Recently we've heard the "news" that another study is connecting cell phone usage and brain cancer. The latest round of press chasing this story is due to this "report" from Dr. Khurana which actually has no original research, but is a collection of previously reported studies. It should be noted that many of the cited studies point to no demonstrated risk. Many of the studies just hypothesize potential risk mechanisms, and in general suggest ways cell phone radiation could cause health problems.

But, rather than grind through all the data on Specific Absorption Rates (SAR) and microwave heating of the brain, let's take a look at the press grabbing headline that states "It is anticipated that this danger has far broader public health ramifications than asbestos and smoking,..."

This is apparently done for effect. The focus of the press is put on the risk of brain cancer. That's most likely because cancer is a disease that frightens many people, often for good reason, and few cancers sound more invasive and deadly than brain cancer.

So, how serious is the threat of brain cancer, and haw is cell phone usage affecting the occurrence of brain cancer?

Dr. Khurana suggests: The "incubation time" or "latency" (i.e., the time from commencement of regular mobile phone usage to the diagnosis of a malignant solid brain tumor in a susceptible individual) may be in the order of 10-20 years. In the years 2008- 2012, we will have reached the appropriate length of follow-up time to begin to definitively observe the impact of this global technology on brain tumor incidence rates."

Why make this statement about latency? Because in 2007, 11 years after the introduction of the StarTac phone from Motorola, when portable cell phone usage really started to take off, there is still no evidence in increased brain cancer rates of a link strong enough to be measurable.

Brain cancer is found much more in young children, in fact it accounts for almost 24% cancers found in children under the age of 14, second only to leukemia. This has been true for years. If you take those childhood cases out, for people of the age to be using cell phones, there are only about 10000 cases of brain cancer each year.

The worst case scenario Dr. Khurana quotes (recall that he is simply repeating old studies, nothing new here), is that after the "latency" period is over, we may see a 39% increase in brain cancers for those who have been using cell phones "heavily" for 10-20 years. Let's make the generous assumption that includes 100% of the population of the US, so we could expect at most 3900 new cases each year. Thats an increase in the total cancer rate of 0.27%.

If you are worried about cancer, I suggest you worry about some real threats:

• Stop smoking or don't start
• Lose weight - A high Body Mass Index has increased the incidence of a variety of cancers, including esophageal and bladder cancers, not to mention the impact it has on risk of heart disease and diabetes and just wear and tear on your body. Have you ever seen a "heavy" 100 year old?
• Get regular colonoscopies - Colon cancer is often referred to as the most preventable of all cancers, yet there were still over 110,000 new cases in 2007, along with over 40,000 new rectum cancer cases.
• And of course regular mammograms and prostate exams

If you're still worried about cell phones and cancer:

• Use a wired or wireless remote earpiece when using your phone

Anyone who has seen other drivers do the cell phone weave knows what this report suggests, that drivers using cell phones are as bad as drunk drivers. So, if you are worried about the impact using cell phones can have on your life expectancy, GET OFF THE PHONE WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING.