#945: Australian neurosurgeon on brain tumours and cellphones
From Stewart Fist:
Dr Charles Teo is a middle-aged Australian-Chinese brain-surgeon, who is said to be the best in the country.
During an interview with Andrew Denton on ABC TV last night ( program called “Enough Rope” he had this to say about cellphones and brain tumours:
ANDREW DENTON: You also have great skill and great passion the Cure for Life Foundation your stated aim is to try and find a cure for brain cancer, the incidents of which is increasing. Might I inquire [whether] a mobile phone [has/is] anything to do with that in your view?
DR CHARLIE TEO: In my view yes, but not scientifically, no. If you look at the science on mobile phones and the link with brain cancer, it is quite compelling but there”™s no double-blinded studies, there”™s no placebo controlled studies etcetera, etcetera, you there”™s really no science to it. There”™s an association and the association is quite compelling. I think the scariest thing is that we know that when you give radiation for cancer to the brain, you can develop brain cancer from the radiation so we know that, we know that radiation causes cancer, but it takes about ten years for it to develop, so we know that EMR electromagnetic radiation is going to take at least ten years to create brain tumours and possibly longer fifteen, twenty years, so if you look at the literature and just pull out the studies that have followed their patients for more than ten years it becomes really, really compelling the link personally I think there probably is.
ANDREW DENTON: Do you use a mobile?
DR CHARLIE TEO: Yeah but I always put it on loud speaker, so you know hello wait one minute, go outside and put it on loud speaker.
ANDREW DENTON: I just put mine over the other side of the room and shout.
DR CHARLIE TEO: Yes.
Laughter
ANDREW DENTON: Haven”™t heard a thing someone said for four years but there you go.
Laughter
ANDREW DENTON: How is the
Full transcript
Stewart Fist, writer, columnist, film-maker
70 Middle Harbour Rd, LINDFIELD
NSW 2070 Australia
Ph +61 2 9416 7458
stewart_fist@optusnet.com.au
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