So much has been talked about that the radiation from cell phones are hazardous to our health. But how true and accurate are the findings that the radiation can cause ill effects to our health? Because cell phones are held near the head when in use, the main concern has been over whether they might cause or contribute to tumors in the brain and salivary glands.

How do cell phones work?Cell phones communicate with nearby cell towers through radio frequency (RF) waves, a form of energy located on the electromagnetic spectrum between FM radio waves and microwaves. The RF waves from cell phones, like FM radio waves, microwaves, and visible light, are a form of radiation. But these types of radiation are non-ionizing. They don’t have enough energy to directly damage DNA.They are different from types of ionizing radiation such as x-rays and gamma rays, which are known to damage DNA and can cause cancer.At very high levels, RF waves can heat up body tissues. (This is the basis for how microwave ovens work.) But the levels of energy given off by cell phones are much lower, and studies suggest they aren’t able to heat up body tissues.

Here’s an excerpt from www.cancer.org:
As noted above, the RF waves given off by cell phones don’t have enough energy to damage DNA directly. Because of this, many scientists believe that cell phones aren’t able to cause cancer. Most studies done in the lab have supported this theory, finding that RF waves do not cause DNA damage.A number of scientists have reported that the RF waves from cell phones may have different effects on cells in the lab, some of which could possibly help tumors grow. However, these claims have not been verified by other scientists. Given the widespread use of cell phones, it is important that these claims be carefully tested by other scientists with expertise in this area.

Here’s some interesting information on the effects of cell phone radiation, extracted from this website:

Cell Phones Do Not Cause Cancer

• Tokyo Women’s Medical University compared phone use in 322 brain cancer patients with 683 healthy people and found that regularly using a mobile did not significantly affect the likelihood of getting brain cancer. “Using our newly developed and more accurate techniques, we found no association between mobile phone use and cancer, providing more evidence to suggest they don’t cause brain cancer,” Naohito Yamaguchi, who led the research, said. His team’s findings were published in the British Journal of Cancer.
• American Cancer Society – “Considerable research has also found no clear association between any other electronic consumer products and cancer. Cell phones, microwave ovens and related appliances emit low-frequency radiation—the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that includes radio waves and radar. Ionizing radiation such as gamma rays and X-rays can increase cancer risk by causing changes to DNA in cells of the body. Low frequency, non-ionizing radiation does not cause these DNA changes”
• Medical College of Wisconsin – A very detailed page, with a considerable amount of information, including both FAQs and citations to references; it can be technically overwhelming for non scientists.
• National Institute of Health / National Cancer Institute – April 2000. “There was no evidence of higher brain tumor risk among people who use hand-held cellular phones compared to those who do not use them.”
• The Independent Expert Group chaired by Sir William Stewart published its report on the health implications of mobile phones in 2000. Two later reports by the independent Advisory Group on Non-ionising Radiation (AGNIR) and the most recent “Mobile Phones and Health 2004” by the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), have endorsed Stewart’s findings. All three reports can be found at:www.nrpb.org.uk.