Brain cancer from cell phones: debate rages on

Brain cancer from cell phones is real and users should modify their use of mobile devices. This was the warning issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday citing latest data available.

The U.N. health agency's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded after scouring through all available studies that mobile phone use is "possibly carcinogenic."

Based on current evidence, the WHO now classifies cell phone use in the same category as chloroform and coffee as carcinogens.

"After reviewing essentially all the evidence that is relevant...the working group classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans," IARC chairman Jonathan Samet said in a briefing.

One particular link was identified between a brain cancer called glioma and cell phone use. But the WHO seem to backtrack a little, saying that more exhaustive research is needed before a solid link can be pinned down.

As cell phone use grows over the years, so does the debate over the devices' impact on people's health. Some studies, including one conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, have failed to establish a connection between cell phone use and brain cancer.

But consumer groups have claimed otherwise, pointing to other studies that claim to offer proof that brain cancer from cell phones is a real danger. They have called on cell phone companies to disclose information about health dangers of cell phone use and lobbied health authorities to settle the matter once and for all.

With the WHO itself flip-flopping on the issue, it remains to be seen if brain cancer from cell phones is either a legitimate or unnecessary concern.