Your cellphone addiction can increase the risk of developing a tumor by 60%

• Using your phone for just 17 minutes per day increases the risk of tumors by 60%.
• Research into cellphone radiation is controversial.
• The US Food & Drug Administration has denied a link to possible health risks.

Addicted to your cellphone? You might want to put it down for a while.

Heavier cellphone use significantly increased the risk of tumors, primarily brain tumors, according to research from the UC Berkeley School of Public Health.

The study, conducted with Korea’s National Cancer Center and Seoul National University, spotlighted an alarming trend that has only grown as more Americans are connected more than ever.

Whether it’s for leisure or work, cellphone use has skyrocketed: a recent survey found that 46% of Americans spend 5-6 hours daily on their phones, and 11% log more than seven hours each day on the devices.

Is it time to disconnect?

Heavier cellphone use increases risk of tumors by 60%

The comprehensive research, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, used data from 46 other studies and 16 countries including the US, Sweden, United Kingdom, Japan, Korea, and New Zealand.

Researchers determined that using a cellphone for more than 1,000 hours, or 17 minutes per day, over a ten-year period increased the risk of tumors by 60%. Additionally, individuals who used cell phones for more than a decade had elevated overall tumor risk compared to others that have only used phones for less than five years.

“Cell phone use highlights a host of public health issues and it has received little attention in the scientific community, unfortunately,” said Joel Moskowitz, Ph.D., director of the Center for Family and Community Health at Berkeley Public Health.

Research into the health risks of cellphones has been done before, but Moskowitz said that these studies have been controversial because they are considered highly sensitive and can have massive economic ramifications for a powerful industry.

Science is split

In 2019, researchers at the National Toxicology Program released a study linking cellphone radiation with cancer. The study was conducted on 3,000 lab rats and mice, which made its findings questionable because it wasn’t proven that radiation could affect people in the same way.

In one study that tracked more than 420,000 cellphone users over a 20-year time period, researchers found no evidence linking cellphones and brain tumors. However, other research has said that heavier cellphone use can increase the risk of glioma — a specific type of brain tumor — but not increase the overall risk of developing brain tumors.

Even the US Food & Drug Administration has denied a link to possible health risks. Their position: “To date, there is no consistent or credible scientific evidence of health problems caused by the exposure to radio frequency energy emitted by cell phones.”

How to monitor your cellphone use

In an era where employees are working more on the go and use their cellphones to stay connected, it’s considerably hard to dial back usage. Blue-light addiction is a real problem especially for young people.

Phone companies like Apple alert users how much time they’ve spent on their phones each week. Moskowtiz offers a few tips on how people can keep themselves in check with their cellphone usage and reduce the risk of harm from radiation.

• Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when not using them.
• Keep your cellphone 10 inches away from your body. If you have to put it in your pocket, put it on airplane mode.
• Use headphones or speakerphone for calls.
• Place your phone in a different room when you’re sleeping
• Only use your phone when the signal is strongest.