Acoustic neuroma symptoms

Cell phones work by sending signals to (and receiving them from) nearby cell towers (base stations) using RF waves. This is a form of electromagnetic energy that falls between FM radio waves and microwaves.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain like FM radio waves, microwaves, visible light, and heat, RF waves are a form of non-ionizing radiation. They don’t have enough energy to cause cancer by directly damaging the DNA inside cells.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain RF waves are different from stronger (ionizing) types of radiation such as x-rays, gamma rays, and ultraviolet (UV) light, which can break the chemical bonds in DNA.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain

The RF waves from cell phones come from the antenna, which is part of the body of a hand-held phone. The waves are strongest at the antenna and lose energy quickly as they travel away from the phone.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain the phone is typically held against the side of the head when in use. The closer the antenna is to the head, the greater a person’s expected exposure to RF energy.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain the body tissues closest to the phone absorb more energy than tissues farther away.

The amount of RF energy absorbed from the phone into the user’s body is known as the specific absorption rate (SAR).Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain different cell phones have different SAR levels. Cell phone makers are required to report the maximum SAR level of their product to the US federal communications commission (FCC).Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain this information can often be found on the manufacturer’s website or in the user manual for the phone. The upper limit of SAR allowed in the united states is 1.6 watts per kilogram (W/kg) of body weight.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain

But according to the FCC, comparing SAR values between phones can be misleading. The listed SAR value is based only on the phone operating at its highest power, not on what users would typically be exposed to with normal phone use.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain the actual SAR value during use varies based on a number of factors, so it’s possible that a phone with a lower listed SAR value might actually expose a person to more RF energy than one with a higher listed SAR value in some cases.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain do cell phones cause tumors?

Lab studies: lab studies usually expose animals to something like RF energy to see if it causes tumors or other health problems.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain researchers might also expose normal cells in a lab dish to RF energy to see if it causes the types of changes that are seen in cancer cells.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain it’s not always clear if the results from these types of studies will apply to humans, but lab studies allow researchers to carefully control for other factors that might affect the results and to answer some basic science questions.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain

Studies in people: another type of study looks at cancer rates in different groups of people. Such a study might compare the cancer rate in a group exposed to something like cell phone use to the rate in a group not exposed to it, or compare it to what the expected cancer rate would be in the general population.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain but sometimes it can be hard to know what the results of these studies mean, because many other factors that might affect the results are hard to account for.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain

Some scientists have reported that the RF waves from cell phones produce effects in human cells (in lab dishes) that might possibly help tumors grow.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain however, several studies in rats and mice have looked at whether RF energy might promote the development of tumors caused by other known carcinogens (cancer-causing agents).Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain these studies did not find evidence of tumor promotion.

A recent large study by the US national toxicology program (NTP) exposed large groups of lab rats and mice to RF energy over their entire bodies for about 9 hours a day, starting before birth and continuing for up to 2 years (which is the equivalent of about 70 years for humans, according to NTP scientists).Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain the study found an increased risk of tumors called malignant schwannomas of the heart in male rats exposed to RF radiation, as well as possible increased risks of certain types of tumors in the brain and adrenal glands.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain but some aspects of this study make it hard to know just how well these results might be applied to cell phone use in people.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain for example, there was no clear increased risk among female rats or among male or female mice in the study. The doses of RF radiation in the study were also generally higher than those used in cell phones (ranging from 1.5 W/kg to 6 W/kg in rats, and 2.5 W/kg to 10 W/kg in mice), the animals’ entire bodies were exposed, and the amount of time they were exposed was longer than most people typically spend on the phone each day.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain the male rats in the study exposed to RF waves also lived longer, on average, than the rats who were not exposed, for unclear reasons.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain because of this, the NTP has noted that the study results cannot be directly applied to humans.

A recent small study in people has shown that cell phones may also have some other effects on the brain, although it’s not clear if they’re harmful.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain the study found that when people had an active cell phone held up to their ear for 50 minutes, brain tissues on the same side of the head as the phone used more glucose than did tissues on the other side of the brain.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain glucose is a sugar that normally serves as the brain’s fuel. Glucose use goes up in certain parts of the brain when it is in use, such as when we are thinking, speaking, or moving.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain the possible health effect, if any, from the increase in glucose use from cell phone energy is unknown. What do studies in humans suggest?Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain

• some studies have found a possible link. For example, several studies published by the same research group in sweden have reported an increased risk of tumors on the side of the head where the cell phone was held, particularly with 10 or more years of use.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain it is hard to know what to make of these findings because most studies by other researchers have not had the same results, and there is no overall increase in brain tumors in sweden during the years that correspond to these reports.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain

The 13-country INTERPHONE study, the largest case-control study done to date, looked at cell phone use among more than 5,000 people who developed brain tumors (gliomas or meningiomas) and a similar group of people without tumors.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain overall, the study found no link between brain tumor risk and the frequency of calls, longer call time, or cell phone use for 10 or more years.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain there was a suggestion of a possible increased risk of glioma, and a smaller suggestion of an increased risk of meningioma, in the 10% of people who used their cell phones the most.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain but this finding was hard to interpret because some people in the study reported implausibly high cell phone use, as well as other issues.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain the researchers noted that the shortcomings of the study prevented them from drawing any firm conclusions, and that more research was needed.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain

