HEALTH REPORT - Cell Phones Linked to Benign Tumors

HEALTH REPORT - Cell Phones Linked to Benign¹ Tumors
By Cynthia Kirk

Broadcast: Wednesday, November 03, 2004

This is Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Health Report.

A Swedish study suggests that people who use cellular³ phones for at least ten years might be at greater risk for developing a rare, non-cancerous tumor². These tumors are called acoustic⁴ neuromas. They grow on the nerve that leads from the inner ear to the brain. The risk was higher on the side of the head where the phone was usually held.

Acoustic neuromas affect fewer than one in one hundred thousand people a year. They grow slowly and can take several years to be discovered. The tumor pushes on the surface of the brain, but does not grow into the brain itself.

Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden led the study. It was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

The study involved seven hundred fifty Swedes. About one hundred fifty of them had acoustic neuromas. About six hundred other people did not. Researchers asked all of the people about their cell phone use.

The researchers found that those people who had used cell phones for at least ten years had almost two times the risk of developing acoustic neuromas. In addition, the tumor risk was almost four times higher on the side of the head where the phone was usually held.

There was no increased risk for those who had used cell phones for fewer than ten years. At the time the study was done, only analog⁵ phones had been in use for ten years.

Almost all early analog cell phones released more electromagnetic radiation than the digital phones now being sold. But researchers say they cannot be sure if the results are just linked to the use of analog phones. They say further study is needed.

Several earlier experiments have shown radiation from cellular phones can affect brain cells in a laboratory. But studies on people have found no evidence that the phones present a health risk. However, experts say children should avoid using the phones for long periods because their brains are still developing.

The study is part of a wider research program known as the Interphone study. The World Health Organization's cancer research institute organized the research. It is trying to find out if electromagnetic radiation from cell phones damages health.

Final results of the study are expected to be released early next year.

This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Cynthia Kirk. This is Gwen Outen.

1 benign   

adj.善良的，慈祥的；良性的，无危险的

参考例句：

• The benign weather brought North America a bumper crop.温和的气候给北美带来大丰收。
• Martha is a benign old lady.玛莎是个仁慈的老妇人。

2 tumor   

n.（肿）瘤，肿块(英)tumour

参考例句：

• He was died of a malignant tumor.他死于恶性肿瘤。
• The surgeons irradiated the tumor.外科医生用X射线照射那个肿瘤。

3 cellular   

adj.移动的；细胞的，由细胞组成的

参考例句：

• She has a cellular telephone in her car.她的汽车里有一部无线通讯电话机。
• Many people use cellular materials as sensitive elements in hygrometers.很多人用蜂窝状的材料作为测量温度的传感元件。

4 acoustic   

adj.听觉的，声音的；(乐器)原声的

参考例句：

• The hall has a fine acoustic.这个大厅的传音效果很好。
• Animals use a whole rang of acoustic, visual,and chemical signals in their systems of communication.动物利用各种各样的听觉、视觉和化学信号来进行交流。

5 analog   

n.类似物，模拟

参考例句：

• The analog signal contains high-frequency video information,which helps make up the picture.模拟信号包括有助于构成图像的高频视频信息。
• The analog computer measures continuously,without proceeding step by step.模拟计算机不是一步一步地进行，而是连续地进行量度。