Cordless phones more dangerous than mobile? Link to increase in AN patients.

[newmommyLA]

All this time, I've been avoiding my cell phone.  I never thought the cordless phones in our home, of which there are many, might cause more radiation than the cell phones.  I have a base right next to my head all night on my bedside table.  Kind of scary.  I think I want the old school phone with a cord back.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-376279/Cordless-home-phones-sparks-radiation-fear.html

There are many studies online about this.  Most of them come from Europe, not the US. 

[leapyrtwins]

Thanks for the link.

I have to say that after reading it, in my opinion they are saying that the "evidence" is inconclusive.

But I'll buy this theory before I'll buy the cell phone theory.  I had cordless phones in my house long before I owned a cell phone.

I still think that Acoustic Neuromas are just something that happen and they aren't as widely diagnosed as they could be.  Unless someone presents with symptoms and an MRI is done, lots of ANs go undiagnosed.  I'd venture to say that some people die never ever realizing they have one.

I hope that one day there is some kind of scientific proof of just what does cause ANs.

Jan

[Jim Scott]

The Daily Mail is a British tabloid that has a checkered past (they've lost a lot of libel lawsuits) and this story, while of some interest because it mentions acoustic neuromas, is basically just repeating speculation without any hard evidence.  I'm not arguing that the Swedish 'study' the article cited claiming that DECT (digital enhanced cordless telephones) are a likely source of tumor-producing radiation is dead wrong but pressure groups using it to issue scare-tactic 'warnings' to consumers seems a tad overwrought.  As always, I remain skeptical of the whole 'Telephones are a cause of ANs' theory until some concrete, repeatable scientific proof is offered in one of the 'studies' that always seem to originate somewhere in Scandinavia. 

I agree that we would all be grateful to learn what (if any) external entity (such as phone-generated radiation) 'causes' ANs or other brain tumors to develop.  However, I'm pessimistic about the chances of this being discovered in my lifetime.  Of course, I could be wrong. 

Jim   

[plugger147]

I'll agree being welsh (part of the uk) any of the tabloids over here aren't to be trusted, AN's have been detected from years before any of the technology we have now had been invented (from one place I'm sure it was around the 1770's) I think that the amount of people now suffering from them is more to do with the advances in medicine than modern technology causing them, I know that if I hadn't hurt my right hand I'd have never known the hearing in my left ear had gone which led to a lot of pestering of my gp to get me referred to the hospital which led to the diagnosis, which does go with what jan said about them not being as widely diagnosed as they could be. I remember my gp being quite flippant about me wanting to wear a hearing aid when I was concerned about the hearing loss and not wanting to refer me to a ent consultant, if I hadn't persisted with bothering them like some people might not have then who know's when I'd have found out I had one.

[Larry]

I'm with Jim here. I have posted the odd comment about links to mobiles before but also added caution to the wind. The only time any info can be taken seriously re these things is if the article is posted in a bona fide medical journal that has had significant peer review.

I have personal beliefs on mobiles but will not reiterate them here.

the advice - never believe anything medical that comes out of a tabloid unless they post the actual study etc - which never happens.

laz

[opp2]

I didn't read the article at all. My opinion remains that AN are not caused by telephones etc. AN has been around waaaaayyy longer that cordless and mobile phones. Waaaaayyyy longer. I suspect it has something to do with genetics. I don't have cafe o'lait spots but I have heard they can be a hall mark of NF2. I have tons of moles and freckles. I was reading about the formation of moles 'nevus and nevi' associated to other tumours. There are some linkages, but nothing concrete yet. I worry for my kids as they both have moles here and there. He's 5 she's almost 8.

Some day I'm sure we'll have an answer, and it likely won't be anything to do with electronics.

The opinions stated above are those of the writer. 

[FlyersFan68]

I don't believe the phone studies are indicating there's a direct cause of disease but an considerable increase in odds or speeding up the process. Acoustics are on the rise and I've partially stopped using cell phones as I only text now. I've also known about the wireless home phones but I'm not willing to go back to the wall mounts so that's not an option for me. Most recent reports are indicating for eveyone to cut their usage time especially children since their brains are not fully developed until age twelve.