The (possible) urban legend that will not die

Did you know that cell phones cause cancer (brain is usually the cited one, though I have heard of several … breast, skin, throat)? Despite many studies to the contrary, this is a persistent cancer rumor that I hear.

To add considerable fuel to the fire, Ronald Herberman, MD, director of the Cancer Institute at the University of Pittsburgh Comprehensive Cancer Center, issued a memo to the institute’s employees cautioning them to limit their cell phone use, particularly among their children. This warning, it has been reported, is based on some unpublished data from the ongoing multinational Interphone study. Apparently one of the epidemiologists at the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Devra Lee Davis, was a driving force behind this warning. Their point, as I understand it, is that although cell phones may not be known to be harmful, they are also not known to be safe, so why take a chance?

One of my friends and colleagues here at UW (Hi, Kyle!) has put together a little information on “Cancer Myth Busting” that you may find useful. The sugar–cancer issue is my most commonly tackled myth. I think it comes up at least weekly. This information (or misinformation, actually) appears to come from some well-intended web searches.

Here are a few other interesting cancer myth sites:

The thought that runs through my head in reading over these myths is: If only the causes of cancer were so simple! As I have said, it will be a happy day when oncologists are out of a job.