Mobile Phone Use, Brain Tumor Risk and Public Health Policy

Joel M. Moskowitz, Ph.D., Director

Center for Family and CommunitySchool of Public Health

University of California, Berkeley

The Commonwealth ClubNovember 18, 2010

Overview

• Review studies of mobile phone use and tumor risk

• Results of 2010 Interphone Study paper

• Trends in cell phone use in U.S.

• Public health policy options

Meta-analysis: publication

• Mobile Phone Use and Risk of Tumors: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 27(33):5565-72. 2009.

– Seung-Kwon Myung, National Cancer Center, S. Korea– Woong Ju, Ewha Womans University, S. Korea– Yeon Li Gee, Seoul National Univ. Hospital, S. Korea– Chih-Tao Cheng, Koo Foundation Sun Yat-Sen Cancer Center,

Taiwan – Diana McDonnell, Gene Kazinets, and Joel M. Moskowitz, UC

Berkeley

http://jco.ascopubs.org/content/27/33/5565.abstract

Meta-analysis: study selection

• One cohort study – No association between cell phone use and

brain tumor risk– Weak study

• 23 case-control studies – 37,916 participants—12,344 patient cases &

25,572 controls

Meta-analysis: case-control study

• What is a case-control study?– Compare “cases” to matched “controls.”– Determine if characteristics differ between 2 groups.– “Exposure” is mobile phone use.– Compute Odds Ratio (OR)

• (Odds of having tumor for people using phones) ÷ (Odds of having tumor for people not using phones)

– OR interpreted as Relative Risk• < 1 = reduced risk, 1 = no risk, > 1 = increased risk

Meta-analysis: overall tumor risk

• Overall no association between mobile phone use & tumor risk (OR = 0.98; n = 23 studies)

– High research quality–increased tumor risk- govt. or foundation-funded (OR=1.17; n = 8)

- Low research quality–reduced tumor risk- mostly industry-funded (OR = 0.85; n=15)

Meta-analysis: brain tumor risk for 10+ years mobile phone use

• Overall increased brain tumor risk (OR = 1.24; n = 8)

- High quality – increased risk; Hardell (OR = 1.54; n = 4)

- Low quality – no risk; Interphone (OR =1.00; n = 4)

Meta-analysis: lessons learned

• Know– Increased brain tumor

risk for 10+ years– Results vary

• Research quality• Research group

– 1994–2004

• Don’t Know?– Longer durations– Heavier use– Children & teens– 2005 and beyond– Other tumors & health

risks

Interphone study

• 13 nation case-control study – funded by World Health Org. & Industry ($25 million)

• 2010 - overall results for 2 brain tumors reported– meningioma (n = 2,409) and glioma (n = 2,708)– 2000-2004 - data collected– average lifetime cell phone use < 100 hours

• Numerous shortcomings bias– Reduce estimates of tumor risk

Interphone study: results

• Meningioma Risk

– Any regular use -- reduced risk

– After bias correction no risk

• Glioma Risk

– Any regular use -- reduced risk

• likely due to bias

– Heavy use (1,640+ hrs) -- increased risk (OR=1.40)

• replicates in 44 tests• greater after bias

correction (OR=1.82)– Dose-response relationship

w/ more years of use• after bias correction

10-yr risk (OR=2.18)

Tumor risk for 10+ yrs. cell phone use by study group & tumor type

0

1

2

3

Relative Risk

of Tumor

AcousticNeuroma

Meningioma Glioma

Tumor Type

Interphone

Hardell

Relative Risk: < 1 = protective, 1 = no risk, > 1 = harmful

Interphone results from Appendix 2 Table (corrects for bias)

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Mobile Phone Use in U.S.

2010 --293 million subscribers

2.5 hours/ week

CTIA, 10/6/10

1985 --203,000

U.S. government position

U.S. Food and Drug Administration, May 2010

Public health policy options

• U.S. govt. position– Cell phones meet safety standards– Wait for conclusive evidence– Invest in minimal research funding

• Our position– Precautionary principle

• Harm reduction approach

• Safe use recommendations

• Precautionary health warnings

• Update safety standards

– Call for major government research funding initiative

Precautionary Principle

Policy: Precautionary warnings

HP1207, LD 1706, 124th Maine State Legislature, 2009-2010An Act To Create the Children's Wireless Protection Act

Policy: independent research

Contact information

Joel M. Moskowitz, Ph.D., Director

Center for Family and CommunitySchool of Public Health

University of California, Berkeley

jmm@berkeley.edu

A CDC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research