limitations. The reality is that studying long-term cancer risks from EMF exposure requires decades of follow-up and precise exposure measurements that many early studies simply couldn't provide.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
The aim of this study is to observe Brain tumors and salivary gland cancers among cellular telephone users
We conducted a register-based, case-control study on cellular phone use and cancer. The study subjec...
Cellular phone use was not associated with brain tumors or salivary gland cancers overall, but there...
A register-based approach has limited value in risk assessment of cellular phone use owing to lack of information on exposure.
Show BibTeX
@article{a_2002_brain_tumors_and_salivary_1853,
author = {Auvinen A and Hietanen M and Luukkonen R and Koskela R-S and},
title = {Brain tumors and salivary gland cancers among cellular telephone users},
year = {2002},
url = {https://journals.lww.com/epidem/Fulltext/2002/05000/Brain_Tumors_and_Salivary_Gland_Cancers_Among.18.aspx?fbclid=IwAR3JMRlN_gcTmfAFy0Upim7hmPAR7jXQsmA7KOqolVrxfEaSddmvaGClXMI},
}