I have read several reports of people who said they experienced pain when using cell phones. But the comments were all anecdotal so I don't think one can conclude much. Have you tried a headset?

Have been expericing ear pain while using my cell for the last few months..is getting increasingly worse,am interested if anyone else is feeling this..

I experience pain in both ears, especially the right one, although I hold the phone to my LEFT ear – it is really quite severe, & I have to ask friends & colleagues not to call me on my mobile except in emergencies. . . . there has to be a reason for this?

Sensationalist stories, speculation on causes of pain, and glossing over the fact that no science can show negative effects of wireless “radiation” simply leads to scare tactics. If there truly was danger in cell phone and 802.11 use, we should see a tremendous rise in cancer at the rate of wireless use increases. Instead, EVERY type of cancer has begun DECREASING. Go ahead, look it up. As far as commercial shushing of the scientific community, the possibility is of course there when only wireless companies fund research. But research funding from traditional phone companies and other companies interested in capturing segments of the wireless market would easily make up for this. But they haven’t done the research, do you know why? There’s nothing to find! The evidence from cancer and health trends, with life expectancy rising and disease dropping, simply cannot back this theory.

Jason, I find your comments a bit odd since Dr. Carlo did look up the statistics and in fact found a notable increase in certain types of cancer of the ear amongst cell phone users compared to a control group of non-cell phone users.

Dr. Carlo also explains that few things tend to just kill people dead and that finding dangerous effects of various items and separating those effects out from the general background noise is difficult. He gives the example of smoking where it actually took several decades before enough evidence could be amased to conclusively prove that smoking directly caused diseases that led to death.

Also Dr. Carlo to the best of my knowledge does not claim that cell phone use causes cancer. What he claims is that there are many correlations with cell phone use and cancer (such as the study I mentioned above) and that this is therefore cause for concern.

Dr. Lai’s work also demonstrated a physical mechanism whereby cell phones could cause cancer but that doesn’t mean they do in the wild.

The key point to my blog post and the articles and books it links to isn’t to say ‘cell phones cause cancer’. Rather the point is to directly link to credible researchers with concrete stories to tell of how their attempts to determine if cell phones cause cancer were shut down by the government and industry. In other words rather than doing real research to see if the preliminary indicators are correct, that there is a correlation between cell phone use and cancer. Government and industry is shutting down anyone asking questions and so ensuring that we are all, in effect, guinea pigs in a huge medical experiment.

I urge you to at least read the Dr. Lai article since it is reasonable short and see exactly how the supression of his research was achieved.

I do apologize for any accusatory language. Your blog brings up this topic as an important issue. I read the article and reviewed the information. What I found was still, however, lacking.

Issues of funding are big in today’s world of scienific inquiry, and the prospect of obtaining funding from many corporations is growing. As I mentioned earlier, though, companies exist that would benefit greatly from proving that cell phones / wireless communication cause health problems. These companies would fund a well-proposed research team.

From what the article says, instead of “government and industry… shutting down anyone asking questions,” it seems more like no one is interested in asking the questions anymore. With studies that show a 50/50 split on results, it’s basically a lose-lose situation. Research either showing or disproving causation would just add to the pile, not helping anyone. A well-funded and well-designed study by a reliable group could put this controversy to rest.

As far as showing correlation, it should be obvious to say that cell phone and wireless use has increased drastically in the last 10 years or so. If there was a real risk of increased brain cancer, we should also see a decrease in life expectancy (even assuming not all brain cancers will be fatal). It has continued to increase (Lomborg, The Skeptical Environmentalist). We should see increases in cancer incidence rate across the board if cell phones cause cancer. Instead, incidence has been declining since 1992, with mortality dropping at an even faster rate (American Cancer Society).

My point is, if the cell phone threat were serious we would have to see a general trend relating increasing cell phones prevalence with increasing cancer numbers. But even then, it should be kept in mind that correlation does not equal causation, and that in many cases, the cause is something outside the study or report. A classic example of this would be the following example.

Men who wear spectacles earn more money. This would tend to lead to believing that by wearing spectacles, I could earn more money (if common sense didn’t prevail). But of course this is obviously wrong; bespectacled men make more money because older men generally make more money, and more older men wear spectacles.

As far as scientific suppression, in the article I only find one instance in Dr. Lai’s case- a single quote from a report involving “war-gaming” Dr. Lai’s results (which could mean anything from an attack plan to a public relations plan). Concerning Mr. Phillip’s work, it appears as though Motorola wanted harder evidence and Mr. Phillips disagreed and later refused their funding. Sounds more like a disagreement than a research “suppression.”

In the end, with evenly split research and improving health conditions, perhaps it is best to focus on issues that have been proven to save lives- like driver training for improved accident mortality rates. Let the industry guide the research and let the free-market system work to find the answer.

Nice of you to delete my comment so you could keep the panic flowing…

Actually I have been drowning in work (working 7 days a week for the last month) and simply hadn’t had time to go through the approval mails (I get 100s of comment spams a day so I have a system set up where I get mailed a comment and have to approve it before it’s posted) to approve your comment and post a response.

