Hazardous Effects of Mobile Phones – the debate rages on…
I’ve already added a few posts talking about the harmful effects of microwave radiation emitted by wireless internet connections and mobile phones. We have the group that thinks we can use mobile phones as much as we want and not worry about any adverse effects on our health, and then there’s the group that says that by doing so we are increasing our risk for serious health issues like cancer. Well, I’m sure this is not he last we’ll hear of it.
A couple of recent articles captured my attention. One was from Computerworld (18/09/2007) which talked about how frequent cell phone use may slow down brain function. The study cited in this article has been limited to just 300 people conducted by researchers in Australia, England and the Netherlands. While frequent mobile phone users did show a slowing of brain function, the catch was that the “slower function” was still within what is considered to be normal brain functioning. Watch this space though, as these researchers plan to expand their studies to a longer period involving some 17,000 participants.
Another article posted on telegraph.co.uk (31/08/2007) again raised doubts about the safety of mobile phone usage. According to researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, just five minutes of exposure to mobile phone emissions can trigger changes that occur during cancer development. What the research has shown is that even at very low power levels, mobile signals can still activate cell division (associated with cancer formation). The long standing argument of government bodies pointing towards the safety of mobile phones has been that adverse effects are only experienced as a result of heating and that the frequency of the microwaves emitted from a mobile phone were not sufficient to cause heating. However, this new study throws that theory out the window as it argues that handsets can trigger potentially harmful changes to cells irrespective of temperature changes.
I’m sure we will be hearing more and more about mobile phones and their safety in the near future. In the meantime, I would continue to advise to use landlines whenever possible, and to limit your mobile phone usage for when absolutely necessary (using the hands- free option, of course)!
A couple of recent articles captured my attention. One was from Computerworld (18/09/2007) which talked about how frequent cell phone use may slow down brain function. The study cited in this article has been limited to just 300 people conducted by researchers in Australia, England and the Netherlands. While frequent mobile phone users did show a slowing of brain function, the catch was that the “slower function” was still within what is considered to be normal brain functioning. Watch this space though, as these researchers plan to expand their studies to a longer period involving some 17,000 participants.
Another article posted on telegraph.co.uk (31/08/2007) again raised doubts about the safety of mobile phone usage. According to researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, just five minutes of exposure to mobile phone emissions can trigger changes that occur during cancer development. What the research has shown is that even at very low power levels, mobile signals can still activate cell division (associated with cancer formation). The long standing argument of government bodies pointing towards the safety of mobile phones has been that adverse effects are only experienced as a result of heating and that the frequency of the microwaves emitted from a mobile phone were not sufficient to cause heating. However, this new study throws that theory out the window as it argues that handsets can trigger potentially harmful changes to cells irrespective of temperature changes.
I’m sure we will be hearing more and more about mobile phones and their safety in the near future. In the meantime, I would continue to advise to use landlines whenever possible, and to limit your mobile phone usage for when absolutely necessary (using the hands- free option, of course)!
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