The Effects of Cellphone Radiation On Children

The effect of mobile phone radiation on human health is the subject of recent interest and study, as a result of the enormous increase in mobile phone usage throughout the world. As of November 2011, there were more than 6 billion subscriptions worldwide. Mobile phones use electromagnetic radiation in the microwave range. Other digital wireless systems, such as data communication networks, produce similar radiation.

Cellphone Radiation

Cell Phone and Radiation

• Cell phones emit radio-frequency energy or microwave radiation (MWR), a form of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation, which can be absorbed by tissues closest to where the phone is held.
• The amount of radio-frequency energy a cell phone user is exposed to depends on the technology of the phone, the distance between the phone’s antenna and the user, the extent and type of use, and the user’s distance from cell phone towers.
• Studies thus far have not shown a consistent link between cell phone use and cancers of the brain, nerves, or other tissues of the head or neck. More research is needed because cell phone technology and how people use cell phones have been changing rapidly.

The potential harm from microwave radiation (MWR) given off by wireless devices, particularly for children and unborn babies, is the highlight of a new review. Although the data are conflicting, links between MWR and cancer have been observed. The review, by L. Lloyd Morgan, senior science fellow at Environmental Health Trust, and colleagues, was published on-line July 15 in the Journal of Microscopy and Ultrastructure.

Children are at greater risks

The authors reviewed the current literature showing that children face a higher health risk than adults. They looked at peer-reviewed cell phone exposure studies from 2009 to 2014, along with cell phone radiation data, government documents, manufacturers' manuals, and similar publications. Children and unborn babies do face a greater risk for bodily damage that results from MWR by wireless devices, according to Morgan and colleagues.

The Effect of Microwave Radiation (MWR) on Children

Studies show that the rate of MWR absorption is higher in children than adults because their brain tissues are more absorbent, their skulls are thinner, and their relative size is smaller. Fetuses are particularly vulnerable, because MWR exposure can lead to degeneration of the protective sheath that surrounds brain neurons..

Multiple studies have shown that children absorb more MWR than adults. One found that that the brain tissue of children absorbed about two times more MWR than that of adults, and other studies have reported that the bone marrow of children absorbs 10 times more MWR than that of adults.

"Belgium, France, India, and other technologically sophisticated governments are passing laws and/or issuing warnings about children's use of wireless devices," the review authors write.

They write that MWR exposure limits have remained unchanged for 19 years. They also note that smartphone makers specify the minimum distance from the body that their products must be kept so that legal limits for exposure to MWR aren't exceeded. For laptop computers and tablets, the minimum distance from the body is 20 cm (about 7.8 inches).

Keep Cellphone away

The authors explain that current exposure limits were set up based on the wrong assumption that tissue damage from overheating is the only potential danger of wireless devices. But extensive scientific reports have detailed non-heat-related effects from long-term exposure. Although government warnings have been issued worldwide, most of the public is unaware of such warnings, they write.

"There are toys being sold to infants and toddlers that are dangerous," Morgan says. "The risk from exposure to any carcinogen is higher in children, and the younger the child, the higher the risk.

The review authors "continue to raise appropriate concerns related to the ever-increasing role of technologies that emit non-ionizing radiation, including cell phones and certain toys," says L. Dade Lunsford, MD, professor of neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. Lunsford was not involved in the study.

"They indicate that certain types of tumours, at least as reported, may have increased in incidence, including the most malignant brain tumours and perhaps hearing nerve tumours," he tells Medscape Medical News. But he says there are issues with some of the data, and that many of the reports are anecdotal. Also, it’s unclear whether the perceived increase in tumours may be due to better diagnoses at earlier stages, he says.

The potential health risks related to cell phone use, especially brain tumours, have remained a top discussed issue. Studies have been inconsistent and results have been conflicting. There is no consensus about the degree of cancer risk posed by cell phone use, if any at all.

Children at Risk

Take-Home Messages About Safe Use

Wireless devices are now part of everyday life, "but they can be used in a manner that is safe enough," Morgan says.

Morgan and his colleagues have made some recommendations.

1. "Distance is your friend." He says holding a cell phone 15 cm (about 6 inches) from your ear "provides a 10,000-fold reduction in risk."
2. Unless a cell phone is turned off, it will continue emits radiation. When not in use, it should not be kept on the body. The best place for a cell phone is somewhere like a purse, bag, or backpack.
3. Devices should be kept away from a pregnant woman's abdomen, and a mother should not use a cell phone while nursing, Morgan says. "And baby monitors should not be placed in an infant's crib."
4. Children and teens need to know how to use these devices safely. Cell phones should not be allowed in a child's bedroom at night, he says. "The Pew Research Centre has reported that 75% of pre-teens and early teens sleep all night with their cell phone under their pillow."
5. "Boys should not keep a cell phone in their front pants pockets," he says. There is a potential harm to sperm, although no studies of young boys have determined whether or not early exposure to MWR has any effect on sperm after puberty, he says.
6. "And girls should not place their cell phone in their bras," he says. This recommendation was based on a case study of four young women with a history of putting cell phones in their bras, and who developed breast cancer -- two of them at the age of 21.

Dangers of MWR

Because the risk snowballs, and more radiation is absorbed with more hours of use, children should be taught to use their wireless phone as little as possible, Morgan says. Land-lines, Skype, and computer phone services (when connected to the Internet with a cable) don't give off radiation, and parents should encourage their kids to use those. Finally, Wi-Fi routers in the home should be placed away from where people, particularly children, spend the most time.

Invisible electromagnetic radiation surrounds us each day, emanating from diverse sources such as power lines, home wiring, computers, televisions, microwave ovens, photocopy machines, and cell phones. While undetectable to the eye, scientists have proposed that electromagnetic radiation may pose serious health effects, ranging from childhood leukaemia to brain tumours.

Warning

As scientists continue to unravel the precise health dangers of electromagnetic radiation, it makes good sense to avoid these potentially dangerous frequencies as much as possible. A Gauss meter is a useful tool you can use to measure electromagnetic radiation in your home and work environments. Using the Gauss meter at varied locations, you can easily detect electromagnetic radiation “hot spots” where exposure to these ominous frequencies is the greatest. Armed with this crucial information, you can then avoid these areas, re-arranging furniture or electronic devices as needed in order to avoid unnecessary exposure to electromagnetic radiation.

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