Mobile phones will surpass asbestos and smoking as a leading danger to public health, causing brain tumors, says a new study by a famous neurosurgeon.

The full impact of mobile phones on brain tumours will be made known in the next four years, according to a study by Dr Vini Khurana, neurosurgeon at Canberra Hospital, Australia.

This study is considered as the most damning condemnation of mobile-phone use so far.

In a research paper titled Mobile Phones and Brain Tumours – A Public Health Concern published on his website, Dr Khurana writes: “It is anticipated that this danger has far broader public health ramifications than asbestos and smoking, and directly concerns all of us, particularly the younger generation. Industry and governments need to take immediate steps to reduce the impact of mobile phone radiation.”

The number of people who survive such a cancer is relatively small. “A malignant brain tumour represents a life-ending diagnosis in the vast majority of those diagnosed. There is a significant and increasing body of evidence – to date at least 8 comprehensive clinical studies internationally and one long-term meta-analysis – for a link between mobile phone usage and certain brain tumours.”

Additional use of accessories like hands-free kits “could have a bigger impact than just having a mobile phone,” Dr Khurana warns, adding: “Bluetooth devices and unshielded headsets can convert the user’s head into an effective, potentially self-harming antenna.”

Dr Khurana – one of the word’s top neurosurgeons – reviewed over 100 studies on the effects of mobile phones.