Cancer Controversy Causes Consumer Confusion

"I guess because this is a technology that hasn't been around for so long -- with trial and error we might find out we'll have cancer in our brains pretty soon," said Gabriella Pinto, a mother of a young son who lives in New York. "I think it's ridiculous that young kids have cell phones to begin with, so I would definitely be cautious of children using cell phones if doctors say they're dangerous."

(ABC News Photo Illustration)

Another mother, Auri Lall, said she was confused by conflicting reports but would consider using a headset both for herself and her young son in light of Herberman's warning.

"Maybe the earpieces would be a little safer than having the phone on your ear," she said. "No one is really clear of how much danger we're in or how safe we are because they're back and forth. Who should we trust?"

"I have to think about it and see," she said. "Maybe if my son gets a cell phone, he should use a headset."

Eighty-four percent of the population, or some 255 million Americans, use cell phones according to industry statistics. And some 15 percent of Americans only use cell phones and have no landlines in their homes.

CTIA, the wireless industry trade group, said it did not believe that Herberman's memo would prevent people from buying or using cell phones and deferred to previous scientific research on the topic.

"Look to the consensus in the scientific community. Look to trusted sources like the FDA," said Joe Ferran, spokesman for the CTIA. "When you listen to those folks and see what's been published, it is clear there is no link."

The FDA says it has no reason to believe that cell phones pose a real risk to safety.

"If there is a risk from these products -- and at this point we do not know that there is -- it is probably very small," the Food and Drug Administration says on its Web site.

In 2006, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the largest study to date on the correlation between cancer and phone usage. The study, which followed 420,000 Danish users, many of whom had used phones for more than a decade, found no risk of cancer among them.