18th May 2005 - MOBILE phones are at the centre of a new health scare after scientists found that users in rural areas may be at higher risk of brain cancer. Research shows that the chance of developing a malignant brain tumour could be eight times higher in the countryside compared with towns. And the risk of developing any brain tumour rises fourfold for country-dwellers using mobile phones for five years or more, says a study published today. It is thought the extra risk may be triggered by the higher power output from phones used in rural areas. Base stations tend to be further apart outside towns, which means the phone needs to generate higher radiowave intensity to compensate for the poor signal.

Source Daily Mail, 18 May 2005