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Cancer & Tumors100 citations

Use of mobile phones in Norway and risk of intracranial tumours.

No Effects Found

Klaeboe L, Blaasaas KG, Tynes T. · 2007

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This Norwegian study found mobile phone users had lower brain tumor rates than non-users, contradicting cancer risk concerns.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Norwegian researchers studied 541 brain tumor patients and 358 healthy controls to see if mobile phone use increased risk of brain tumors (gliomas, meningiomas, and acoustic neuromas). They found that regular mobile phone users actually had lower odds of developing these tumors compared to non-users, with no increasing risk even after 6+ years of use. This suggests mobile phones don't increase brain tumor risk, at least for the exposure levels and time periods studied.

Why This Matters

This Norwegian study adds to a complex body of research on mobile phones and brain tumors, finding protective rather than harmful effects. The science demonstrates consistently mixed results across epidemiological studies, with some showing slight increases in risk and others, like this one, showing decreases. What this means for you is that the evidence doesn't support panic about brain tumors from typical mobile phone use. However, this study has important limitations. The follow-up period was relatively short, and mobile phone technology and usage patterns have changed dramatically since 2001-2002. The reality is that we're still in the early stages of understanding long-term effects from the RF radiation these devices emit, especially given that widespread mobile phone adoption is relatively recent in human history.

Study Details

To test the hypothesis that exposure to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields from mobile phones increases the incidence of gliomas, meningiomas and acoustic neuromas in adults.

The incident cases were of patients aged 19-69 years who were diagnosed during 2001-2002 in Southern...

Detailed information about mobile phone use was collected from 289 glioma (response rate 77%), 207 m...

The results from the present study indicate that use of mobile phones is not associated with an increased risk of gliomas, meningiomas or acoustic neuromas.

Cite This Study
Klaeboe L, Blaasaas KG, Tynes T. (2007). Use of mobile phones in Norway and risk of intracranial tumours. Eur J Cancer Prev. 16(2):158-164, 2007.
Show BibTeX
@article{l_2007_use_of_mobile_phones_3144,
  author = {Klaeboe L and Blaasaas KG and Tynes T.},
  title = {Use of mobile phones in Norway and risk of intracranial tumours.},
  year = {2007},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17297392/},
}
PubMed: 17297392

Cited By (100 papers)

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Quick Questions About This Study

Norwegian research found mobile phones don't increase brain tumor risk. The 2007 study of 541 brain tumor patients showed regular mobile phone users actually had lower odds of developing gliomas, meningiomas, and acoustic neuromas compared to non-users, even after 6+ years of use.
Long-term mobile phone use doesn't cause gliomas according to Norwegian research. The study found regular users had 40% lower odds of developing gliomas compared to non-users, with no increasing risk trend even after 6 or more years of regular mobile phone use.
Acoustic neuromas aren't linked to mobile phone radiation based on Norwegian research. The 2007 study found mobile phone users had 50% lower odds of developing acoustic neuromas, with no increasing risk trend despite longer duration or cumulative use patterns.
Cell phones don't cause meningioma brain tumors according to Norwegian research. While the study found slightly higher odds for meningiomas after 6+ years of use, the result wasn't statistically significant, and overall regular users had lower tumor rates than non-users.
Weekly mobile phone use doesn't increase brain cancer risk. Norwegian researchers found people using mobile phones at least once weekly for 6+ months had consistently lower odds of developing all three major brain tumor types compared to non-users.