Health Highlights: Dec. 8, 2007

Mar. 23 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

FDA to Study Safety of Tattoos

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is cautioning consumers to think about health concerns before getting tattoos.

The agency is launching its own study of safety issues involved in the body-art technique, Newsday reported.

In a statement issued Friday, the FDA said that as tattoo popularity grows, so do the known risks. What is less clear, the agency said, is the health and safety effects of the inks being used.

"Our hope is to get a better understanding of the body's response to tattoos and their impact on human health, and to identify products at greatest risk," said Dr. Linda Katz, director of the FDA's Office of Cosmetics and Colors, in the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, according to Newsday.

The FDA noted that risks linked to tattoos can include: dirty needles that can transmit HIV, hepatitis B and C, as well as bacterial contaminants; allergies and scar tissue formation; and, although rare, even MRI complications.

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Heavy Cell Phone Use Boosts Tumor Risk: Study

Regular use of cell phones for more than 22 hours a month increases a person's risk of developing a parotid gland tumor by about 50 percent, according to an Israeli study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

The parotid gland is located near the ear. The study said the tumor risk was even greater among people who always put the phone to the same ear, who didn't use hands-free devices, or who lived in rural areas, Agence France-Presse reported.

For this study, the researchers looked at cases of 402 benign and 58 malignant parotid gland tumors diagnosed in people age 18 or older in Israel from 2001-2003.

"Analysis restricted to regular users or to conditions that may yield higher levels of exposure (eg. heavy use in rural areas) showed consistently elevated risks," according to an abstract of the study, AFP reported.