Mobile phones 'not linked to cancer'

Scientific evidence goes increasingly against the theory that mobile phones cause cancer, an independent panel has concluded.

The review, by the Institute of Cancer Research, found "no convincing evidence of a link" between the technology and brain tumours, which it said was becoming "increasingly implausible". However, small or long-term repercussions cannot yet be ruled out, the researchers say in the British Journal of Cancer.

An earlier study claimed radiation associated with mobile handsets potentially increased the risk of glioma, a malignant form of the disease. But the panel identified some problems with that study's design which made it difficult to draw conclusions. The results showed no rise in brain tumours 20 years after mobile phones were introduced.