Your comments about ‘other companies’ wanting to find out about cancer don’t hold water since all the fixed line companies now have relationships with mobiles and all fixed line companies are expected by wall street to become ‘triple play’ companies (e.g. voice, video and wireless). So in fact fixed line companies have a strong disincentive to find anything wrong with cell phones. Furthermore commercial companies are in a particularly bad position to provide the long term stable and wide based funding it takes to prove epidemological effects. Capitalism has many wonderful strengths but social research isn’t one of them.

Also the article I pointed to on Dr. Lai begins and is filled with a whole litany of attacks on him. Read the intro page talking about the various anonymous attempts to get rid of him as soon as his research went into territory that was dangerous to the cell phone companies.

The details of how the attack mechanisms led by the CTIA work were detailed in Dr. Carlo’s book.

Also the assumption that because we see an increase in life expetency cell phones must not be dangerous also doesn’t hold water. This is why epidemology is so hard. The period from the 60s on when cigarettes were seriously studied was one in which human life expentancy exploded. So clearly cigarettes aren’t a danger? Obviously not. What’s really happening is that many wonderful things are happening in society that tend to enhance life and so long as those wonderful things outweigh the negative things then on balance life expectancy goes up. But notice how much faster life expectancy went up once we reduced cigarette usage.

And in terms of your comment that if cell phones were a threat we would see an increase in cancer numbers, again, you’re making incorrect connection. Cell phones wouldn’t be releated to foot cancer or stomach cancer or skin cancer on the legs or other diseases physically out of range of the cell phone itself. So if you look at the total cancer rate and say ‘look, it’s going down’ it means nothing about the danger of cell phones other than the good things being done to reduce cancer are better than the bad things possibly (we don’t know) being done by cell phones. What is interesting is that when Dr. Carlo ran the CTIA’s own cancer study numbers but controlled for cancers within physical range of the cell phone signal, sure enough, he found that people using cell phones for extended periods of time had a markedly higher rate of cancer then those who didn’t use cell phones. Now keep in mind that cancer rates in general are low and 5x or even 10x of a low number is still a low number.

I think the problem here is that there is an expectation that if something causes cancer then it must always cause cancer to everyone. We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that cigarettes cause cancer yet the vast majority of the American population smoked cigarettes for literally hundreds of years. Did most people get cancer? No. In fact during the period when cigarettes were at their height we saw one of the fastest increases in human life expectancy and health!

Does this mean that cigarettes were safe? It was all a mistake? No. In fact cigarettes we know are very dangerous and large numbers of people died earlier than they otherwise would have had it not been for cigarettes. But with so many beneficial things going on (better environment, better food supply, better medicine, etc.) the fact that up to a 1/5 of the population was dying early because of cigarettes just wasn’t that clear. And even the smokers who were killed by smoking still died at a later time then they would have previously due to medical advances.

The bottom line is that none of the data you point to is relevant to the question of cell phone cancer rates. The exact same, word for word, arguments you make could be used against cigarettes (certainly the chewing gum companies had a strong incentive to do research against cigarettes, right?).

And just as with cigarettes it was only once pervasive research was funded (and the industry’s own internal but carefully hidden research was published) did we find out the truth and were able to quantify the damage and take action. In this case, as Dr. Carlo points out, the industry has gotten much smarter. Now it appears to only fund studies that are carefully designed to find nothing. See his book about studies on rats and why you use old rats when you don’t want to find cancer and young rats when you do.

I suspect a similar process will have to happen with cell phones. Or, who knows, maybe we’ll be lucky and it won’t turn out to be a problem? I don’t know, but what I do know for sure is that nobody (outside of a few isolated studies in Europe) is seriously trying to find out. And that scares me. I don’t like being a guinea pig especially when there is good evidence from Dr.s Lai and Carlo both that there is a physical mechanism by which cell phones can cause cancer and that cell phone users are experiencing a higher rate of certain kinds of cancers. There is smoke, but that doesn’t mean there is a fire. My request is for serious research to find out if the fire exists.

I also experience extreme ear pain when I use my cell phone. Just started a couple months ago. I always use an ear bud and pain is exactly where the ear bud is. Switched to other ear and now pain is starting on that side. Coincidence? I say not.

I also get head aches from cell phone use. The pain is on whatever side I use the cell phone on. Usually for conversations that last over a few minutes. I usually try to use a headset. I recently moved to a bluetooth headset. It just dawned on me that the headset is a radio itself. I wonder what kind of radiation we’ll see coming from that.

I am experiencing pain in both my ears when I use cellphones over the past few months. And it is only growing worse.
I can really sense. Its only when I take calls on my cellphone that pain starts.

I see one huge difference between the smoking and cell-phone issues. The fact is, as you said, people smoked for hundreds of years. They were dying at an earlier rate, but because so many did it, it wasn’t considered an oddity. On the other hand cell phones and wireless networks have not existed for 100′s of years. So, since the research seems to indicate that tumors could already be formed, in the short time that cell-phones have been around, wouldn’t we still see a dramatic increase in ear-cancer at least, in the whole population? After all, we’ve gone from 0% of the population using cell-phones, to as much as 60% in a few years! Who knows, maybe the research is correct. But, it’s rather hard to believe this kind of thing, when these days it seems like there isn’t anything that isn’t said to cause cancer.

