A study by scientists in Finland has found that mobile phone radiation can cause changes in human cells that might affect the brain.

The study at Finland's Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority found that exposure to radiation from mobile phones can cause increased activity in hundreds of proteins in human cells grown in a laboratory.

Nonetheless the study, the initial findings of which were published last month in the scientific journal Differentiation, raises new questions about whether mobile phone radiation can weaken the brain's protective shield against harmful substances.

The study focused on changes in cells that line blood vessels and on whether such changes could weaken the functioning of the blood-brain barrier, which prevents potentially harmful substances from entering the brain from the bloodstream.

They also found that one hour of exposure to mobile phone radiation caused cultured human cells to shrink.

The researchers believe this is triggered by a response that normally only happens when a cell is damaged. In a person, such changes could disable safety mechanisms that prevent harmful substances from entering the brain from the bloodstream.

Radiation-induced changes in the cells could also interfere with the normal death process of apoptosis. If cells that are "marked" to die do not, tumors can form.

The study found that a protein called hsp27 linked to the functioning of the blood-brain barrier showed increased activity due to irradiation and pointed to a possibility that such activity could make the shield more permeable, he said.

Increased protein activity might cause cells to shrink -- not the blood vessels but the cells themselves -- and then tiny gaps could appear between those cells through which some molecules could pass.

Reuters June 20, 2002 Helsiniki, Finland

Concerns About Cellular Telephone Use and Human Health

The number of people using cellular telephones has risen dramatically during the past decade, and is expected to continue increasing. According to the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA), there are currently over 110 million wireless telephone users in the United States. This number is increasing at a rate of about 46,000 new subscribers per day.

Experts estimate that by 2005 there will be over 1.26 billion wireless telephone users worldwide.

The concern about an increased risk of cancer with cellular telephone use is related to the radiation that the device produces. Like televisions, alarm systems, computers, and all other electrical devices, cellular telephones emit electromagnetic radiation. In the United States, cellular telephones operate in a frequency ranging from about 800 to 2100 megahertz (MHz).

In that range, the radiation produced is in the form of non-ionizing radiofrequency (RF) radiation. AM/FM radios, VHF/UHF televisions, and cordless telephones operate at lower radio frequencies than cellular phones; microwave ovens, radar, and satellite-stations operate at higher radio frequencies.

RF radiation is different from ionizing radiation, which can present a health risk at certain doses. Ionizing radiation is produced by devices such as x-ray machines. Because so many people use cellular telephones, it is important to learn whether RF radiation affects human health, and to provide reassurance if it does not.

A cellular telephone user’s level of exposure to RF radiation depends on several factors. These factors include the

• Amount of cellular telephone traffic,
  
• Quality of the transmission,
  
• How far the antenna is extended, and
  
• Size of the handset.

A cellular telephone’s main source of RF energy is its antenna. Therefore, the closer the antenna is to the head, the greater a person’s expected exposure to RF radiation. The amount of RF radiation absorbed decreases rapidly with increasing distance between the antenna and the user.

The antenna of hand-held cellular telephones is in the handset, which is typically held against the side of the head while the phone is in use. The antenna of a car cellular telephone is mounted on the outside of the car, some distance from the user.

Transportable cellular telephones or "bag phones" have an antenna in a portable unit separate from the handset. Most of the studies conducted on cellular telephone use and cancer risk have focused on hand-held models, since they deliver the most RF radiation to the user.

RF radiation can be harmful at high levels because it produces heat. Some people have speculated that the heat produced by RF radiation from hand-held cellular telephones may be associated with brain tumors, because the antenna is held close to the user’s head.

National Cancer Institute January 4, 2002

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Cell phones are becoming increasingly popular, yet most of us are unaware of the damage they are doing to our brains by exposing us to this radiation. Today, there is more and more compelling evidence showing low intensity, pulsed radiation can exert subtle influences that have serious health problems. Your body is an electrochemical instrument of exquisite sensitivity. Its orderly functioning and control are determined by oscillatory electrical processes of various kinds, each characterized by a specific frequency, some of which happen to be close to those used in GSM. Thus, some of your biological electrical activities can be interfered with via oscillatory aspects of the incoming radiation, in much the same way as can the reception on a radio. Your biological electrical activities that are vulnerable to interference from GSM radiation include highly organized electrical activities at a cellular level, whose frequency happens to lie in the microwave region, can interfere with processes as fundamental as cell division. This radiation also seems to affect a variety of brain functions including the neuroendocrine system. Additionally, cell phones have been associated with a 200-300% increase neuroepithelial tumours that occur on the same side of the brain that the cell phone was being used on. We really need to limit our exposures to these potential dangerous devices that can cause irreversible brain damage and cancer. We only have to look less than a hundred years back to learn from similar mistakes our forefathers made in this area. Early in the 20th century radon and radium-enriched spa waters were "recommended" for a wide range of aches and minor ailments. Today, no reputable scientist would disagree with the dangers that ionizing radiation has to our health. My recommendation? Keep the use down to as low as possible (my use is less than five minutes per YEAR). Let's keep those brain cells alive! If you are interested in a new phone with the lowest radiation, Motorola Star Tac 7860 wins hands down. You can check the list to see if you phone is in the top ten lowest radiation phones. If you don't see your phone there try the complete list. Unfortunately it is nearly technically impossible to design a study to prove that a device or procedure is safe. That is one of the reasons that cell phones health hazards have not received more attention than they have. Related Articles: "If Mobile Phones Were a Type of Food, They Simply Would Not be Licensed" Hands-Free Mobile Phones May Increase Radiation Exposure Cell Phones the Newest Teen Addiction More Mobile Phone Users Report Symptoms Mobile Telephones Can Cause Dizziness, Nausea and Headaches Study Links Cell Phones To Brain Cancer Risk