Another part of the INTERPHONE study compared more than 1,000 people with acoustic neuromas to more than 2,000 people without tumors, who served as matched controls.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain as with gliomas and meningiomas, there was no overall link between cell phone use and acoustic neuromas. There was again a suggestion of a possible increased risk in the 10% of people who used their cell phones the most, but this was hard to interpret because some people reported implausibly high cell phone use, as well as other issues.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain the danish cohort study

A large, long-term study has been comparing all of the people in denmark who had a cell phone subscription between 1982 and 1995 (about 400,000 people) to those without a subscription to look for a possible increase in brain tumors.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain the most recent update of the study followed people through 2007. Cell phone use, even for more than 13 years, was not linked with an increased risk of brain tumors, salivary gland tumors, or cancer overall, nor was there a link with any brain tumor subtypes or with tumors in any location within the brain.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain

But this study also has some drawbacks. First, it is based only on whether or not people had a cell phone subscription at the time.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain it didn’t measure how often these people used their phones (if at all), or if people who didn’t have a subscription used someone else’s phone.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain there are also limits as to how well this study might apply to people using cell phones today. For example, while the cell phones used at the time of the study tended to require more power than modern cell phones, people also probably used the phones quite a bit less than people use their phones today.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain the million women study

A large prospective (forward-looking) study of nearly 800,000 women in the UK examined the risk of developing brain tumors over a 7-year period in relation to self-reported cell phone use at the start of the study.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain this study found no link between cell phone use and brain tumors overall or several common brain tumor subtypes, but it did find a possible link between long-term cell phone use and acoustic neuromas.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain all studies done so far have limitations

First, studies have not yet been able to follow people for very long periods of time.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain when tumors form after a known cancer-causing exposure, it often takes decades for them to develop. Because cell phones have been in widespread use for only about 20 years in most countries, it is not possible to rule out future health effects that have not yet appeared.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain

Third, most of the studies published so far have focused on adults, rather than children. (one case-control study looking at children and teens did not find a significant link to brain tumors, but the small size of the study limited its power to detect modest risks.) cell phone use is now widespread even among younger children.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain it is possible that if there are health effects, they might be more pronounced in children because their bodies might be more sensitive to RF energy.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain another concern is that children’s lifetime exposure to the energy from cell phones will be greater than adults’, who started using them at a later age.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain

Finally, the measurement of cell phone use in most studies has been crude. Most have been case-control studies, which have relied on people’s memories about their past cell phone use.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain in these types of studies, it can be hard to interpret any possible link between cancer and an exposure. People with cancer are often looking for a possible reason for it, so they may sometimes (even subconsciously) recall their phone usage differently than people without cancer.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain

Several national and international agencies study different exposures and substances in the environment to determine if they can cause cancer. (something that causes cancer or helps cancer grow is called a carcinogen.) the american cancer society looks to these organizations to evaluate the risks based on evidence from laboratory and human research studies.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain

The international agency for research on cancer (IARC) is part of the world health organization (WHO). Its major goal is to identify causes of cancer.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain the IARC has classified RF fields as “possibly carcinogenic to humans,” based on limited evidence of a possible increase in risk for brain tumors among cell phone users, and inadequate evidence for other types of cancer. (for more information on the IARC classification system, see known and probable human carcinogens.)

acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain

“based on our ongoing evaluation of this issue, the totality of the available scientific evidence continues to not support adverse health effects in humans caused by exposures at or under the current radiofrequency energy exposure limits.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain we believe the existing safety limits for cell phones remain acceptable for protecting the public health.”

“there is no scientific evidence that proves that wireless phone usage can lead to cancer or a variety of other problems, including headaches, dizziness or memory loss.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain however, organizations in the united states and overseas are sponsoring research and investigating claims of possible health effects related to the use of wireless telephones.”

acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain

A few other health concerns have been raised about cell phone use. One has been whether the RF waves from cell phones might interfere with medical devices such as heart pacemakers.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain according to the FDA, cell phones should not pose a major risk for the vast majority of pacemaker wearers. Still, people with pacemakers may want to take some simple precautions to help ensure that their cell phones don’t cause a problem, such as not putting the phone in a shirt pocket close to the pacemaker.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain

Use the speaker mode on the phone or a hands-free device such as a corded or cordless earpiece. This moves the antenna away from your head, which decreases the amount of RF waves that reach the head.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain corded earpieces emit virtually no RF waves (although the phone itself still emits small amounts of RF waves that can reach parts of the body if close enough, such as on the waist or in a pocket).Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain bluetooth ® earpieces have an SAR value of around 0.001 watts/kg (less than one thousandth the SAR limit for cell phones as set by the FDA and FCC).Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain

Limit your (and your children’s) cell phone use. This is one of the most obvious ways to limit your exposure to RF waves from cell phones.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain you may want to use your cell phone only for shorter conversations, or use it only when a conventional phone is not available.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain parents who are concerned about their children’s exposure can limit how much time they spend on the phone.

Some people might consider choosing a phone with a low SAR value.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain different models of phones can give off different levels of RF waves. But as noted above, according to the FCC the SAR value is not always a good indicator of a person’s exposure to RF waves during normal cell phone use.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain one way to get information on the SAR level for a specific phone model is to visit the phone maker’s website. The FCC has links to some of these sites here: www.Fcc.Gov/encyclopedia/specific-absorption-rate-sar-cellular-telephones.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain if you know the FCC identification (ID) number for a phone model (which can often be found somewhere on the phone or in the user manual), you can also go to the following web address: www.Fcc.Gov/oet/ea/fccid.Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain on this page, you will see instructions for entering the FCC ID number. What about cordless phones?

Acoustic neuroma symptoms neck pain