This might be one more reason to put your cell phone down once in a while. Researchers with the National Toxicology Program, part of the National Institutes of Health, released a recently-finished study in which it found that rats exposed to prolonged cell phone radiation over a two-year period developed certain types of cancer. Interestingly enough, the study found that only male rats developed the cancers where females were less likely, or didn’t develop any cancerous symptoms.
First off, the study was done on rats so that isn’t a direct link to humans as the two mammals obviously have much different body types. But it is alarming. Here’s another curious fact about the study: Cellphones give off non ionizing radio frequency radiation that doesn’t lead to gene or DNA mutation that causes cancer. Ionizing radiation is a known carcinogen on the other hand, so the results are perplexing to scientists.
Another interesting aspect of the study is how much higher the cancer rates were in male rats than females, especially of the heart and brain variety. Female rates saw little or no change in cancer rates. And across the study, animals that weren’t exposed to cell phones didn’t have any cases of cancer found within their bodies.
No previous studies have been able to link cell phone use with cancer.