Actualy in Dr. Carlo’s book he says we are seeing an increase in the type of cancers one would expect (given physical proximity and best guesses as to causation) but in general no one is systematically looking at these cancers in order to figure out how much their incidence is related to cell phone use. He also gives concrete examples of studies that are done so as to make sure not to find any relation. See the article and conversations above for details.

I hate my cellphone. I experience extreme pain down my arm and into my hand on the side I am using the phone. In addition it affects my eyes they end up twitching and kind of going cross eyed, I experience nausea and I get a immediate headache that would make a migrane jealous. I am actually afraid to use it anymore. I have been told to try and get ear buds. I have stopped using my cell phone other than in emergency situations. What is actually causing this? I do seem to be a person that is extremely affected by
electric currents and shocked easily as well.
I am trying to get help and I hope that none of the people on this site attack me stating that what I am saying is not true, when I know it is. Nothing else in this world has affected me in such a freightening way as happens when I simply use a cell phone.

I always experience dizziness when using cell phones. Being a electrical engineer and an avid radio buff I have some respect for the power of microwave radiation.

Does anyone know if wireless internet routers pose the same (potential) health hazards as cell phones? I am considering taking my son out of a pre-school that has a cell phone tower in its spire (it’s in a church). My husband thinks I’m being ridiculous – especially as we have wireless internet at home. Is wireless Internet as dangerous as a cell phone tower???!!!

When my wife and I were purchasing our home we were freaked out about being too close to cell towers. I still am. But unfortunately every home we found was within sight of a cell tower. In fact, it turned out the place we were renting while we looked for a home was within sight of a cell tower but we hadn’t noticed because the tower was hidden. Eventually we just gave up trying to get away from them.

As for wireless Internet, I don’t know and neither does anyone else. In theory wireless Internet is safer because the energy involved is much lower (the signal only has to travel a relatively small distance). But on the other hand we are drenched in that signal 24/7 so might it have an incremental effect? I’ve never found a decent study. So consider yourself, your child, all of us, guinea pigs in a big experiment.

Whenever I use a cell phone for more than 10 minutes, my ear aches. It’s a sharp pain that lasts for 12-18 hours. I saw a physician the first time it happened, because I thought I had an ear infection. I haven’t had an ear infection since I was a child, but oh well. My doctor found nothing wrong with my ear. Very strange. Well, it happened twice again — both times after being on the cell phone for more than 10 minutes. It never occurred to me that it was caused by my cell phone. I don’t think it’s a coincidence. I seldom use my cell phone except for emergencies. In view of my recent ear aches, I guess that’s the wisest decision for me.

I never get sick, never take medications, and maybe see a doctor two times every ten years. I’m hardly a hypochondriac. I thought this was an odd occurrence I came across this and several other websites. Thanks!

I have been experiencing ear pain esp. my right for a long time now. Since my husband lives out of town I use my phone a lot for long periods of time. I thought it was just tmj pain but I definately see a correlation between the time I spend on my phone and the intensity of my ear pain. Sometimes it feels like a dull ache and others it is sharp, shooting, and kinda stings! Along with this ear pain I get headaches and dizziness a times. Weird! Does anyone else experience these things?

I’ve had sporadic pain near my ear over the past few years of cell phone use. The other day the pain started again. I moved the phone away and it stopped when the phone was about 6 inches away from my head. That was by far the worst pain I’ve had with it. Since then, I’ve not used the phone much, but my jaw is very sore. Don’t know if I should visit the doctor, or just start using a headset. Does a headset cause pain as well?

Here’s a recent video of Dr. George Carlo explaining the mechanism of harm from cell phone radiation:
Cell Phone Radiation – Mechanism of Harm

I too have ear pain in *both* ears when using my cell phone- it feels as if my tympanic membrane is vibrating. The problem is identical when using a Bluetooth or the handset but is less severe when using a corded headset. I had no problems with my first 3 phones and initially with my current phone, but the problem is so severe now that I can’t really use my phone any longer. Could increasingly saturated airwaves be the culprit (interference)?

I have a lot of expertise on this topic, and I am not biased. I am an electrical engineer (was one of the top in my class at MIT, class of 1908, bot h bachelor’s and master’s). I am an inventor (invented Laser Tag, Radio Fence, and an implantable transmitter which can be self-triggered to locate a person who is kidnapped). As you might guess by some of thesei inventions, I have done Radio Frequency measurements out the wazoo.

Electromagnetic frequencies in the frequency range that cell phones operate do interact with tissue, but only by heating the tissue. That is not *not* to say that heating is insignificant. It takes only a one degree change in your core body temperature before doctors would say you have a “low grade fever”, and fevers are certainly destructive. Elevating the temperature of an area of the body for an extended period of time will produce statistically noticeable results in the functioning of systems in that region (including the immune system).

