The head of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute has warned his staff to cut down on the mobile phone use. As the LA Times health blogs says: “Now he’s done it.”

Ronald Herberman is sending a memo to the entire institute’s staff saying: “Recently I have become aware of the growing body of literature linking long-term cell phone use to possible adverse health effects including cancer. Although the evidence is still controversial, I am convinced that there are sufficient data to warrant issuing an advisory to share some precautionary advice on cell phone use.” (good coverage from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.)

According to news sources Herberman says his warning is based on “early, unpublished data”. I wonder what Dr Herberman would think if someone else asked him to take action based on ‘unpublished data’.

In comments distributed by the Science Media Centre in London, Alan Preece, emeritus professor of medical physics at the University of Bristol, notes:

The evidence for harmful effects is still confused and inconclusive and certainly there detailed studies still going on which may take some time to be concluded. The problem is that cancer causing effects found in one study seem to be cancelled out by other negative studies – for example Hardell who found possible associations with acoustic neuromas, in his 2004 study said there was NO link with salivary gland tumours, which contradicts the current scare, and his were long term studies of heavy phone users.

Herberman’s take though, via AP, is:

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.

Image: Getty