Cell Phones

Cell phone use found to affect the glucose metabolism of the brain

by Dave Gabriele

(NaturalNews) Does using a cell phone have an effect on the brain? According to a 2011 study titled "Effects of Cell Phone Radiofrequency Signal Exposure on Brain Glucose Metabolism," the answer is absolutely. The study, headed by Nora D. Volkow, M.D. and conducted by the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, examined the effect of cell phone use on the brain by utilizing positron emission tomography (PET) on 47 participants.

Cell phones were placed against the ears of the participants for a period of 50 minutes while PET scans measured brain activity. Two scans were performed: one while the phones were off and a second time while the phones were on. The PET scans were used to detect the effect of the cell phone radiation on the brain's glucose metabolism.

The glucose metabolism affects every area of the brain and is associated with cellular and behavioral brain function. It plays a role in memory and cognition, as well as diseases such as schizophrenia, stroke and diabetes.

The study found that the cell phone radiation did not change the entire brain's function, but significantly affected the regions closest to the antennae. The orbitofrontal cortex and temporal pole, nearest to the ear, had a 7% increase in glucose metabolic activity.

"These results provide evidence that the human brain is sensitive to the effects of RF-EMFs from acute cell phone exposures," the paper concluded. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

In an associated editorial, Henry Lai, Ph.D., of the University of Washington, Seattle, and Lennart Hardell, M.D., Ph.D., of University Hospital, Orebro, Sweden, question whether the results of the study suggest the possibility of other effects on brain function, such as neurotransmitter and neurochemical activities. "If so, this might have effects on other organs, leading to unwanted physiological responses. Further studies on biomarkers of functional brain changes from exposure to radiofrequency radiation are definitely warranted."

Nora D. Volkow, M.D., has been the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health since 2003. NIDA supports most of the world's research on the health aspects of drug abuse and addiction.

SOURCES

http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/30...

http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/30...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/release...

Suzanne

WHO classifies cell phones as possibly carcinogenic

by Dave Gabriele

(NaturalNews) On May 31, 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France, a division of the World Health Organization, has announced that it has classified cell phones as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" (Group 2B).

The announcement comes after a working group of 31 scientists from 14 countries met for one week (May 24-31) in Lyon, France, to assess the dangers of radio frequency electromagnetic field exposure. Their job was to review hundreds of scientific articles on the effects of radio frequency EMFs on humans and animals and all other relevant studies and information.

The new classification is based on evidence of an increased risk of glioma, which is a type of malignant brain cancer, and acoustic neuroma, a tumor of the nerve that connects the ear to the brain. The findings will be published in Volume 102 of the IARC Monographs.

There are now over 5 billion users of cell phones in the world and that number is increasing rapidly. According to IARC's Globocan Project, there were approximately 238,000 new cases of brain cancers in 2008 occurring worldwide, and gliomas represented about 66% of these cases.

The IARC Monograph Working Group has expressed that exposures to radio frequency EMF radiation are suspected of causing long-term health effects including an increased risk of cancer. The sources of the radiation also include occupational exposures to radar and to microwaves; environmental exposures associated with transmission of signals for radio, television and wireless telecommunication; and personal exposures associated with the use of wireless telephones.

"The evidence, while still accumulating, is strong enough to support a conclusion and the 2B classification," commented Dr. Jonathan Samet of the University of Southern California and the Chairman of the IARC Working Group. "The conclusion means that there could be some risk, and therefore we need to keep a close watch for a link between cell phones and cancer risk."

IARC Director Christopher Wild said: "Given the potential consequences for public health of this classification and findings, it is important that additional research be conducted into the long-term, heavy use of mobile phones. Pending the availability of such information, it is important to take pragmatic measures to reduce exposure such as hands-free devices or texting."

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is part of the World Health Organization. IARC's mission is to coordinate and conduct research on the causes of human cancer and the mechanisms of carcinogenesis and to develop scientific strategies for cancer prevention and control. The Agency is involved in both epidemiological and laboratory research and disseminates scientific information through publications, meetings, courses, and fellowships.

IARC's 2008 Globocan Project was for the purpose of providing contemporary estimates of the incidence of and mortality from major type of cancers, at national level, for all countries of the world.

