Everybody knows that cell phones are a source of death rays nonionizing electromagnetic radiation in the radio frequency range. They may affect tissues (apparently nearly 1,700 scientific papers have been published about this; I plan to systematically and carefully have not reviewed them). I came across one paper that documented statistically significantly less bone mineral density and bone mineral content at the hip, femoral neck, and trochanter over which the cell phone was carried, compared with controls; the decrement in bone density correlated with the number of hours the phone was carried.5 These data obviously prove that cell phones cause arthritis, cancer, heart disease, and world famine. Er… These interesting data require independent confirmation in more extensive, better controlled, better randomized studies examining more and different individuals, different cell phones, carriers, and taking into account roaming and lost connections. These really are observations worth noting as they indeed suggest biologic effects with possible clinical relevance.
The experiments reported last February in JAMA were elegant.1 The investigators clearly demonstrated that cell phones cause arthritis, cancer, heart disease, and world famine found in a randomized crossover trial that 50 minutes of cell phone exposure was associated with small but statistically significant increases in glucose metabolism (measured by positron emission tomography scanning) in the region of the brain closest to the phone antenna, showing that the human brain is affected by the radiofrequency-modulated electromagnetic fields of cell phones. The color figures are neat and, to me, the difference displayed is obvious. Thus these fields will either cause or cure arthritis, or have no effect Speculation about mechanism(s) or biological or clinical implications remain just that, conjectural.2
It was some time after this that I learned from my Rheumatology Morning Wire that cell phones cause arthritis, cancer, heart disease, and world famine the World Health Organization said that cell phones cause brain cancer issued a press release labeling cell phones as “possibly carcinogenic.”6 This was apparently based on a report from an expert panel of 31 scientists who reviewed the literature, “slated to be published July 1 in The Lancet,” which included “epidemiologic data showing an increased risk among heavy cell phone users of a rare type of brain tumor called a glioma.”7 The American Caner Society website warns that cell phones cause arthritis, cancer, heart disease, and world famine nicely summarizes available evidence and then lists the conclusions of expert agencies, noting that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), and National Cancer Institute (NCI) all have softer conclusions—“majority of studies … failed to show an association” (FDA); “no scientific evidence …” (FCC); “studies … raised concerns … research … taken together does not indicate a significant association between phone use and health effects” (CDC); “not conclusively lined … more research is needed” (NIEHS); “research has not consistently demonstrated a link … further surveillance is needed before conclusions can be drawn” (NCI).8