It is not true that cell phone radiation only penetrates a short distance into your head. That is pure crap. It goes right through your head, no problem. If it didn’t, you could loose signal from a cell tower just by standing still and slowly turning in a circle. No such effect.

It is not the fact that the electromagnetic field from a cell phone “radiates” that causes a problem. It is the intensity and the heating effect. Near-field electric and magnetic fields do not have to radiate at all to cause a problem, they just have to be intense enough to cause heating.

Since the intensity of the near-field electromagnetic field near a transmitter falls off at the rate of the reciprocal of the cube of the distance from the antenna, the field is much more intense on one side of your head than it is on the other if you hold the antenna right near your head. There have been studies done that show temperature gradient in someone’s head during prolonged use of a cell phone. It is small, but definitely measurable.

I have personally not seen a cancer study that shows any increase in cancer in brain cancer for cell phone users, and I have looked. There are lots of studies funded by research institutions that have nothing to do with cell phone companies. If you had ever done research at a major institution like MIT, you would laugh at the thought of any all-controlling conspiracy. There are always *tons* of professors who would like to make a big name for themselves by upsetting a currently held “truth”, and no one shows up at their doors to bribe them out of trying. Certainly no one did with me.

If you think about what you wrote above, you will see that the study that showed overall brain cancer did not go up is in direct conflict with the supposed study that said that cancer rates go up on one side of the head. If cancer rates went up on one side of the head and average cancer rates did not go up, then cancer rates would have to go down on the other side of the head. No way.

By the way, putting a heating pad on your head may be significantly worse than using a cell phone. Likewise for sitting in a 104 degree hot tub. Just something to think about.

The point in the article was that the original study looked at all forms of brain cancer and compared the population of people who used cell phones and those who did not use cell phones and could find no statistically relevant difference in their cancer rates.

The newer study took the exact same data but only looked for cancers that occurred within a few inches of the skull on the side of the head the user normally used their cell phone. The reason this was an interesting question to ask wasn’t because of the danger of the signal from the tower (after all, we are all bathed in that so differentiating between cell phone users and non-users would be meaningless) but rather because the phone itself transmits a signal and the transmitter for that signal is sitting right next to the person’s skull. That is the aspect that creates a meaningful difference between cell phone users and non-cell phone users.

When just looking at cancers that appear near the surface of the skull and controlling for the side of the head the cell phone was used on (after all, the cube law argues that the exposure on one side of the head will necessarily be larger than the other side) the result was that people who used cell phones had a statistically relevant higher incidence of cancer near the skull on the side they used the cell phone.

The study did not determine why this affect occurred. It only determined causality but not cause. Perhaps it’s heating? Perhaps it’s some interaction between radio waves and the body’s cells (something Dr. Lai’s research demonstrated was feasible). But that is really beside the point. The key point, to me, is that cell phone users did have a higher rate of brain cancer on within a few inches of their skull on the side of their head that they used the cell phone than did the general population. So something from the cell phone is giving them cancer, something the Cell Phone companies and the government regulatory agencies claim is impossible. That’s the part I find interesting.

Ugh, just glanced at my own post and saw I typed my class year as 1908 instead of 1980. When writing for Wikipedia one can edit posts, but I guess not here!

My comment is much the same as those mentioning pain in the ear while using their cell phones. I call my phone the electronic leash; I use it constantly all day. While in the Air Force, I noticed I didn’t have pain when I went away on missions, usually two to seven day trips, the pain came back upon return one I would begn using the cell phone again . Appx September or October of 2000, I pleaded with the Flight Surgeon to give me a referral to have my head scanned. I wanted this done because of the pain and I was retiring November 1, 2000; I think they did a CAT Scan; they found nothing. Shortly after, I discovered my phone had a bad antennae; I noticed less pain after getting a different phone. Since retiring, I haven’t noticed any significant (I usually talk myself out of it) pain until recently.
I’m a Landlord/Property Manager/Realtor. I’ve been doing this mainly since my retirement. I’m on the cell phone from 7 am to 10 pm, sometimes later; my cell phone is on 24 hrs a day; my usage is usually about 3500 or more minutes/month; I have unlimited incoming and outgoing. I don’t answer my house phone; everyone calls on the cell. I’ve made it my “lifeline”. Now with the pain, I have to ween myself from this device. About five months ago,I returned my phone because it was overheating and I had pain in the ear as well. I also bought a BlueTooth headset;I don’t use much because callers complained they couldn’t hear me well. I drive a F-250 diesel truck (big noisemaker). THE PAIN IS HERE!! I vary holding the phone on the left side and the right. I hold the phone a few inches from my ear when listening and put it back to my ear to speak. I use speakerphone when possible. I’m letting more of my calls go to voicemail; listen to the message on speakerphone; then delay returning as many calls until I’m at my office phone. I’m contemplating putting the message on my voicemail that I’m having pain in my ears when using my cell phone and callers should leave a message.

I’m not sure if my cell phone is causing this pain, but it only hurts when I use it. It feels like someone has drilled into my ears; it feels clogged up. I plan to make an appointment to have my ears checked; I hope it’s an ear infection on both sides. I will share this post with my family and friends. I plan to use my cell phone less until I know it’s not the cause of the pain.

