Mobile phones, cordless phones and rates of brain tumors in different age groups in the Swedish National Inpatient Register and the Swedish Cancer Register during 1998-2015.
Hardell L, Carlberg M. · 2017
View Original AbstractBrain tumor rates in Sweden increased 4.24% annually after 2007, with the highest increases in young adults during peak smartphone adoption.
Plain English Summary
Swedish researchers analyzed brain tumor rates from 1998-2015 using two national health databases and found a concerning pattern: brain tumor rates increased by 2.06% annually overall, with the steepest increase of 4.24% per year after 2007. The 20-39 age group showed the highest increases, coinciding with widespread mobile phone adoption, and the researchers discovered that many brain tumors are likely being underreported to cancer registries.
Why This Matters
This study reveals a troubling blind spot in how we track brain cancer trends. The science demonstrates that official cancer registries may be missing a significant number of brain tumor cases, meaning the real incidence could be substantially higher than reported statistics suggest. What makes this particularly concerning is the timing: the steepest increases occurred after 2007, precisely when smartphone use exploded globally. The reality is that younger adults (ages 20-39) showed the highest rate increases, which aligns with this demographic's heaviest phone use patterns. While the researchers couldn't establish direct causation, they specifically noted that wireless phone use should be considered when evaluating these trends. This research underscores why we can't rely solely on cancer registry data to assess EMF health risks and highlights the urgent need for better tracking systems as wireless technology continues to proliferate.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
The aim of this study is to investigate Mobile phones, cordless phones and rates of brain tumors in different age groups in the Swedish National Inpatient Register and the Swedish Cancer Register during 1998-2015.
We used the Swedish Inpatient Register (IPR) to analyze rates of brain tumors of unknown type (D43) ...
Average Annual Percentage Change (AAPC) per 100,000 increased with +2.06%, 95% confidence interval (...
The results indicate underreporting of brain tumor cases to the Cancer Register. The real incidence would be higher. Thus, incidence trends based on the Cancer Register should be used with caution. Use of wireless phones should be considered in relation to the change of incidence rates.
Show BibTeX
@article{l_2017_mobile_phones_cordless_phones_2181,
author = {Hardell L and Carlberg M.},
title = {Mobile phones, cordless phones and rates of brain tumors in different age groups in the Swedish National Inpatient Register and the Swedish Cancer Register during 1998-2015.},
year = {2017},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28976991/},
}