WHO to assess cellphone link to cancer

The World Health Organisation says it will convene an expert meeting this month to determine whether radiation from cellphones and other wireless devices cause cancer.

The meeting at WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer will review existing studies into the health effects of electromagnetic radiation to decide if it can be labelled a carcinogen.

IARC has published over 100 papers since 1970 on the cancer-causing properties of asbestos, X-rays and the human papillomavirus, among others.

Agency spokesperson Nicolas Gaudin said on Friday that scientists are expected to reach a verdict May 31, at the end of an eight-day meeting of scientists in Lyon, France, that starts on Tuesday.(Sapa/ May 2011)

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