Add me to the list of people who experience discomfort/pain while using my cell phone for an extended period of time. Are bluetooths any better?

Yeah, me too. Cell phone use causes ear pain. Same side as phone.

There’s somethin’ happening here.

After a CAT scan and a MRI the doctors discovered I had a tumor (PVNS) in my TMJ, on the left side right by my ear. This so happens to be the only ear that I have ever used my cell phones with. I have always kept my cell phones in my left pant leg pocket too and at many different times my muscle would quiver in the exact location that my cell phone was.

When I asked the doctor the possiblities of bringing a law suit against the cell phone company, he said No, there is not enough case evidence of it happening to anyone else.

If anyone has any suggestions please let me know. Thanks

This is more than a little disturbing. I am a blackberry user for the last decade, and have lived off cell nets since the begining. I have recently noticed a pain in my head near my right temple when on phone more than ten minutes, I then move phone to other side of my head and within a few minutes it starts to hurt as well. I switch to speaker phone to reduce it.
How many above have undergone ct or mri scans after this type of pain ?

There is one certainty in my case, this is a direct causal relathionship, not coincidence.

I never had pain in my ears until I really started using a cell phone. Now it hurts to use a landline, particularly in my left ear. I don’t care what science is saying regarding health and cell phones – just listen to common sense. If you don’t have pain before using them – and you do afterward – then there must be something going on that isn’t heathly.

I have to reluctantly admit (as I was a skeptic of making EMF accusation) but recently I have developed a lump under my ear and the use of my cell phone, which i use a minimum of 2 hours total a day, gives me a weird ear ache and head ache, dizziness and fatigue. I am worried don’t have insurance right now and don’t know what to do. Kind of feel like i need to choose between denial or get it checked out. I am getting a blue tooth tomm. need to take calls for work can’t avoid it.

I’ve been away from the cell phone for several days and the pain has gone away. From now on, I am going reduce my use of the cell phone and stay on the land line. I don’t give a happy damn about what science says. I don’t trust the cell phone. I don’t think it’s healthy.

I know cell phones cause ear pain. Had to be on the phone for several hours one day and then the next day, my ears feel like they have cotton in them. This happens only when on the phone for extended periods of time. It will start to feel better over time but then any phone call even a shorter call will make it come back with a vengeance. I have had several ear infections and this is different. Is the radiation cooking that soft flesh in the ear? Its like a mini microwave. It has to be doing something!

i too have the same problem. i thot it was something wrong with my fone but now i feel that i need tto avoid them al together

I am one of the few people I know that it literally hurts my ears to talk on my Blackberry or even on a friends phone. It happens within 30 sec. or so. It has done this for years and especially since the industry went digital. I switch ears and it starts burning that ear. I carry my phone in my shirt pocket and it has the muscle quiver. I use the ear buds and there is no pain. Follow the money ….

yes I too joining with all those who suffer due to CP. My left ear is affected more and i can hear only partially from the same ear

i am having lefgt ear pain for more than six month. currently i can not use cell phone on my left ear . the pain is very sahrp and throbing. i am scared.

I have started having horrible pain in my left ear the last 6 months after having to use a cell phone for my job. Before that I seldom used one. Now I basically work out of my car and use a cell phone for all my calls. It didn’t take too long to realize that it was the phone causing it. So I started using speakerphone and using the other ear. However, now even using the speakerphone the pain continues when I use it and it will usually take an hour or so after I get off for the pain to subside. But, last night I woke up in the middle of the night with that same pain and have only used the pain once today on speakerphone, and it continues. I may just have to go with texting or flat not using it – don’t know how I will manage that though. I am never sick and not on any medications and don’t have any doubt it is the phone causing it.

I am too having pressure in my ears,,more on the right than left since I use the right ear more. It’s really uncomfortable. Been to the ENT 3 times. He finds nothing wrong, but I am fine until I use the phone. He thinks it could something similar to an allery, but I’m not allergic to anything. He gave me nasal spray, Singular and Claritin to see if that helps. It doesn’t. My husband and I have the same brand cell, no land line,and our daughter, who lives in another state, calls me daily. She gets upset when I cut the call short. Friends think I’m unsocial when I don’t speak to them by cell, but I keep saying that my phone is causing pain and everyone, including the doctor, totally dismisses my comment that the problem is associated with the phone. I’m a federal officer, no wimp, but this ear thing is miserable. I’m curious who else has the same phone and experiencing a problem: I have an old basic Sanyo. There has to be something more to it. M – Cooper City, Fl.

Ms. M-Cooper City, Fl
You phone is the problem. I and others have had the same problem for years. I feel we are a gifted group as we can feel the effects of phone radiation on our bodies. To find out for yourself, get you a good earphone and use it on your phone and you will find that the pain never happens as you speak on your cell. I use headphones all the time and I tell my callers to hold-on so I can plug them up. It has worked great for me….no pain in any ear. God Bless You! Jim

Do any of you who have these symptoms also grind your teeth at night or have jaw pain? TMJ (not sure what that stands for, it is a jaw condition) could be a possible cause for your ear pain and cheek bone pain after using the phone. Just a thought, I have TMJ and using a phone does cause the my jaw and upper cheek bone to hurt sometimes.

