Study to investigate long-term health effects of mobile phone use

Research will look at whether use of mobile phones is linked to health problems such as brain cancer and neurodegenerative diseases<em> - News Release </em>

By Laura Gallagher
Friday 6 June 2008

A new study looking at whether the use of mobile phones is linked to long-term health effects, such as brain cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, is underway at Imperial College London, it was announced today.

The £3.1 million study, part of the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research (MTHR) Programme, will involve monitoring the health of 200,000 mobile phone users across Europe over at least 20 years. The researchers will recruit 90,000 of the cohort in the UK.

Although the totality of evidence from earlier studies does not indicate a risk of cancers of the brain and nervous system in the short- to medium-term, the widespread use of mobile phones is relatively recent and there is continuing uncertainty about the possibility of longer term health risks.

The new study will involve monitoring the health of 200,000 mobile phone users across Europe over at least 20 years

The new study also plans to investigate whether there are risks for various other disorders, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases, which have not previously been examined in relation to mobile phone use.

The study, known as COSMOS, is led by Professor Paul Elliott from the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at Imperial College.

Professor Elliott said: "The evidence on use of mobile phones and health over the short term is reassuring. With the introduction and widespread use of a new technology, such as mobile phones, it is important also to look for any possible longer term effects, which is why we are carrying out this study."

Dr Mireille Toledano, who is co-investigator of the study, added: "The study will involve contacting hundreds of thousands of people in the UK over the coming months, who use mobile phones, in order to establish the cohort."

The study follows on from a successful pilot study carried out during the first phase of the MTHR Programme and it is being funded with support from the Department of Health and the mobile phone industry, through an established 'firewall' arrangement to ensure that the research is fully independent.

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