What a top cancer researcher told his staff: Limit your mobile phone use to avoid tumours

One of the world's leading cancer scientists last night warned that mobile phones could pose a health risk.

Dr Ronald Herberman - director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute - urged staff to keep phones away from their heads and only let children use them in emergencies.

He said his warning is based on an early, unpublished study into the links between mobile phones and brain cancers.

In a memo to 3,000 staff in the U.S., Dr Herberman warned: 'We shouldn't wait for a definitive study to come out, but err on the side of being safe rather than sorry later.

'I am convinced that there is sufficient data to warrant issuing an advisory to share some precautionary advice on cell phone use.'

He added that there is a 'growing body of literature' which links long-term mobile phone use with adverse health effects, including cancer.

If there is a health risk from phones, children are likely to be most vulnerable because their brains are developing and their skulls are thinner, Dr Herberman said.

And adults should also switch sides regularly when talking, while children should only use mobiles in a crisis.

Last September, a six-year UK study concluded mobile phones did not cause health problems if used for up to ten years but a long-term cancer risk could not be ruled out.

However the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme did find a 'very slight hint' of increased brain tumour incidences among longer-term users.
 
Dr Lara Bennett, science information officer at Cancer Research UK, said: 'There is currently no conclusive, published scientific evidence to show that mobile phones will increase your risk of developing cancer.
 
'Previous studies have indicated that using mobile phones for about ten years is safe but we can't be sure about their long-term effects.'

Mobile phones emit radio signals and electromagnetic fields that can penetrate the brain, and some campaigners fear this could seriously damage human health.

A study this year of 500 Israelis found that heavy use might be linked to an increased risk of cancer of the salivary gland.

Professor Will Stewart, of the University of Southampton, said: 'One cannot refute the "early findings from unpublished data" since we have not seen them - but there is enough published data to make the advice sound alarmist.
 
'Has he also advised staff to keep children and themselves out of the sun and away from any smokers?

'These are well-established risks that are probably much more serious than the mobile phone.'

Although Dr Herberman did not suggest an alternative solution for mobile phone users, past research has suggested that hands-free sets are safer.

Earlier this year, the French government urged parents to buy their children hands-free sets to ensure radiation is kept away from their bodies.

France's Ministry of Health also expressed 'concern' at the increasing numbers of youngsters with mobile phones.

And the World Health Organisation has highlighted studies which found those who have used mobiles for ten years have an increased tumour risk.