There is no news here—rather there is information we need—and do not have.

Mobile phones began as shoe-box sized, expensive devices. Today they do…what don’t they do?

This new study will be the largest safety study for cell phones. It also will be the longest-running, with the expectation that it will go at least two or three decades.

The earliest alarm sounded was the possibility that there could be an association between frequency of use and brain cancer. That has been tested and no one thinks there is any such relationship.

In the meantime, the devices and how they are used, have changed dramatically, as this BBC story says. People don’t always use them as phones, next to the ear. They may text, play games or browse.

These changes mean it’s important to know if any body parts may be affected by the intense levels of use which are common now.

It will take a couple of decades. Stay tuned.

BBC

“The world’s largest study on the safety of using mobile phones has been launched by researchers in London.

“The project will recruit 250,000 phone users across five different European countries including the UK.

“It will last between 20 and 30 years and aims to provide definitive answers on the health impacts of mobile phones.

“Research to date has shown no ill effect, but scientists say those studies may be too short to detect longer term cancers and other diseases.

“The study is known as Cosmos – the cohort study on mobile communications.”

Source: BBC, April 22, 2010