Cellphone radiation boosts brain activity, according to new research, but whether that’s bad, neutral or possibly even good is still anyone’s guess. Those concerned about cellphones and health counsel extra caution. “Most people are clueless about how cellphones work,” says Devra Lee Davis of Environmental Health Trust. “Basically, they are two-way microwave radios that use the same frequencies as a microwave oven. You can boil water in a microwave in two minutes.”
An issue that periodically makes its way into public discourse -- the impact and possible dangers to brain development and health posed by the ubiquitous use of cellphones -- is being revisited thanks to a newly published scientific study in The Journal of the American Medical Association.
However, rather than offering any definitive answers, the new research, led by Nora D. Volkow of the National Institutes of Health, raises more questions. Volkow and colleagues found that 50 minutes of cellphone use was associated with increased brain glucose metabolism -- a marker of brain activity -- in the region closest to the phone antenna. What that means is unclear.
The research team was not unaware of the health controversies surrounding cellular telephones, particularly concerns that exposure to the devices’ radiofrequency-modulated electromagnetic fields could potentially have carcinogenic effects. Epidemiologic studies of the association between cellphone use and the prevalence of brain tumors have been inconsistent, they pointed out in their report, with some, but not all, showing increased risk. That issue, in short, is unresolved.
Regional Metabolic Effects
The point of this study, however, which was conducted at the end of 2009, was to assess whether cellphone exposure affected regional activity in the human brain. Cellphones were placed on the left and right ears of 47 participants, and brain imaging using positron emission tomography with (18F) fluorodeoxyglucose injection -- used to measure brain glucose metabolism -- was performed twice. The first scan was done with the right cellphone activated and the sound muted for 50 minutes -- that is, in the “on” condition -- and the second was done with both cellphones deactivated, that is, in the “off” condition. The scans were then compared to assess the effect of cellphone use on brain glucose metabolism. Whole-brain metabolism did not differ in the on and off conditions. However, there were significant regional effects, according to the study authors. Metabolism in the brain region closest to the antenna -- the orbitofrontal cortex and temporal pole -- was significantly higher, approximately 7 percent, when the cellphone was on versus when it was off. “These results provide evidence that the human brain is sensitive to the effects of RF-EMFs from acute cellphone exposures,” the researchers state in their report. “However, these results provide no information as to their relevance regarding potential carcinogenic effects (or lack of such effects) from chronic cellphone use.”
Neither the study authors nor JAMA responded to TechNewsWorld’s requests to comment for this story by press time. Long-Term Impact While the short-term results of cellphone usage may be safe, it is the long term that concerns Devra Lee Davis, PhD MPH, president and founder of Environmental Health Trust, and author of Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation, What the Industry Has Done to Hide It, and How to Protect Your Family.
“Glucose is the main fuel of the brain,” Davis told TechNewsWorld. Essentially, the study found that in the areas the cellphone signal reached, there was an increase in glucose. In other words, the cellphone radiation affected the brain. Possibly for a healthy adult, the effect wouldn’t matter, but patients with brain health issues like Parkinson’s or veterans with brain injuries should be very careful of such phone use, Davis said, as should children and teenagers, whose skulls are still thin and developing.
“Most people are clueless about how cellphones work,” she said. “Basically, they are two-way microwave radios that use the same frequencies as a microwave oven. You can boil water in a microwave in two minutes.”
Recommended Precautions
More study is necessary for the complete ramifications of cellphone use to become clear, added Davis.Meanwhile, people should take precautions, starting with healthy living habits including sleeping in the dark and using headsets instead of holding devices next to the body, she suggested. Cellphones should be kept away from the body in general, Davis advised. “It won’t help much to use headphones if you keep the phone in your pocket.”
Does a Cell Phones Radiation Effect Stop When the Call Ends?
As innovative and popular as it is, the iPhone may well be one of the worst offenders, for a number of reasons.Even when you’re not using your iPhone but have it on, it still operates as a base station, transmitting radiation to you. Further, iPhones tend to get a great deal of use due to their amazing plethora of applications, which increases your risk.
Data waves from your iPhone substantially affect your biology, altering intercellular communication. But, iPhones aren’t the only offenders. Though they may not act as base stations, every phone still has to connect to a base station. As long as your phone is turned on, it continually emits EMR in an attempt to connect to that base station. There’s something much more serious to think about though.
Are Your Children at Undue Risk from Cell Phones?
Take this one-minute quiz and discover some shocking facts about cell phone use -- especially about cell phone use in children. (I’ll tell you how your answers compare to the facts in a moment...)
1. What country has banned cell phone use on trains to cut
down on ‘second hand radiation’?
A. France B. Belgium C. Japan
2. In what country is it now illegal to advertise mobile phones to children?
A. France B. England C. Canada
3. A cell call lasting just 2 minutes can alter the natural electrical activity of a child’s brain for up to how long?
A. Stops when a call ends
B. 20 minutes duration
C. One hour duration
4. When you use a cell phone what percentage of the energy emitted from the antenna is absorbed into your head?
A. None of it B. 30% of the energy
C. 70% of the energy
5. The average child uses their cell phone about how many minutes per month?
A. 2600 minutes B. 1300 minutes
C. 120 minutes
Consider Passing on the Cell Phone (for Your Children and Teens, Anyway)
But first I want to ask you to consider not consenting to let your children and teens have a cell phone at all. Or at a minimum to only use it in extreme emergencies.
Scientists are becoming increasingly concerned about the possible impact of cell phone usage on children, because their skull is thinner and their brain is still developing, compared to adults. It’s not until around age 20 that a child’s brain is fully developed.
Even as an adult who values optimal health, you should consider steps to protect yourself from the potentially damaging effects of EMF radiation from your cell phone.
When you use a cell phone, radiation energy is emitted from the antenna and absorbed by your brain. Have you noticed how hot your phone feels after a 20-minute call? Just how much energy is being released?
Since that’s one of your quiz questions, let me give you the quiz answers right now:
1. C 2. A 3. C 4. C 5. A
So, seventy percent of the energy from the antenna is being absorbed straight into your head.
How Much Time Does Your Child log on their Cell Phone?
When you realize that the average child is using their cell phone for a whopping 2600 minutes (more than 43 hours!) per month -- and their tissues and cells are being heated up during all those calls...
Well, you be the judge...
Let’s just say that I would do everything in my power to protect my child’s brain development and long-term health so they have the future they deserve and the future you can be proud of.
As their loving parent, I’m sure you agree.
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