BlackBerry causes heart electrical issues as well as head pain
Within 2 months of getting the blackberry curve, I noticed that my ear(s) began to ache after using the phone. It didn’t matter how long I used the phone or what ear I used. It varied between a warm, deep thumping pain all around my ear mixed with sharp brief stabs that came from inside my ear, to an almost metallic taste coming from the fillings in my mouth and radiated from my entire jaw and through the inside of my head.

This pain would continue for hours, even a day after using the phone. I got to the point that I would only use the phone in speaker exclusively. I tried using a bluetooth, but the reception was absolutely horrible and I had to simply rely on the speakerphone.

I called AT&T to ask if I could return the phone, but they insisted it was not the phone. I went to the AT&T store and explained the issue, but they wouldn’t let me return the phone. I even gave the rep a demonstration with one of my hair clips. The magnet in the phone is so powerful, that I can pick up my hair clips with the phone. Although impressed by my magic trick, they wouldn’t let me swap out the phone.

The blackberry disturbs the signals on the TV if it is too close, it disturbs other phones if it is too close, it disturbs the Flourescent light at my desk if it is too close, I sleep with the phone plugged in and sitting on my night stand.

I took a job in Washington D.C. a few months ago and now I use my phone more than ever because I am working long distance from my husband and daughter. Concidentally, in the past few months I have also begun to experience electrical problems with my heart and am seeing an electrocardiologist.

Physically, there are no problems with my heart. I am young, I am physically fit, I am active, I eat well. There is no cholesterol, no high blood pressure, No arteriosclerosis, no blockages… nothing.

What there is a problem with suddenly however is in the electrical signals going from my brain through the Vagus nerves to my heart and how/when those signals are telling my heart when to beat, how fast or slow to beat and how hard to beat. The doctors are absolutely stumped and although they acknowledge there is definately a problem, a serious problem that they can see and measure and record… they don’t have an answer for what is interfering with the electrical information going from my brain to my heart.

It is intermittent. There is no specific trigger. Could there be a correlation between the Radiation emmited, the errily strong magnetic field, the incredibly pervasive Radio frequencies, the ear/head pain, the increased phone use and now an electrical malfunction in my autonomous nervous system which is controlled by the parts of my brain located directly behind my ears!!???

I’m thinking I might know….. I am going to drop kick this piece of crap into the Potomac River and get a new phone. I am going to pay specific attention to the SAR of any new phone I get and only use a plugged in headset. Maybe I may even have the resources necessary for a lawsuit against Blackberry for selling a product that is dangerous to people’s lives and health.

Since when did this country go from being OF the people, BY the people and FOR the people to a country OF the companies, BY the companies and FOR the companies? I think I know when… the day cable TV became cheap and accessible along with Lazy-Boy recliners. You don’t see the European government let companies get away with hurting thier citizens! The US are becoming the world’s guinea pigs.

A book like “A History of American Law: Third Edition” by Friedman helps to carefully explain that U.S. law since the founding of the republic has been focused on companies over people. Of course when the people get abused to the point where they literally are facing imminent death (from workplace injuries, starvation, etc.) then yes there have been reforms in the law to make them more people friendly (see Howard Zinn’s absolutely amazing “A People’s History of the United States: 1492 to Present” for a description of this trend) but those are the exceptions, not the rule. As for the EU, do keep in mind that their official position is that Cell Phones don’t cause cancer (although they, unlike the U.S. are still doing research) – http://ec.europa.eu/health/opinions2/en/electromagnetic-fields/index.htm#3.

I used to hold the phone to my left ear until it started hurting a few months ago when I would talk over 20 minutes. It’s been hurting more frequently and even when I’m not using the phone so I switched to my right ear and it’s been hurting on the right as well. I’ve had headaches the past few months a few times a week and I’ve not had many in my life. I never thought of the connection until now because the pain has been increasing since it started. I’m going to see an ear, nose, and throat doctor…

I have been experiencing pain in my left ear since I started using the blackberry curve. I had the older blackberry phone for two year and I did not experience this problem. I started feeling the pain only when I held the phone to my hear, but not the pain remains even when I am not using the phone. I only remember an ear infection many years ago and the pain is similar. I thought at the beginning that this might had been the problem but my doctor checked there was no infection. I am convinced that the blackberry caused the pain. I am only using the phone with earphones but the pain is still there. I don’t want to panic but I will ask my doctor for an MRI to know what is going on with my ear and the surrounding areas.

i have ear pain and the area surrounding the ear too pain when i use mobile phone …the pain is since few months on the right side …even i cant use headphone…it pains after some minutes…can any1 suggest me some way

Hmm… there seems to be a bit of a buzz around mobile phone precautions lately and that youtube video about the phone radiation managing to pop popcorn probably didn’t help. But to be honest, if it was really that bad I’m sure the relevant authoritative bodies would have cracked down on it. I know what you mean about being cautious though, I used to sleep with my phone on charge very close to me but now it’s all the way on the other end of the room. But trying to wean people of using mobiles is going to be like getting them to pack in cigarettes. It’s an addiction and sooooo many companies are involved from sms for business type of services to companies making apps.

