Look after your Brains !! (Mobile phone safety)

Member Name: WormThatTurned

Product:	Mobile phone safety
Date:	08/07/02 (777 review reads)
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They are small,portable,easy to use and viewed by many as an indispensable means of communication,But can mobile phones damage your health?

Its a question that has plagued the booming mobile communications industry for years,and has,understandably,been vehemently denied by it.

Manufacturers cite the weighty opinions of bodies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) ,which states; "None of the recent reviews have concluded that exposure to the Radio Frequency fields from mobile phones or their base stations causes any adverse health consequences".

But the WHO identified "gaps in knowledge" and called for more research to assess health risks caused by mobile phones,of which there are 40 million in the UK.

The British Government led an inquiry after constant concerns,into the possible health effects of mobiles but in April 2000 it concluded there was no evidence of any effect on health,but said more research was necessary which led to the implementation of an ongoing £7.4 million research programme,funded by the Government and the mobile phone industry.

Meanwhile a study carried out in Finland has concluded that radiation emitted from mobile phones causes changes in human brain cells.

It is the first time research has shown an effect on human cells,rather than cells from rats.

The study,conducted by the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority,found that exposing human cells to one hour of mobile phone radiation triggered a response which could disable a safety barrier in the body that is meant to protect the brain from harmful substances in the blood.

The study also concluded that it was too early to say whether the process occurs in living humans or whether it endangers health.

It isnt too early to say though that there is a massive use of mobile phones in society now and that our brains are being bombarded with radiation all the time is it?

We real
ly dont know what the impact of this radiation is going to be or what its going to be like after 10-20 years of regular use, so the sooner the better we get the results of the new research!

The £7.4 million research programme recommended by the initial inquiry is funding 15 projects which are looking at a range of possible health effects of mobile phone use.

There have been a number of cases where mobile phones have been blamed for brain tumours,and four of the studies are looking at the risk of brain cancer or leukaemia in mobile users.

Other studies are looking at the possible effects on blood pressure and hearing,and on brain function and behaviour.

Researchers will also be looking at the possible biological effects on exposed cells,and will examine whether the use of mobile phones affects driving performance.

A lot of research carried out to date has focused on the possible indirect effects of mobile phones.They are now beginning to focus more on the direct impacts,if any,on human health.

The WHO is also looking at the possible effects on health of mobile phones - of which it projects there will be 1.6 billion worldwide by 2005 - through its Electro-Magnetic Fields (EMF) project.

The project,which is looking at EMF caused by a number of structures and appliances,is considering the links between the use of mobile phones and head and neck cancer in a study co-ordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

The organisation,which is a specialised WHO cancer research agency,plans to complete the work by 2003.

But there are already people who believe their brain cancer was caused by using mobile phones.

Vodafone has just revealed that it is being sued by four Americans who claim their cancer or other health problems are due to using the Vodafone network.

The company,which is the world's biggest mobile phone operator,responded in its annual report; &quo
t;The company is not aware that the health risks alleged in such personal injury claims have been substantiated and will be vigorously defending such claims".

Until the many current research projects are completed,the advice from organisations including the WHO and the Department of Health is to take a precautionary approach if possible when using the phones.

The WHO recommends that if people are concerned,they might choose to limit the length of calls they and their children make,or perhaps use hands-free devices to keep the phones away from the head and body.

In addition the Government has advised that caution is taken over the use of mobile phones by children until more evidence on the impact of health is gathered.

The Department of Health has also advised taking precautions but insisted that normal mobile phone use does NOT present a health problem - if they offer no health problems ,then why take precautions?

My advice is that although more research is needed,people should make their own decisions about mobile phone usage.

I would urge parents to recommend to their children in keeping conversations short and use their phones for essential calls only.

Although their isnt any clear evidence it is plain for all to see that Organisations,Governments and Industries are taking this problem seriously and so should we,go by that old adage 'Theres no smoke without fire'.

But dont lose any sleep about this matter,i mean Radio waves have been around for over 100 years and there is no evidence of any health effects where their concerned.

You have to be careful when you go out in the sunlight,and if you don't protect yourself you increase your risk of skin cancer but we dont tell people not to go out in the sun,we tell them to be careful and we should do the same with Mobile phone waves.Sunlight is actually a lot more dangerous than radio frequency waves but we should be precau
tionary and be careful for common sense sake.

So to sum up;

Make them calls and make them short,
if youve been on a while plan an abort,
let your kids use them otherwise they will cry,
be warned though overuse could make their brains fry!

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