Cell phone usage continues to skyrocket, as more individuals and families opt for the convenience of mobile accessibility. As with any new technology, urban legends about all the horrible things that will happen if you use it, cell phones have gotten a pretty bad reputation over the last few years.
One popular myth: cell phones cause cancer. Even more terrifying, pregnant mothers who live close to cell phone towers run the risk of their unborn baby developing childhood cancer after birth.
Pregnant moms can relax, thanks to a recent study in Britain, which concluded that pregnant women living in close proximity to cell towers did not increase the risk of childhood cancers in their babies. The study, published in the British Medical Journal, compared 1,397 kids with various types of cancer with similarly aged children who did not have cancer. The research gauged distance between pregnant mothers and local cell towers.
“We found no association between risk of cancer in young children and estimated exposure to radio frequency from mobile phone base stations during pregnancy,” the researchers said.
Of course, the word is still out on whether or not frequent cell phone use might lead to brain tumors, but it’s a small relief to know that living near a tower during pregnancy won’t harm your unborn child.