There have been hints for years that cellphones could cause cancer,
and now a new meta-study finds that the radiation cellphones emit
are a real danger. The new research, which is based on a review of
100 studies, found that the low-intensity radiofrequency radiation
(RFR), cellphones emit, has an effect on living cells and can damage
DNA.
RFR causes oxidative stress, a condition in which the body creates
harmful radicals at a rate so high it doesn't have the ability to
repair the damage they cause.
Study author Igor Yakymenko wrote that of "100 currently available
peer-reviewed studies dealing with oxidative effects of
low-intensity RFR, in general, 93 confirmed that RFR induces
oxidative effects in biological systems."
"These data are a clear sign of the real risks this kind of
radiation poses for human health," said Yakymenko in the
New
York Daily News.
The type of damage caused by RFR is cumulative and can cause
numerous health problems, including cancer, fatigue, and headaches.
According to Yakymento, using a cellphone for 20 minutes each day
for five years increased the risk of one type of brain tumor by 300
percent, and talking on a cellphone for an hour a day for four years
increased the risk of some tumors up to 500 percent.
Yakymento notes that the cancers can take years to develop, and
most of the data he examined was on adults who had used
cellphones up to 10 years as an adult. He warned that results
could be dramatically different for children who use cellphones
when their bodies are much more vulnerable to RFR damage.
Yakymenko advised minimizing risk by using cellphones less and
using hands-free devices to keep radiation away from the head.
The study was published in the journal
Electromagnetic Biology & Medicine.
According to an article published in Forbes earlier
this year, a study of radiation emitted by cellphones and other
modern electronics found that while children are more vulnerable
than adults because their skulls are thinner and their brains
more absorbent, fetuses are the most vulnerable of all. It
warned that pregnant women should avoid all sources of
radiation, and that women should avoid placing cellphones in
their bras.
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