JellyWoo

The debate on whether cellphones do cause cancer has taken a turn. The World Health Organization has classified cell phones as potential links to brain cancer. The WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, a global authority on medicine and the group who conducted the study, found that regular cell phone usage (30 minutes of talk-time per day) was a possible cause of glioma, a malignant form of brain cancer.

Cell phone usage is now classified as a Class 2B carcinogen. This is the IARC’s definition of a 2B classification:

“This category is used for agents for which there is limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans and less than sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals. It may also be used when there is inadequate evidence of carcinogenicity in humans but there is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals. In some instances, an agent for which there is inadequate evidence of carcinogenicity in humans and less than sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals together with supporting evidence from mechanistic and other relevant data may be placed in this group. An agent may be classified in this category solely on the basis of strong evidence from mechanistic and other relevant data.”

So although the risk is not definitive, cell phone usage is now classified on the same threat level as DDT, lead, and hundreds of other possible carcinogens. [via The Telegraph]