The suggestion from a WHO task-force that cellphone exposure is “possibly carcinogenic” has generated wide spread media buzz over the potential risks of mobile devices.
At 4am on Wednesday (NZ time) the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a subsidiary of the World Health Organization, released a monograph classifying exposure to mobile phones as “possibly carcinogenic to humans”, or in Group 2B by their classification system.
You can see the Science Media Centre’s expert analysis here.
Following the IARC’s announcement, the New Zealand media responded quickly, covering the issue from a range of angles.
Examples include:
The Press: Expert downplays cellphone’s cancer danger
New Zealand Herald: Cell phone use ‘possibly carcinogenic’
Otago Daily Times: WHO: cellphone-cancer link
Dominion Post: Research on mobile phone risks ‘consistently unclear’
Radio New Zealand: More research on mobile phone cancer link urged
Stuff.co.nz (via AP): Cellphones a ‘possible’ carcinogen – like coffee
TVNZ News: Warning on heath dangers of cellphones
TVNZ News (followup): Study prompts NZ call for cellphone health warnings
TV3 News: Cellphones may cause cancer