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Discarded Cell Phones: A Cancer Risk Factor?

Peer Review Status: Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cancer Information Service
First Published: July 2002
Last Revised: April 2003

Discarded cell phones can more easily end up in the local landfill because of their small size. If all 135 million-cell phone customers discarded their phones in a landfill, our soil and water supplies will become contaminated by chemicals, which can cause cancer.

Cell phones and other wireless gadgets contain harmful materials in their batteries and other working parts. Some of these materials contain cadmium, beryllium, antimony, lead, zinc and arsenic. These elements are known carcinogens or are considered potentially dangerous.

How do you safely discard your cell phone? Ask the cellular phone company to give it to a charitable organization or ask that they recycle it. Some cell phone companies recondition cell phones and then give the phones to groups that put them to good use. There are groups that program cell phones to only be used for 9-1-1 calls. These phones are given to the elderly or others who might need emergency assistance.

To find more information on donating a cell phone for charity go to: www.donateaphone.com