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"As Amy mentioned yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields\u2014which are emitted by cell phones\u2014as &amp;quot;possibly carcinogenic.&amp;quot; What exactly does that mean? First, don&amp;#039;t panic: The possible carcinogen category is by no means definitive. According to the WHO, this category is used when there&amp;#039;s &amp;quot;limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans.&amp;quot; One expert involved in this decision explained that &amp;quot;the evidence, while still accumulating, is strong enough to support a conclusion and the [possibly carcinogenic] classification. The conclusion means that there could be some risk, and therefore we need to keep a close watch for a link between cell phones and cancer risk.&amp;quot; In other words, there is certainly cause for concern, but the jury is still out. So what should you be doing in the meantime? How worried should you be? I asked Christopher Duma, MD, Medical Director Brain Tumor Program at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, California, to share some insights. Should we treat cell phones differently in light of this news? Yes, says Dr. Duma. &amp;quot;The WHO has classified automobile exhaust fumes, and various pesticides like DDT as &amp;#039;possibly&amp;#039; carcinogenic. No one now would ever eat vegetables sprayed with DDT, nor would they voluntarily stand in front of a cars exhaust. We have changed our behavior toward these agents. In like fashion, we should think twice about the way we deal with our cell phones.&amp;quot; How much cell phone use might put someone in danger? Studies have indicated that people who talk on their cell phones for more than two hours per day for a period of at least 10 years have an increased risk of gliomas (a type of brain tumor) and acoustic neuromas (tumor of the hearing nerve), Dr. Dumas explains. What&amp;#039;s your advice to cell phone users? &amp;quot;I have 3 children, 2 of whom use cell phones, and have advised them to text more (not while driving!) and use the speaker phone and earpieces more often,&amp;quot; because keeping some distance between the phone and your head may protect you, says Dr. Duma. He also noted that special phone cases may help prevent radiation from being directed toward the head. His wife uses a Pong silicon cell phone case, which you can buy online. Find more cell phone safety tips here. How worried are you about cell phones and cancer? Will you make any changes based on this new info? \u2014Barbara Brody, Health Editor "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/health-fitness/a43011/how-dangerous-are-cell-phones-8309/>