Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
WHO Thinks Your Cellphone May Be Giving You Cancer?
By
Garth Johnston
Published May 31, 2011
Modified May 31, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Garth Johnston
Published May 31, 2011
Modified May 31, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The World Heath Organization' International Agency for Research on Cancer today announced that it now classifies radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans [PDF]. What does that mean in English? The agency now considers mobile phone use to be in the same "carcinogenic hazard" category as lead, engine exhaust, DDT and coffee. Our theories about how Scully got cancer have clearly been vindicated!
The announcement from WHO/IARC comes after a group of 31 scientists from 14 countries spent a week reviewing the published material on the topic. Their assessments will be published soon, but the gist of it is this: As the number of mobile phone subscriptions worldwide hovers around 5 billion, it is now clear that there is limited, but real, evidence that supports a direct relationship between mobile phones and the brain cancer glioma. Further the group found that there is inadequate evidence to show a connection between cellphones and other types of cancer (which doesn't mean there isn't any!). So really what the group found is that, as some have been arguing for years, a whole lot more research is needed on this subject—and fast.
The problem, as Dr. Keith Black, chairman of neurology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, tells CNN, is the fact that "most environmental factors take several decades of exposure before we really see the consequences," which means we won't know just how much our smartphones are messing with us until it is way too late.
But while IARC is recommending "pragmatic measures" (i.e. go hands-free when possible) while new studies are done, others are saying to keep waiting it out. Donald Berry, a professor of biostatistics at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas, who did not work on the study, told the AP that "This is not something I worry about and it will not in any way change how I use my cellphone."
"Anything is a possible carcinogen," he said from his cellphone. And he does have a point. Evidence has been found that links everything from sugar to booze to the Gowanus canal to malignant tumors.
Tagged
cancer
cellphone
cellphones
IAFC
science
studies
who
world health organization
Garth Johnston
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Man shot and killed on Midtown subway platform Saturday afternoon, NYPD says
Police said they're searching for a person of interest.
By
Ryan Kost
and
Elizabeth Kim
Published Oct 17, 2026 at 1:16 p.m. ET
Modified Oct 17, 2026 at 4:10 p.m. ET
Have you seen this Yorkie? NYPD looking for adorable pup dognapped from her Queens home
Suspects were driving a Subaru Forester, police said.
By
Ryan Kost
News
Have you seen this Yorkie? NYPD looking for adorable pup dognapped from her Queens home
Suspects were driving a Subaru Forester, police said.
By
Ryan Kost
Being reigning champions is weird for Knicks fans, but we could get used to this.
By
Catalina Gonella
Tompkins Square Park is getting a makeover. Some say it's too much.
By
Willow Higgins
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
By
Rosemary Misdary
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .