Cell Phones and Brain Tumors: A Valid Concern? According to the
American Counsel on Science and Health (ACSH), there's no doubt
that the media has played the biggest role in the brain tumor
scare that has been circulating the news outlets. Back in
September 2004, a small Swedish study conducted at the
Karolinska Institute found that the risk of developing acoustic
neuroma was double in cell phone users, and four times as likely
to occur on the side of the head that the cell phone was used
on. Media outlets immediately picked up the story, and soon
headlines were announcing that cell phones were linked to brain
tumors. What these media outlets failed to do was include key
aspects of the research that had been conducted. As the ACSH
points out, the researchers who conducted the 2004 study don't
consider their findings to be completely accurate for a number
of reasons. The study was small (only 750 participants were
evaluated), and has not been replicated. Scientists generally do
not consider research results re