How often do you use a cell phone?
How about your children?
Although many dismiss the link between cell phone use and cancer, research has shown that
consumers who use mobile devices without headsets face an increased likelihood of developing
certain types of brain or salivary gland tumors.
Specifically, heavy cell phone use without a head set has been shown to put individuals
at an increased risk for
Glioma (a malignant form of brain cancer)
Acoustic neuroma (a tumor of the nerve that runs from the ear to the brain)
Meningioma (a tumor that grows on the layer of tissue that covers the brain and the spine)
Tumors of the salivary glands
Cell Phone Radiation Lawsuits:
As a result of these injuries, plaintiffs have filed a growing number of cell phone
radiation lawsuits against cell phone manufacturers.
These cases, pending in the Superior Court of Washington, D.C., allege that tumors and
brain cancers resulted from cell phone radiation exposure.
The cell phone radiation lawsuits allege that cell phone manufacturers failed to warn and
protect users from dangerous and hazardous radio frequency emissions, putting consumers
at an increased risk for developing brain cancer and other non-cancerous tumors.
Timeline of Cell Phone Radiation Studies:
These lawsuits rely on cell phone research stemming back from 2002, when a Swedish study
led by Dr. Lennart Hardell showed an 80 percent greater risk of developing brain tumors in
long-term first-generation cell phone users than those who did not use cell phones.
In 2004, the Karolinska Institute of Sweden found that 10 or more years of cell phone
use increased the risk of acoustic neuroma on the side of the head where the phone was
most often held.
In 2005 the British Medical Journal published a study of Swedish rural residents, finding
that those who used a cell phone for over three years were more likely to develop brain
tumors.
In 2008: an expansive Interphone study found that the highest frequency group of cell phone
users was twice as likely to develop glioma.
In 2011: The World Health Organization reclassified cell phone radiation as “possibly carcinogenic,”
placing cell phones in the same category as lead and chloroform.
Not all scientists agree and there is some controversy in the medical community over
this issue.
For example, in July 2011, the first study on cellphone use and risk of brain tumors
in children and adolescents conducted by researchers at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute
concluded that there was no link between cell phone use and cancer in children.
That study, however, has recently come under significant fire by others in the medical
community.
In April 2012, scientist from the Environmental Health Trust issued a letter stating the study
was flawed, calling it “sloppy” and noting that the study data actually shows that children
who used cell phones had a 115 percent increased risk of brain tumors over those who did not.
Conclusion:
If you have been a long time cell phone user and developed glioma, acoustic neuroma, meningioma,
or a tumor of the salivary gland, you may have a legal claim against the manufacturers
of your cell phone.
The lawyers at Bernstein Liebhard LLP are heavily involved in these cases and would
be happy to provide you with a free case review.