by KYW’s medical editor Dr. Brian McDonough

Are you somebody who has a cell phone attached to your ear, always on the phone from morning to night? If you are, you won’t like the findings of an Australian study.

According to the small study, regular cell phone use may increase the risk of developing persistent ringing in the ear. We know that ringing in the ears or tinnitus affects as many as one out of ten people.

According to the report in The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, one hundred people were studied to see their response to cell phone use, all of these people had tinnitus. The researchers estimated that people who used a cell phone before the first symptoms of tinnitus appeared were 37 percent more likely to develop the condition than those in the control group. The researchers said that the high amount of microwave energy being absorbed by the inner ear might explain the possible connection.

Critics say the study is small and not scientifically valid. Common sense would say it is better to use cell phones in moderation.