Scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, found that mobile phone signals induced the production of natural chemicals that stimulate cell division and growth – central to the growth of tumors -- even at very low power levels.
Until now, the mainstream scientific assumption has been that electromagnetic radiation could only pose a health hazard as a result of thermal heating. However, this may not necessarily be the case.
According to Professor Rony Seger of the Weizmann Institute, “The real significance of our findings is that cells are not inert to non-thermal mobile phone radiation... The changes we observed were clearly not caused by heating.”
Other scientists are quick to point out that cell division occurs naturally, as tissues grow and constantly rejuvenate within the body, and that this study does not prove any health effects.
Graham Philips with the campaign group Powerwatch said, “Further research is required, however guidance based purely on thermal effects is clearly out of date.”
The Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme (MTHR), a government and industry-funded investigation into the potential health hazards of cell phones, launched in 2001, is scheduled to publish its final report next month.
Telegraph.co.uk August 31, 2007
You really want to make sure you understand this issue folks. It has all the similarities of the tobacco industry when your parents were your age. There was “no proof,” and the industry denied ANY connections to cancer.
Of course we now know that isn’t true. I am absolutely convinced as more and more studies are done it will confirm the very serious dangers of cell phone use. I believe the major difference however is that it will be shown that cell phones are far more dangerous than smoking.
Cell phone use is growing exponentially, and some 750 million cellular phones will be sold this year alone.
Please consider starting your exploration of the truth about cell phones with the best extensive scientific review I have seen. The full-text article was published in the British journal The Lancet, and is is available for your review.
What Is Cell Phone Radiation?
Electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation from cell phones is a topic that provokes a good deal of controversy. Many experts believe that the radiation is too low-level to cause harm. However, they often base this on an examination of thermal or heat-related effects. The danger from cell phones is far more likely to originate in the low-intensity pulsed microwave radiation that the phones emit.
All electromagnetic energy falls somewhere on the electromagnetic spectrum, ranging from extremely low frequency (ELF) radiation to microwaves, x-rays, and gamma rays.
ELF fields include household appliances and overhead power lines. Scientists agree that ELF fields are hazardous to human health. It’s considered "possibly carcinogenic," and has been linked to cases of childhood leukemia.
Common frequencies on the electromagnetic spectrum include:
- Electric Power 60 Hz
- AM radio 1 MHz
- FM radio 88-108 MHz
- Cellular phones 800-2200 MHz
- Microwave ovens 2450 MHz
- X-rays, more than 1,000,000 MHz
Since X-rays have the power to damage the genetic material of cells, they can lead to cancer and birth defects—which is why you wear a lead vest during x-rays to protect the surrounding areas from unnecessary damage.
At lower frequencies, such as the microwave range used by mobile phones and base stations, the energy emitted is too low to break chemical bonds (non-ionizing radiation). This is the main staple argument by those who believe that cell phone radiation is completely harmless.
Perhaps the most interesting, and perplexing thing to note here is this: Although extremely low frequencies (ELF’s emitted from appliances and power lines) are known to be carcinogenic, and high levels of radio frequency energy are known to create heat that damages biological tissue, the scientific community is extremely hesitant to attach any kind of danger to the in-between frequencies where cell phones operate.
What Proof is There of Harmful Effects?
There is now a growing body of evidence showing that long-term exposure to this kind of cell phone radiation can indeed put your health in danger. Studies have linked cell phone radiation to issues like:
- Tumor growth on the auditory nerve
- Increased risk of seizures
- Many other potential problems
Your body is essentially an electromagnetic instrument, controlled by highly complex and orderly oscillatory electrical processes. Each one of these electro-biological processes vibrate at a specific frequency—some of which happen to be close to those used in modern GSM cell phone technology.
The pulsating, low-intensity microwaves from mobile phones can exert subtle, non-thermal influences on the human biology because microwaves are waves. As such, they have properties other than just intensity (which is the part regulated by safety guidelines).
Therefore, much in the same way as a radio can receive interference; your biological processes can be interfered with by the oscillatory aspect of the incoming radiation.
Highly organized electrical processes at the cellular level are especially vulnerable to interference from cell phone radiation, because their frequency happens to fall within the microwave range.
Additionally, as I explained in my article “Report Links Power Lines to Cancer” just a few of days ago, a Swedish physicist named Bo Sernelius, discovered that electromagnetic forces might act on cells by affecting the attractive forces between them, without thermal heating – just as they claim in this study above. If you missed that article, I recommend you read it now. It may shed further light on how tissue damage can occur from cell phone use.
Are Some Cell Phones Safer Than Others?
While many of the biological activities mentioned are influenced by your individual metabolism -- meaning the effect of the radiation will be different from one person to another -- the effect could also depend on the type of cell phone you use, as different cell phones emit radiation at different frequencies.
As of 2000, all cell phone manufacturers must place labels on their phones disclosing their radiation level. To find the specific radiation level of the phone you’re using, you can also visit the FCC web site and look it up by brand.
One thing to keep in mind is that the specific absorption rate (SAR level) only refers to the intensity of the radiation (watts emitted). It does not measure the pulsating, oscillatory action of the waves, nor are there any safety guidelines. Meaning, there’s no safety guideline forbidding frequencies between 45-55 Hz, for example.
Some researchers have shown, that it is this oscillatory action—the wave frequency—that can cause severe damage, simply because some of the vibrations are so similar to that of the brain itself.
What You Can Do to Protect Yourself
Some common sense approaches include:
- Keep your cell phone use down a much as possible (my use is less than five minutes per year.)
- Get a cell phone with a good speakerphone and always use it.
- Keep the phone as far away from your body as possible.
- Restrict your children’s use of cell phones, as no one knows just how severe the health impact may be after a lifetime of exposure.
No comments:
Post a Comment