TECHNOLOGY

Do mobiles fry your brain?

The debate continues as to whether mobile phones cause brain tumors: the results of a Swedish study suggest that ten years of mobile use does raise the risk of acoustic neuroma (a benign tumor of the auditory nerve). If you’re worried, here are steps to take:

• Use a hands-free earpiece or headset
• A shield that covers the whole phone can work, though some will impair the phone’s effectiveness
• Absorbing buttons that attach to the outside of your phone can absorb radiation, but only by 20 per cent or so
• Different phone models can vary in radiation output by up to 80 per cent – look for a low “SAR” level.