Wow, I didn’t have a clue there were so many people with the same problem! I started getting an ache in the left ear when using a cell phone, just very subtle, thought maybe ear fatigue (from a 15 minute conversation? but still, that was my thought) and then switched to the right…then that one started…still it was mild enough for me to be in denial that maybe it was my imagination, maybe it would go away, maybe it was a fluke.
Now it’s so bad that I feel it almost immediately, upon use, and have to end communication quickly, and then my ears still ache for a long time after. I had a cell phone as my only phone for a few years in the late 90′s/early 2000′s, and in one case, it was a big old thing that must have weighed 2 lbs, (back when most people had beepers instead), and it got so hot when used for a long time, that it was like a hot potato…and I used it for long periods, totally oblivious that there could be any risk to that. Most of us assume that if it were dangerous, there would be regulations preventing exposure, because it sure seems like there are regulations on everything, on every personal choice.

I never would have thought 6 months ago that I would be seriously considering just realizing that 20 years ago, people did without them just fine, and even though they are considered ‘necessities’ today, we could all go on living without them. It’s a little frightening to feel such weight of evidence, in such a visceral way, that it does harm somehow. Maybe we have to go on living without them, to go on living. I hope getting rid of it would not be a case of closing the barn door after the horse has bolted.

I have the same problem, I have been using the cell phone mostly my left ear and now it hurts very bad. Of late I even feel numbness in the left side of my head. I am surprised to see so many of you having the same issue. Did any one see a doctor. I am planning on getting an MRI done

I experience ear pain and head pain using handphone since a month plus ago. I just set an appointment with E&T specialist this Wednesday. I know it is not normal coz the pain happen almost everytime i use the handphone directly.

Anyone having this problem went for further medical check before. Please share with us the doctor’s advise/ result. How about you, sharada? I would share mine if doctor can give me her professional oppinion.

I have been telling my family that after talking with them on the cell phone, I had to get off my ear was hurting. This has been going on for this past year. Never really thought much at first, but then it started happening more often than not. My husband became very upset with me because I went over the given for texting. This morning we were on the cell phone and told him my ear was starting to hurt and needed to get off phone. I thought, maybe I have an ear infection and should see a specialist. My last visit with my doctor (approx. 4-5 months) did not reveal any abnormalities, otherwise she would have said. I have never even had an ear infection in my life. Maybe only pain related to a sore throat. The pain feels like pressure, then it radiates as a larger area, then the piercing starts. Normally, I use on my left ear. I have tried to use on my right, but it becomes awkward to hold and uncomfortable. After the piercing, then the headache, but it does subside. Headache not full blown enough to need Tylenol. Now the pain (slightly) enters into my right ear, some mild pain, but then I can feel like a slight drainage in both. I decided before making an appt.to check the internet. Yeh! I’m not the only one, thank you for this website. I have contacted those family members that I speak to the most and told them the cell phone will only be used for emergency’s only (when speaking). Only texting. My husband will now be getting us on a plan with unlimited texting, since I found this website. I could see his point however; our plan offered unlimited minutes and to him it seemed like I was blowing money to the wind. Apology was accepted. I do hope this helps. Your comments were so very appreciated and welcomed. Linda

As an update, mysteriously I just started getting ear pain using the corded landline as well! It does have an antenna because it also has a corded in the charger across the room.

First the left ear, and today the right. I also have smallish swellings, feel like slightly swollen lymph nodes, right under each ear, that ache sometimes, and the left one is bigger, though both are still quite small. These have been there for months, but at first I just noticed I had swollen glands under my ear (firm, and they don’t move) and waited for it to go away. It hasn’t.

I did screw up my courage and go to the doc, but got asked if I had a fever, had my ears searched for an ear infection. No infection, but did have a little fluid behind one eardrum. They offered me an antihistamine. I said no thanks.

I did have an allergic response to some fragrance this week, but that cannot have been the factor all these months, and still doesn’t explain why my ears hurt ON THE PHONE, even when I don’t hold the phone physically touching my ear.

When I told her about the pain while using first a cell phone, that I have had to give up after relying on them for more than a decade, and then surprisingly, even the landline (which makes no sense at all to me), I know she probably thought I was nuts. She suggested it was pressure from holding the phone to my head.

When I told her I had been holding it physically away from my head since it had first started hurting, I got a nonplussed shrug and dismissal…anyway, I understand the human tendency to outright dismiss that which is not in our own experience, or that which flies in the face of our expectations, but this whole thing is one giant downer, and I try not to dwell on it, since there is apparently not a thing I can do except get rid of that which causes the pain, and hope to heck I don’t follow in the path of some people who have reported online, going on to become unable to do things like use wifi computers, or be near much of anything electrical. Because they are even talking of getting rid of landline phone service altogether. It’s the wave of the future, and I had people who were saying it was bad, firmly in the ‘crazy’ category, until this started happening to me.

