Mobile phone use “may increase the risk of certain types of brain cancer in humans,” therefore “consumers should consider ways of reducing their exposure,” a WHO/International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) working group concluded on Tuesday, Reuters reports (Kelland, 5/31). “The working group discussed the possibility that these exposures might induce long-term health effects, in particular an increased risk for glioma, a type of brain cancer, according to WHO and IARC,” the U.N. News Centre writes (5/31).

In a press release, the agencies said consumers should use headsets or texting until additional data can be collected on the issue (5/31). The Associated Press/Washington Post notes that the IARC also lists alcoholic drinks as a known carcinogen and night shift work as a probable carcinogen, adding that “[c]lassifying agents as ‘possibly carcinogenic’ doesn’t mean they automatically cause cancer and some experts said the ruling shouldn’t change people’s cellphone habits” (6/1).