Cell Phone Radiation and Parotid Gland Cancer: Personal Testimony

We thank this courageous person for sharing her story. The article includes mention of published research on this type of cancer and exposure to cell phones.

MY CANCER STORY: CELL PHONE RADIATION AND PAROTID GLAND CANCER
Environmental Health Trust, 13 April 2021

Research on long term exposure to cell phones has found increased risk for tumors of the parotid gland. EHT is sharing sent in by a woman wanting to raise awareness on the issue. May her story save lives.

My cancer story.

I found a lump on the left side of my face in front of my left ear in late 2019.

In early 2020 after having a CT, MRI, and Biopsy, I was diagnosed with Mucoepidermoid. Mucoepidermoid is a carcinoma, which is a malignant tumor of the parotid gland.

On July 20, 2020, I underwent a left superficial parotidectomy with facial nerve preservation and left selective level II lymph node dissection at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville le, FL.

I have used a cell phone for close to 20 years. I started using iPhone about 8-10 years ago, with my most recent phone being an iPhone 7 that I have used for the past two years.

Daily my average phone time is 1-2 hours of holding the phone to my left ear. I would talk with my elderly mother daily for 30 mins to 1 hour, sometimes a few times a day. I would not use the speaker because she could not hear me. So I would hold the phone to my left ear. I would also talk to my older sister several times a day. Sometimes 30-45 mins a day and would hold the phone to my left ear as well.

I would always favor my left ear because I am right-handed, and if I were doing things while talking on the phone, I would do other things with my prominent hand and hold the phone with my left hand to my ear to talk to her. Also, the tilting neck position always felt more comfortable on the left side.

Unaware of the risks and warnings of cell phone use, I never knew that I was supposed to hold the phone so many inches away from my ear when talking. And NOT to hold the phone directly to your ear. I did not even know that cell phones emit radiation. If there were more warning labels that were visible on or in the box and not tucked away in the fine print, I might have seen it and been more aware, and my cancer could have been prevented.

Continue reading:

https://ehtrust.org/my-cancer-story-cell-phone-radiation-and-parotid-gland-cancer/