Sources
http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/...
http://www.iarc.fr/
http://globocan.iarc.fr/
http://www.montrealgazette.com/heal...
http://chealth.canoe.ca/channel_con...

Suzanne

Cell phone radiation - What the telecommunication companies don't want you to know

by Lloyd Burrell

(NaturalNews) In 2010, Devra Davis, PhD, MPH, president of the Environmental Health Trust, and former White House adviser, wrote the book titled, "Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation, What The Industry Has Done To Hide It, and How To Protect Your Family." Dr. Davis shares her concerns, "If the industry doesn't make a positive move soon, we may have a global epidemic on our hands within the next two decades.

This global epidemic is not a scare tactic. There is study after study, over 500, on the ill effects of exposure to cell phone radiation.

Dr. Davis just wants the industry to be responsible. "We are asking the industry to give people the facts about known health risks from cell phone radiation exposure to children's brains and ensure people know how to best use these devices.

In 2011 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), released the statement that cell phone radiation is a "possible human carcinogen." Other "possible human carcinogens" include the exhaust from diesel engines and the banned (in this country) pesticide DDT.

Has this made a difference? Well, yes and no. Many other countries, including Canada, France, Turkey, and Israel have come out with safety guidelines, age appropriate advertising, and introduced an institute to conduct research on the subject, respectively.

In this country, a federal office has put out a public acknowledgment three times in the past almost 20 years in regards to the necessity of studying the health implications created by cell phones. Unfortunately, the funds for such research are neither there nor have the potential to be there anytime soon.

The CTIA and the Right-to -Know

Numerous local governments spread out across the country are sitting on drafts for cell phone Right-To-Know ordinances which would eventually become laws if passed.

Cell phone Right-to-Know laws are simple and succinct. It's the consumers right to know about any risks associated with using a cell phone and how to use the phone safely before the phone is actually purchased.

So, what is going on? Here's some insight. In the summer of 2010 the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance giving residents of the community who purchased and used cell phones the right to know about the health risks and safety user guidelines associated with using the phone. The ordinance was signed into law by then mayor Gavin Newsom, the first of its kind.

The CTIA then sued San Francisco, both the city and the county, under the premise of violating cell phone company's first amendment rights. Some amendments were made to the law; however, the CTIA was not satisfied and has taken the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. CTIA is waiting to see if the decision will stand or be appealed.

According to their website, "CTIA is the International Association for the Wireless Telecommunications Industry, Dedicated to Expanding the Wireless frontier. The association advocates on behalf of its members at all levels of government." CTIA has represented its members, the wireless communications industry, since 1984.

The industry seems to be hiding behind two things:

1. They contend they have never said cell phones were safe.

2. The manual which accompanies the cell phone states in tiny wording that a cell phone should never be held next to the body in order to avoid exceeding the exposure limits set by the FCC.

This is akin to lying by omission and supplying the public with information the industry knows the consumer will never get. Clearly, telecommunication companies don't want cell phone users to be fully informed or question the safety of cell phones.

Sources for this article include:


http://www.waterfyi.com

http://electromagnetichealth.org

Suzanne

Cell phone radiation and cancer: Just how much more proof do you need?

by Lloyd Burrell

(NaturalNews) Cell phones emit a dangerous non-ionizing form of electromagnetic radiation; radiation which can be absorbed by the tissues and cells which come into close contact with the phone, e.g., the head and neck. Scientific studies in the past have produced conflicting results; however, more recent studies working with long term exposure, (ten years or more), have clearly established that a link between cell phone use and certain forms of cancer exists.

Scientific proof

Drs. Lai and Singh (University of Washington) were the first to use the comet assay in rats to show DNA damage, double strand breaks, after being exposed to cell phone radiation. The comet assay is one of the most conclusive tests available to measure the fragmentation of DNA.

Their work coincides with the findings of Dr. Andrew Goldsworthy, MSc PhD, in The Biological Effects of Weak Electromagnetic Fields, from March 2012. Dr. Goldsworthy concludes that, "If similar DNA fragmentation were to occur in the whole organism, we would expect an increased risk of cancer, since essential genes that control cell division may be either damaged or lost."

