The risk of acoustic neuromas from using cell phones

In a recently reported study, an elevated risk of acoustic neuromas, a benign tumor of the auditory nerve, was found among persons in Sweden with 10 or more years of cell-phone use. There was no association with use less than 10 years, nor for other measures of use, such as cumulative hours of use or cumulative number of calls made. Tumors occurred more frequently on the side of the head on which the cell phone was typically used. Given the recent introduction and popularization of digital phones - this study used five years as the time since first regular use - these results provide only limited guidance with regard to the risk of short-term use of cell phones or exposure to wireless radiation, and do not indicate the relative risk from using an analog or digital phone alone.