Cell Phones Possibly Cancerous, Expert Panel Says

London, UKCell phones are potentially carcinogenic according to statement issued by an international panel of health experts Tuesday.

The panel, part of the National Agency for Research on Cancer, an arm of the World Health Organization (WHO), issued the statement from Lyon, France, having reviewed possible links between the type of electromagnetic radiation found in cell phones, microwaves and radar and cancer. As a result of their findings cell phones have been classed as category 2B, joining other carcinogenic compounds such as the pesticide DDT and gasoline engine exhaust.

Experts say it is currently impossible to definitively conclude that cell phone use carries long-term health risks, largely because cancer can take decades to develop. Studies so far haven't tracked people for more than a decade. Cancer Research UK states that the only health danger firmly connected to cell phone use is a higher risk for vehicle accidents, the Associated Press reports.

The panel's assessment will now go to the WHO and various national health agencies for review and possible guidance on cell phone use.