An independent report revealed recently that women employed at the Toowong site of ABC's former Brisbane studios in Australia were six times more likely to develop breast cancer than other women.

The site has been vacated. And the hunt is on -- for the cause of this unusually high rate of the disease.

No luck yet -- but new findings, while not definitive on what has caused this cluster, do indicate exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) is not a factor -- because the low frequency fields at the site were typical of other workplaces and residences, without any such cancer cluster.

Further testing will take place in an attempt to solve this on-going mystery, chronicled in the posts that follow.

ABC journalists walk out over cancer cluster concerns
Breast cancer cluster closes ABC studios in Australia
Connecting the clues in Australia cancer cluster

The ABC building in the Brisbane suburb of Toowong -- subject of a December 2006 post -- has been officially vacated following an investigation that turned up a cancer cluster among female employees.

Over the past 11 years, 10 women from this one building have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Eight of the women worked in the ABC newsroom, and most had been there for more than five years. The breast cancer risk for these women was six times higher than for the general population of women in the area. And while the investigation continues and clues are beginning to connect, the big question -- Why? -- has still not been answered.

It has been determined it is highly unlikely the increase in breast cancer was caused by exposure to radio frequency, low frequency electromagnetic radiation, or chemical contamination. According to experts, had any of these factors been at play, there would have been a rise in cancer among male employees as well as female employees. Therefore, it appears something specific to women has caused this cluster.

Perhaps clues will emerge from an analysis of lifestyle influences -- like smoking, diet, and alcohol and medication use -- and already women have answered questions pertaining to body weight, height, level of physical activity, and reproductive history.

One common theme among women is the use of oral contraceptives for periods varying from two to 18 years. Other interesting findings include the average number of babies born to the women -- 1.6 -- and the breastfeeding practices of the women -- each woman with a child breastfed for an average of 2.3 to 12 months -- and the educational background of the group -- of the 10 women, six have college degrees.

Experts says these are important factors. Early puberty, late menopause, lack of breastfeeding, use of oral contraceptives, and the trend of older mothers having fewer babies all can influence breast cancer risk. And so can level of education. Research shows increased rates of breast cancer in women with white collar jobs -- which is related to socioeconomic status and late childbearing.

Everything is important really -- because as breast cancer rates continue to skyrocket, all possible reasons need to be considered.

One in eight women in Australia will be diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 85. About 13,261 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006. And it is predicted that 14,818 will be diagnosed in 2011.

Cell phone users in the United States have increased from 34 million a decade ago to more than 203 million this year. The cell phone is the invention people hate the most but can't live without even beating out the television. The old American Express saying, "Don't leave home without it" takes on a new meaning with the amount of use cell phones have in our world. Over the years concerns have escalated about if cell phones can cause brain cancer. 20/20 even did a show on that same subject back in 1999.

Although cell phone manufactures claim the phones are safe and will not cause brain cancer, it is a known fact that electromagnetic waves can penetrate the brain while holding the phone to your head. Thus the major increase in sales for cell phone head sets.

One fact is for sure about cell phones and that is the correlation between using cell phones while you drive causing more automobile accidents with injury and death. The statistic has increased so much that it is now being watched more closely than drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs and some states are now making it illegal to drive and talk on a phone at the same time while holding it in your hand. Some studies are now showing that it doesn't matter if you hold it or talk while using head phones, the concentration levels of drivers are still more impaired than those drivers that drive while under the influence.

So you make the decision with your own common sense whether to use a headset or not while talking on your cell phone and whether or not  to avoid talking on the phone while driving. Of course some states will give you a ticket if you make the wrong decision on the last choice.