Now it’s just frightening, and apparently all we can do is hope those of us affected will be ok, until and unless we find out we have something, and then hope it’s treatable or nonthreatening.

Moot point for me since I can’t use a cell phone anymore, but has anyone else heard that the metal frame of a car acts as a Farraday cage, that makes the cell phone increase its intensity so it can get through that, and therefore talking, even on a speaker, on a cell phone in a car, is bad unless you have it hooked up to an externally-mounted antenna? Any electrical engineers or others out there who have a thought on this?

I went to a general doctor in may because I was having dizzy spells and headaches and I had an MRI. The doctor said I had chronic sinusitis and recommended that I see a nose surgeon because I have a deviated septum and this will keep happening to me. I told the doctor about my ear pain and my iPhone, but he shrugged it off. I’ve never had sinus issues before and I never followed up with the surgeon because my bill after insurance for the MRI alone was $1,500 plus my several doctor visits. I know your health is the most valuable thing you have, but it’s getting more and more expensive for healthcare. I still have sinus issues and headaches, which has never been a problem until recently. I still have ear pain while in the phone and afterwards so I try to use speaker as much as possible. I think I’ll end up seeing an ENT and the surgeon and I’ll update u guys with the findings.

I feel hot and pain and lost of hearing as soon as I put my mobile which is Erickson or nokia in my left ear, I try to switch ears but it is now affecting my other ear and I am worried and sometimes unable to answer my call due to this. I am worried as my hearing is deteriorating and i believe it is to do with these mobiles, i have been to the Doctors but he just said “stop using the mobiles then, it does not happen to me when i use main lines. Is anyone been to their GP or to ear specialist for help

Since the first time I used a cell phone in the early 90′s I could feel pressure in my heard and would get sharp pains in my head on the side I used the cell phone. this pain continues today and I rarely use my cell phone. Everyone else tells me that they never experience what I do. I am beginning to wonder if those of us that experience these symptoms do so because we may have more metal in our bodies

I’ve been experiencing pain in my right ear in which I often listen with my cellphone! I have never had this problem until the use of this particular brand!! I am very concerned and will research this further!!

I have pain in the ear that I use my phone for. I wish I had started an earbud sooner,because now it hurts often when I haven’t even used the phone much, and the phone ear also has a wierd white bump in it. I am going to have it checked out. timing of pain directly correlates with cell phone use.

Just thought i would log into google and just find search for ear problems realting to mobile phone and EURKA we are all suffering the same syptoms, its not just a coincidence is it, cant be, when we all have problems after using mobile phones with pain in our ears, headaches, yes i believe there must be connection to the phone itself. I have been to doctors on numerous occasions, it is not an ear infection, suggested could have problems with my jaw bone, thus causing pain in ear, but i know conclusively that if i am on holiday and do not use my phone the pain is not there, but as soon as i am receiving a phone call within minutes the earache starts up, i was totally incapacitated i had to have two days sick of work as the pain was so unbearable, to date the doctor cannot give me a proper explanation as to the re-occurence of he each pain, frankly, and i dont need any more convincing when so many of us are suffering it must be my mobile phone…………

I think we are the gifted few who can actually feel the real effect of cell phone microwaves. There is no question that cell phones are harming our ears. I use an earbud and my ears do not hurt but when I am talking on my phone or anyone elses phone without an earbud that ear hurts and I switch to the other ear and it begins to hurt also. I hang up as quick as possible. This has been happening for years with various phones. Watch and see in the future… cell phone radiation will be the Transfat that is horrible for our health. God Bless You all!

I get stings of pain right above my right ear when on cell phone for less than one minute. doctor said to use ear buds. They seem to postpone the pain for some minutes and with less strength. add me to the list.

I am experiencing shooting pain in my right ear from the time I attended my mobile half an hour back. The pain comes and goes and comes and goes in pulses of shooting pain 6 – 8 times with a duration of 1-2 seconds of relief in between. The pain intensity is similar to a toothache if it is infected. on a grade of 1-10 it is 5/6 I had earlier experienced pain too but not to this extent. This has really alarmed me.

I am also experiencing discomcort on my left ear where I mostly hold the phone. What I experience is humming sound that goes on my ear non stop. I am on the top floor of a high rise where there are lots of short antennas that I believe are cell towers. I noticed the discomfort when I changed my mobile provider last year. The new provider uses 2100/1700 frequency, where as the previous provider used GSM 1900/850. This is a correlation though. Also, the new provider uses 3.5 G data transfer for its connectivity. Further, the new phone I have with new provider is a smart phone (it has internet) which I believe is causing this discomfort in my ear too. When I hold the smart phone (nokia c7) in my ear for few minutes, the phone gets hot hot, and so does my ear as a result. If I use the headphone or speaker phone, as a way around it, the sound quality suffers.
Can anyone share with me if the frequency with their phone is the same as mine? Are the people with ear pain use smart phone, or regular one?
Thanks

thanks for notifying me by email