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Cancer & Tumors

Cellular Telephones and Cancer-a Nationwide Cohort Study in Denmark.

No Effects Found

Johansen C, Boice JD, McLaughlin JK, Olsen JH, · 2001

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This 1990s study of early analog phones found no cancer increase, but doesn't address today's smartphone radiation levels.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Danish researchers tracked over 420,000 cellular phone users from 1982 to 1995 and compared their cancer rates to the general population. They found cell phone users actually had lower overall cancer rates than expected, with no increased risk for brain tumors, salivary gland cancers, or leukemia. The study found no connection between phone use duration and cancer risk.

Study Details

The aim of this study is to investigate Cellular Telephones and Cancer-a Nationwide Cohort Study in Denmark.

A retrospective cohort study of cancer incidence was conducted in Denmark of all users of cellular t...

Overall, 3391 cancers were observed with 3825 expected, yielding a significantly decreased standardi...

The results of this investigation, the first nationwide cancer incidence study of cellular phone users, do not support the hypothesis of an association between use of these telephones and tumors of the brain or salivary gland, leukemia, or other cancers.

Cite This Study
Johansen C, Boice JD, McLaughlin JK, Olsen JH, (2001). Cellular Telephones and Cancer-a Nationwide Cohort Study in Denmark. J Natl Cancer Inst 93(3):203-207, 2001.
Show BibTeX
@article{c_2001_cellular_telephones_and_cancera_3117,
  author = {Johansen C and Boice JD and McLaughlin JK and Olsen JH and},
  title = {Cellular Telephones and Cancer-a Nationwide Cohort Study in Denmark.},
  year = {2001},
  
  url = {https://academic.oup.com/jnci/article/93/3/203/2906436?login=true},
}

Quick Questions About This Study

The Danish study tracked 420,000 cell phone users from 1982-1995 and found no increased cancer risk. Users actually had lower overall cancer rates than expected, with no brain tumor, salivary gland cancer, or leukemia increases despite using early analog phones.
Danish cell phone users showed 11% lower cancer rates than the general population primarily due to fewer smoking-related cancers like lung cancer. This suggests early cell phone adopters were healthier overall, not that phones prevent cancer.
The Danish study found no connection between phone use duration and brain cancer risk. Researchers analyzed time since first subscription, age at first use, and phone type but found no increased brain tumor rates with longer exposure.
The Danish study compared analog and digital cellular phones and found no difference in cancer risk between the two technologies. Both phone types showed no increased rates of brain tumors, leukemia, or salivary gland cancers among 420,000 users.
This was the first nationwide cancer study of cellular phone users, tracking an entire country's phone subscribers through cancer registries. Unlike smaller studies, it followed 420,000 people for over a decade using objective subscription records rather than self-reported phone use.