3,138 Studies Reviewed. 77.4% Found Biological Effects. The Evidence is Clear.

Note: This study found no significant biological effects under its experimental conditions. We include all studies for scientific completeness.

Cellular telephone use and time trends for brain, head and neck tumours.

No Effects Found

Cook A, Woodward A, Pearce N, Marshall C. · 2003

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New Zealand cancer registries showed no increase in head and neck tumors during the first decade of widespread cell phone use.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers tracked brain and head cancer rates in New Zealand from 1986 to 1998, comparing trends before and after cellular phones were introduced in 1987. They found no significant changes in cancer rates at body sites that receive high, medium, or low levels of cell phone radiation. The study suggests that widespread cell phone adoption did not lead to detectable increases in head and neck cancers during this 12-year period.

Study Details

The objective of this study was to determine whether incidence rates of head and neck malignancies in New Zealand have varied since the introduction of cellular telephones in 1987. In particular, we sought to compare trends in tumour rates in anatomical sites that receive high, medium and low levels of cellular telephone radiation (based on dosimetry data).

We investigated whether trends in tumour incidence rates in New Zealand have varied since the introd...

The graphs for high, medium and low exposure sites did not display any significant changes in trend ...

Incidence rates for malignancies arising in the head and neck, including those sites that hypothetically receive the highest levels of radio frequency radiation during cellular telephone use, have not changed materially since the introduction of cellular telephones to New Zealand. However, ecological studies of this nature are limited in many ways and a stronger study design is clearly needed to establish more exactly any elevation in risk.

Cite This Study
Cook A, Woodward A, Pearce N, Marshall C. (2003). Cellular telephone use and time trends for brain, head and neck tumours. N Z Med J. 116(1175):U457, 2003.
Show BibTeX
@article{a_2003_cellular_telephone_use_and_2986,
  author = {Cook A and Woodward A and Pearce N and Marshall C.},
  title = {Cellular telephone use and time trends for brain, head and neck tumours.},
  year = {2003},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12838353/},
}

Quick Questions About This Study

Researchers tracked brain and head cancer rates in New Zealand from 1986 to 1998, comparing trends before and after cellular phones were introduced in 1987. They found no significant changes in cancer rates at body sites that receive high, medium, or low levels of cell phone radiation. The study suggests that widespread cell phone adoption did not lead to detectable increases in head and neck cancers during this 12-year period.