In recent years, various study groups have reported that cell phone radiation is not dangerous and we should not worry about it. In particular, we don’t have to worry about it causing cancer. Some of them have, in fact, reported that the debate is over and cell phones are completely safe. As a result, most research on the subject has virtually ceased in the United States. At the same time, however, research has continued in other countries and has increasingly shown that we cannot ignore the dangers. First of all, as any scientist working on cancer will tell you, it is nearly impossible to prove beyond doubt that something (in this case, cell phone radiation) It is not causes cancer. One of the problems is that cancer takes 20 years or more to develop after it starts. None of the studies that have been done have taken this into account; most are animal tests or statistical studies. In many ways, the current situation is similar to that of smoking in the 1950s and 1960s. Everyone was sure that it had little effect on our health and there was no evidence that it caused cancer. But over the years the evidence came, and soon there was no doubt.
The connection between cell phones and cancer is particularly concerning in light of the rise in brain tumor rates in the US in recent years. They have increased more than 25 percent since 1975; by 2001, in fact, 185,000 Americans had some form of brain cancer, and this is estimated to increase to 500,000 by 2010 and a million by 2015. How many of these cases are due to cell phones? We do not know.
Cell phone radiation is in the form of microwaves, the same waves used in microwave ovens (and also very close in frequency to radar waves). They are, of course, over a thousand times weaker than microwave radiation, but microwaves are not used for cooking because they are extremely energetic (they are not); they are used because they easily penetrate the tissue.
The top three health hazards to our bodies are hazards to:
our DNA
The functioning of our cells.
Neurons and others in our brain
Our “code of life”, in other words, the instructions for everything that happens in our body, is contained in the sequence of basic units of DNA. If any of these units suddenly changes, or “mutates,” our genetic code changes. And one of the main things that causes mutations is radiation. Microwaves cannot break the strongest bonds (such as valence bonds) in DNA, but the genetic code is held in place by relatively weak hydrogen bonds, which can be easily broken.
Furthermore, the dangers do not end with the DNA inside the cells. On the cell surface there are “receptors” that allow some molecules to pass into the cell and prevent others from entering. They play a very important role in the health of the cell, as they allow nutrients to pass through, but stop things like toxins, bacteria, and viruses. These receptors also play another important role: they control cell growth and division. Normally, cell division continues until something tells it to stop. One of the things that stops it is when a cell comes into contact with another cell (perhaps of a different type); the receptors detect this cell and send a signal for growth to stop. If the receptors are damaged, this signal will not be sent and growth can continue indefinitely, eventually leading to cancer.
Experiments have shown that microwaves can activate these receptors, causing various types of biochemical reactions that make the cell membrane less permeable. We’re still not sure what the general effects are in such cases, but the fact that microwave radiation (of the same intensity as in mobile phones) can disrupt our cells is not good news.
From this it might seem that cells and the DNA within them are the weak spots for microwave radiation, but there is another area of the body of equal concern. Cell phone users hold their phones to their ears, with the antenna just inches from their brain, and our brains are controlled (to some extent) by microwave-like waves. Most signals in the brain are electrochemical in nature, consisting partly of electrical currents and partly of chemical reactions. But there are also “brain waves” within the brain. When you are awake, your brain emits what are called beta waves at a frequency of 8 to 25 vibrations/second (also called Hertz). This is much lower than the frequency of microwaves in a microwave oven, which is from 850 MHz (millions of Hertz) to 1900 MHz. But all cell phones also use low pulsed frequencies, called TDMA and DTX, have frequencies of 8.34 HZ and 2 Hz respectively. can interact with brain waves.
Studies have also recently shown that the blood-brain barrier, which is a barrier within the brain that prevents various chemicals and other harmful substances from entering the brain, is also affected by microwaves. Studies in Sweden, for example, have shown that when capillaries like those in the brain are irradiated with microwaves, they allow the passage of certain chemicals that normally don’t. Other studies have verified the result.
It’s easy to see from all of this that the risk of cell phone radiation to adults is something we shouldn’t just ignore, but it turns out the risk to children is much higher. One reason is that their skulls are thinner, and radiation penetrates them much more easily. Also, radiation absorption is greater in a child’s skull due to a phenomenon called “resonance.” And finally, children’s nervous and immune systems are still forming and therefore more susceptible to the effects of radiation.
What can you do to minimize the danger? If you use a cell phone, keep the antenna as far away from your head as possible and limit your time on the device. Use conventional phones for very long conversations. Finally, don’t use cell phones in a car; due to the shielding, the power must be increased significantly for it to work.