Les telephones mobiles

Rapport Stewart (mai 2000)

In a case-control study in Sweden, patients with brain tumors were asked about various aspects of their life including their use of mobile phones, and the findings were compared with those in controls selected from the general populations (Hardell et al 1999). Overall, the risk of brain tumors did not appear to be elevated in people who used mobile phones, either analogue or digital, even if their use was relatively heavy. In a series of subsidiary analyses, an association was observed between tumors in the temporal and occipital lobes of the brain and reported use of analogue phones on the same side of the head (regardless of whether that was to the left or right). However, this was not statistically significant, and could easily have occurred by chance. Interpretation of this study is complicated because it failed to identify a substantial number of brain tumor patients who were eligible for inclusions according to the reported entry criteria, and in the absence of an explanation for this under-ascertainment, it is unclear whether important bias could have resulted. Also, (…), an effect of exposure that was delayed for ten or more years would not have been apparent.