Cancer Institute Director Warns Faculty and Staff About Cell Phone Use

July 24 (HealthDay News) -- Staff at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute have been advised to limit their cell phone use due to the possible risk of cancer. The unprecedented warning was issued Wednesday by institute director Dr. Ronald Herberman.

His caution is based on early unpublished data. But Herberman said people should take action now to protect themselves because it can take too long for science to provide clear answers, the Associated Press reported. No other major academic cancer research institution has issued this kind of warning about cell phone use.

"Really at the heart of my concern is that we shouldn't wait for a definitive study to come out, but err on the side of being safe rather than sorry later," Herberman said.

In a memo sent to about 3,000 faculty and staff, Herberman said adults should keep cell phones away from the head and use the speakerphone or a wireless headset. He also advised against the use of cell phones in public places because other people can be exposed to the phone's electromagnetic fields, the AP reported.

Because children's brains are still developing, they should use cell phones only for emergencies, Herberman said.

He cited unpublished data from a current 13-nation project called Interphone. Published results from the project, which involves countries mostly in Europe, focus on some 5,000 brain tumors. The U.S. National Research Council, which isn't part of Interphone, has criticized the project because it appeared to rely on people who already had brain tumors, asking them about their cell phone use.

A huge study on the subject, published in in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in 2006, followed 420,000 Danish cell phone users. It found no increased risk of cancer among participants, the AP reported.