Mobile phones do not increase the risk of developing brain cancer. That’s the conclusion of one of the largest studies into the issue ever undertaken.

The study, carried out by the Danish Institute of Cancer Epidemiology looked at more than 358,403 mobile phones users, over an 18-year period, and concluded that they were at no greater risk of developing brain cancer than anyone else. 356 people in the group being monitored developed a type of brain cancer called a glioma, while 846 developed cancers of the central nervous system were seen. These figures tally with the incidence rates among non-mobile users.

But not everyone is satisfied with the methodology, or the results. In an article in today’s Daily Mail, Denis Henshaw, Emeritus Professor of Human Radiation Effects at Bristol University describes the findings as “worthless”, claiming that the study excluded business users and included as non-users people who began using mobiles later on. He tells the newspaper: “This seriously flawed study misleads the public and decision makers about the safety of mobile phone use.”

Looks like the jury is still out on this one then…