The back-and-forth over whether cellphones threaten health continued today when the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer said the radiation emitted by the phones poses a “possible” link to a certain type of brain cancer. Describing the supporting evidence tying cellphone radiation to glioma as “limited,” an IARC working group put exposure into the same risk bucket as coffee and residential power lines. As the WSJ reports , the chairman of the working group said an assessment of the evidence suggests “there could be some risk, and therefore we need to keep a close watch for a link between cell phones and cancer risk.” It’s important to note, however, that no new research was conducted for the purpose of the assessment. The 31-member working group looked at existing data, such as last year’s

(confusing) Interphone study . (The group did have access to “several recent in-press scientific articles” resulting from that study.) But we don’t know on exactly which studies the group based its conclusions. As American Cancer Society deputy chief medical officer Len Lichtenfeld notes , “drawing broad and sweeping conclusions based on a press release and a news conference leaves many of us wondering just what the evidence shows that led to the conclusion announced today that ‘radiofrequency electromagnetic fields’ may be possibly cause cancer in people.” For a better bead on the evidence, we’ll all have to wait until the Lancet Oncology publishes a “concise report” online in a few days and in the July 1 print issue. Image: iStockphoto

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WHO Says Cellphones are ‘Possible’ Carcinogen — Evidence To Follow