The World Health Organization recently announced that cell phone usage may cause brain cancer in humans.

After a group of 31 experts from 14 different countries reviewed scientific literature, they determined that there was enough evidence, though limited, to support a link between cell phone usage and brain tumors, both cancerous and non-cancerous.

The best way to protect yourself and reduce the risk of brain cancer while using a cell phone is to use a hands-free device such as a bluetooth headset.

The complete review will be published July 1.

Via NPR.

How to Pair a Bluetooth Headset to Your Cell Phone

We all do it– the quick cell phone screen wipe on our clothes or just taking our thumb and re-smudging the screen. (Or at least I’ve done it myself and seen others do it as well.) So how dirty exactly is that new iPhone you’re gabbing on, I wondered.

A Google search for “cell phone bacteria” came up with several great sources on this topic. I found the following great YouTube video from a news station in Albuquerque that shows the kinds of bacteria that exist on cell phones including staphylococcus, the bacteria that can cause meningitis.

In another article, ABC News shows that cell phones are the dirtiest among toilet seats and the bottoms of our shoes! Check it out here.

To keep our Blackberrys, G1s, Sidekicks, fill-in-the-blanks clean and to reduce the risk of illness from gossiping/texting/blabbing on our devices, just use an anti-bacterial wipe or rubbing-alcohol-soaked cotton ball and gently wipe the surfaces of your cell phone.  Note that a hands-free gadget like a bluetooth headset is also more clean than the average mobile phone.