New Studies Link Cell Phones to Breast and Thyroid Cancer Risk
Experts warn holding a phone to your body increases the risk of certain types of cancer. (Laura Musikanski/Morguefile)December 15, 2020
LOS ANGELES — Two new studies link the risk of breast and thyroid cancer to the use of mobile devices.
One study from Taiwan concluded radiofrequency radiation exposure significantly increased the risk of breast cancer, especially in women 50 and older who use cell phones and laptop computers. Orange County breast cancer surgeon Dr. John West said he’s not surprised because he’s treated multiple teen girls who developed breast cancer after constantly tucking a smart phone into their bras.
“And in the one very spectacular case, this unusual pattern of non-invasive breast cancer, almost in the shape of the cell phone,” West said.
West said he’s also seen a similar case in a man who kept his phone in his breast pocket. And he said men who carry it in their front pants pocket can develop temporary infertility.
The Federal Communications Commission and the cell phone industry say their testing indicates radiation is minimal and cell phones are safe.
A second study out of Sweden links cell-phone use to increasing rates of thyroid cancer in Nordic countries. West said he thinks the government and the mobile industry are ignoring the science.
“It’s just so frustrating that nobody is listening,” he said. “I worry about the women and the men who are unaware of just how risky this behavior could be.”
Hidden deep within most cell-phone manuals, you’ll find guidance that recommends storing phones away from your body.
“I use headphones when I talk, or speaker phone,” said Kelley. “I don’t sleep with my cell phone near me. I never put my cell phone in a pocket or in my bra. I’m even uncomfortable with it in my purse next to my body, I try to keep it far away.”
Orange County surgeon Dr. John West, who wrote a book on breast cancer called “Prevent, Survive, Thrive,” said he’s seen multiple patients — with no family history or genetic predisposition — develop tumors near where they usually kept their phone.
55-year-old Cally Pivano had a fast-growing, softball-sized tumor removed from her left leg. Now, it has metastasized to her lungs, back, right leg and her heart. A doctor told her it might have been caused by exposure to radiation.
“And then I had an epiphany,” said Pivano. “My laptop! I put that on my left leg, almost every day, for hours. And then, when I searched for the owner’s manual for my laptop, there it was in black and white: ‘Must be kept a minimum of eight inches away from your body.'”
And 49-year-old Paul Griffiths, a father of two from San Jose, is fighting a brain tumor above the ear where he said he used to squeeze his phone while taking notes on work calls.
“First thing I thought of is, ‘I bet you this thing is right above my ear on my right side,’ where I always feared,” said Griffiths. “And lo and behold, that’s exactly where it was.”
