Do mobile phones make us sick?

The debate continues over the safety of mobile phones. This debate began in the 1980s with the advent of the first analogue mobiles. Whether mobile phones pose a health risk or not, is an important question given that worldwide approximately 1.5 billion people use them and 650 million mobile phones are expected to be sold in 2005 alone. This means we could be putting a huge number of people at risk if mobile phones are not safe.

Mobile phone handsets are low-powered radiofrequency (RF) transmitters emitting maximum powers in the range of 0.2 to 0.6 watts. There are health impacts of human exposure to radiofrequency (RF) fields. In a study conducted in 2003, short exposure to mobile phone radiation (2hours) destroyed cells in parts of the brain important for memory, movement and learning in rats. Professor Leif Salford believes mobile radiation allows harmful proteins and toxins through the brain barrier in rats - he has also found a significant degree of damage to brain neurons in adolescent rats.

Did you know: The largest market for mobile phones is China.
The second largest is the US, where handsets are cast off after
18 months. One of the reasons is because of the competing standards
for cellular networks. In Europe, there has been a single standard
since the early 1980s.

The problem is that not enough research has been undertaken on the long term effects of mobile phone use. Mobile phones haven't been around long enough and to compound this, the technology keeps changing. Third generation (3G) phones, which emit higher rates of radiation than earlier mobile phones are just coming onto the market in large numbers. These technologies are not being tested adequately before coming on the market. There just hasn't been the time. Many brain conditions such as brain tumours take years to develop.

Despite insufficient testing, there is sufficient evidence of harm for serious concern. Numerous studies have shown that teh radiation emitted from mobile phones does produce biological changes in humans, such as changes in brain temperature and aqctivity as well as blood pressure changes.

In a study reported in the International Journal of Oncology, it was found that mobile phone users had a 30 percent increased risk of brain tumours - mainly acoustic neuromas - which occurred close to the ear that was used for mobile phone listening.

In late 2004, a consortium of 12 research groups in seven European countries announced it had found evidence mobile phone radiation can damage DNA in human cells in the laboratory. A Swedish study published in the journal Epidemiology found a four-fold increase of a benign brain tumour in people who had been using a mobile phone for more than ten years. These tumours called acoustic neuromas occurred in the side of the head where the person used the phone.

It is not just the health impacts for the mobile phone handsets that are cause for concern. New research suggests living downwind from an electricity pylon can increase the risk of lung cancer significantly.

The research findings present a confusing picture of the health impacts of mobile phone use. Some researchers consider there are no health risks, while other can clearly show considerable negative health impacts. Many of the studies that show no negative impacts have looked at the results of short-term, whole body exposure. It is important to consider long-term impacts and site specific doses of RF eg when a mobile phone is held to the ear.

Consistent findings indicate that using mobile phones creates changes in brain activity, reaction times, and sleep patterns.

Some phones incorporate radiation shields and there are other devices that are claimed to protect mobile phone users from radiation, but the effects of these products are still being determined.

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