Are Cell Phones and Microwave
Radiation
Really Unhealthy?
Cell Tower
Life Bluetube Headsets
Cell Phone Towers Health Effects
EM Field Meter
Cell Phone Sensitivity
Dear EarthTalk: Could our health be negatively affected by
all the radio frequencies being bandied about by cell phones
and cell phone towers, wireless pagers and Internet systems,
and other uses of radio frequency and microwave radiation?
-- Beverly Filip, Santa Cruz, CA
Since the middle of the last century, technological
advancements in telecommunications and other industries have
led to significant increases in the use of radio
frequencies. Equipment employing microwave and radio waves
is today widely used not just in broadcasting and
communications, but also in the health care industry, the
food industry, and in a host of other industries in a wide
range of applications.
Evidence Raises Concerns About Cell Phones and Microwave
Exposure
Health advocates have worried for decades that exposure to
frequencies emanating from these many sources might be
harmful. And the ubiquity of such technology
today--especially considering the quantum leap in cell phone
usage in recent years--only makes such concerns that much
more pressing.
How Do Cell Phones Affect Your Health?
Various studies researching the health effects of cell phone
use have yielded mixed results. Some studies suggested a
link between exposure to radiation from cell phones and an
increased risk of acoustic neuroma--a tumor of the nerve
connecting the ear to the brain--but more recent research
found no such links.
The issue is primarily heat. According to the Occupational
Safety and Health Department of the Communication Workers of
America (CWA), “As high frequency radio frequency
radiation…penetrates the body, the exposed molecules move
about and collide with one another causing friction and,
thus, heat…If the radiation is powerful enough, the tissue
or skin will be heated or burned.”
According to CWA, “there is substantial scientific data that
establishes negative health effects associated with
microwave radiation.” CWA cites cataracts as one possible
negative health effect from prolonged exposure, as well as
well as nervous system damage and even reproductive problems
in both males and females. This issue was in the news in
1992 over the issue of the safety of police radar devices,
but subsequent studies were inconclusive.
Young Cell Phone Users May See Negative Effects in Middle
Age
As to cell phones, the results of a study recently published
in the academic journal Environmental Health Perspectives do
not bode well for habitual chatterers. Researchers
documented brain damage in laboratory rats exposed to radio
frequencies from cell phones at levels comparable to what
people would experience during normal use. The study’s
authors expressed concern that “after some decades of
(often) daily use, a whole generation of [cell phone] users
may suffer negative effects, perhaps as early as middle
age.”
How Do Cell Phones Affect the Environment?
The environmental effects of radio frequencies are also
largely unclear. Migrating birds have been known to fly
right into cell phone and other communications towers. Some
blame the radiation emanating from such towers for
disorienting the birds and undermining their navigational
abilities. Others chalk such incidents up to poor visibility
associated with bad weather and nothing more.
Some farmers have observed that cows grazing near cell
towers are more likely to experience still births,
spontaneous abortions, birth deformities and behavioral
problems, not to mention general declines in overall health.
Moving cattle herds away from such towers has reportedly led
to immediate health improvements.
Austin Texas USA
Portugal Lisbon
Green Bay Wisconsin USA
Hialeah Florida USA
Plano Texas USA
Brazil Brasilia
Wanneroo, Victoria,
Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou,
Barbados, Bridgetown,
Hamilton Victoria Australia
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