5 Studies on Mobile Phone Radiation You Should Know About
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This is a subjective list of the five most important studies on mobile phone radiation. Each study raises awareness of the potentially harmful effects of electromagnetic radiation and suggests that this issue should not be ignored.
Study №1
Electromagnetic radiation classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans by the WHO
In May 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is a part of the World Health Organisation (WHO), organized a meeting in Lyon, France[1] during which 31 scientists from 14 different countries discussed the harmful impact and the potential carcinogenic risk of electromagnetic radiation.
International experts analyzed various studies on cancer in humans and animals and a large amount of relevant data. They took into account hundreds of scientific articles. A list of them was published in the IARC Monographs if you’re interested. The IARC Working Group closely examined exposures associated with microwaves, transmission of the signal for televisions, radios, and mobile phones.
The results of the meeting were strong enough to classify electromagnetic radiation as possibly carcinogenic to humans, that is Group 2B, while Group 1 means carcinogenic to humans and Group 4 stands for probably not carcinogenic to humans. The conclusion we might draw from this research is that the risk really exists, so it’s not an exaggeration to link mobile phones with cancer and people should be made more aware of the problem. The whole report, which summarizes IARC’s work, was published in The Lancet Oncology and online.[2]
Study №2
$25 million US government study on the effects of mobile phone radiation
The National Toxicology Program (NTP) conducted the world’s most complex study on the carcinogenic impact of radiofrequency radiation. The Cell Phone Radiofrequency Radiation Study was initiated in 1999 and its results were published in 2005. Scientists have examined pregnant rats and adolescent mice through their young adulthood, for 2 years. The radiation exposure level was very low, similar to the radiation of mobile phones. The study aimed at identifying potential carcinogenic effects connected with chronic exposure to mobile phones.
The research focused on carcinogenicity, body weight, organ development, blood-brain barrier permeability, reproductive development, and DNA strand breaks.[3] Especially for this research, scientists built 21 separate reverberation chambers, shielded rooms with a transmitting antenna emitting radiofrequency fields and rotating stirrers. Rats were exposed to radiation for around 9 hours per day, starting from the moment of their birth.
The scientists identified types of tumours which were similar to those found in people who had been using mobile phones for a long time.[4] Research on humans who had been using mobile phones for over 10 years showed a type of brain cancer called malignant glioma. Male rats in the study were also diagnosed with brain gliomas. What’s more, a very dangerous type of tumour called cardiac schwannoma was found in male rats. Epidemiological research on humans using mobile phones has found increased acoustic neuroma. The similarity between both studies, on humans and animals, gives us food for thought.
Study №3
Increasing number of brain tumours in Denmark
In 2016, the Swedish Radiation Protection Foundation issued a report stating that in recent years, in Denmark, the number of patients diagnosed with brain cancer has increased from 827 in 1990 to 1807 in 2015.
Swedish researchers link it with the common use of mobile phones. They have been working on the data from the Danish Cancer Registry. It’s alarming that more and more people under 40 suffer from brain cancer. The most common are brain and spinal cord cover tumours, glioma and acoustic neuroma. Mobile phone radiation apparently contributes to all of these types of cancer.
In the last ten years, the number of cancer patients has increased tremendously (41%). It’s been very common to say that mobile phones have nothing to do with brain tumours. However, since 2010 every study linking mobile phone radiation with cancer has shown that unfortunately, this is most likely true. In Sweden, more than 70% of teenagers use their mobile phones for more than 3 hours per day. The risk of cancer is constantly growing.
Study №4
The effects of mobile phone radiation on brain glucose metabolism
Dr. Nora Volkow is the head of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) in the United States. In 2011, she and her team conducted a study to analyze the link between brain activity and the use of mobile phones. The conclusion of this research was that even weak mobile phone radiation has an effect on brain activity and increases glucose metabolism. The results[5] were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The research team measured brain glucose metabolism in 47 men. The study lasted two days. Participants were resting for 50 minutes and they had mobile phones placed against each ear. After 20 minutes they were injected with a glucose-like tracer chemical. After another 30 minutes, the mobile phones were removed from their ears, and researchers scanned the participants with a tomograph to check the level of the tracer.
The study revealed that mobile phone use affects brain functions. It focused on brain activity and didn’t consider any other health effects of mobile phone radiation.
Study №5
How radiation of mobile jammers affects human sperm
This Iranian study aimed to show the adverse health effects caused by short-term exposure of human sperm to radiofrequency radiation emitted from a mobile phone jammer, a device that stops mobile phones from receiving signals.[6] The problem is that mobile jammer use is illegal, but they are still used in offices, cinemas and shrines. They’re also a source of potentially harmful radiation.
The sperm samples were collected from 50 healthy donors and tested at the Mother and Child Hospital at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The results of the study showed that sperm samples which were exposed to radiation had decreased sperm motility and increased DNA fragmentation. A possible conclusion is that exposure to mobile phone radiation may, in fact, lead to infertility.
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