Joan Jones, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – Contrary to popular belief (and fear), cellphones may not cause brain cancer.

According to new research, right-handed people answer their phones with their right hand and hold the phone to their right ear. While this may seem obvious to many people, it tells researchers that cellphones are being placed near the right side of the brain, where speech and language skills are mapped.

The Journal of the American Medical Association reports this week that researchers conclude that if cellphones caused brain cancer, far more people would be diagnosed with cancer on the right side of their brain, head and neck, since 80 percent of people hold their phone to their right ear. That simply is not the case.

Researchers say this finding points to evidence that cellphones probably don’t cause cancer.

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