Current studies looking at the incidence of brain cancer are backing this up. Using the cell phone on a regular basis almost doubles the chance of adult brain cancers on the side of the head used for talking on the phone. Cancers are not just confined to the brain. Cancers of the parotid salivary gland and the thyroid gland, located in the neck, are on the rise too.

Capitol Hill

In 2009 on Capitol Hill, several well respected experts testified on the potential health effects for cell phone users (270 million), in front of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee.

• Dr. John Bucher, Associate Director of the National Institutes of Health, National toxicology program, testified, "As of now, with only 10-12 years exposure, and use increasing dramatically, there is a concern of increase in brain cancer, related to use. Children have a configuration of the skull which allows deeper penetration of cell phone radiation with a potentially greater risk."
• Dr. Siegal Sadetzki, Cancer and radiation epidemiology director of the Chaim Sheba Medical Center, (Israel) conducted 10 years of research in this area and published findings in 2008 on the findings of salivary gland tumors with heavy usage. Dr. Sadetski saw consistent positive results and observed the tumors always appeared on the same side of the head where the phone was held.
• Dr. Devra Lee Davis, University of Pittsburgh, epidemiology professor, cited Dr. Leonard Hardell's work in Sweden on heavy cell phone use before age 20. "As adults these subjects had 4-6 times more brain tumors by the time they reached their 30s. For younger people, the risk increases to five times more." Dr. Davis goes on to testify, "If we tie in Dr. Lai and Dr. Singh's work with the human studies of Dr. Sadetski and others that have looked at people who have ten years of exposure or more, we have strong evidence."
• Dr. Davis also recommends holding a cell phone no closer than one inch to your body. Her suggestion comes straight out of the manual for the Blackberry and iPhone. "I am calling for warning labels. I am simply calling to codify what the industry is currently telling us about cell phones."

A final consideration: Dr. Lai came to the conclusion that certain findings coincided with who was backing the study financially. Almost seventy percent of the studies sponsored outside the industry showed a connection between cell phone use and health complications while less than 30% of the studies sponsored by the cell phone industry reported similar findings.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.magdahavas.com/wireless-concerns-at-lakehead-university/

http://inthesenewtimes.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFXLkeh_FVo

Suzanne

Sheryl Crow says cell phone radiation may have caused her brain tumor

by Ethan A. Huff, staff writer

(NaturalNews) Back in June, singer and songwriter Sheryl Crow told Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Doug Elfman that she had a brain tumor, confirming suspicions held by some that Crow's failure to remember the lyrics to one of her most famous hit songs at a show earlier in the year was more than just a consequence of growing old. Though benign, her tumor may have been a result of prolonged mobile phone use over the years, Crow admits, once again reviving legitimate concerns about the safety of cell phones.

"I do have the theory that it's possible that it's related to that," said Crow to journalist Katie Couric during a recent interview, inferring that mobile phone radiation may have triggered the growth of her tumor. "I used to spend hours on the old archaic cell phones."

Crow's tumor, which is known as a meningioma, was identified on the side of her head where she talks on her phone the most, which was one of the first indications that the two were potentially linked. Crow also says she noticed that her memory had been increasingly failing her prior to the diagnosis, and that she was having more and more trouble thinking clearly, both factors of which seemed to correlate with her excessive phone use habits.

Though none of her doctors have been willing to confirm or even entertain her suspicions, Crow's own account of her excessive mobile phone use over the years seems to point to the possibility that such activity may have been the cause of her tumor. And this is very serious because, despite being considered benign, meningiomas can still invade surrounding tissues and spread to other organs -- in some cases, meningiomas can actually be fatal.

Famous 'Interphone Study' confirms cell phone use can cause brain tumors

But do Crow's suspicions about cell phone use potentially causing cancer have any scientific validity? Data compiled as part of the comprehensive Interphone Study actually seems to confirm Crow's theory, having revealed that heavy cell phone use significantly increases brain cancer risk. Though the media and the study itself tried to marginalize the significance of the findings, it is clear from the figures that long-term cell phone use can increase the risk of certain forms of cancer by as much as 50 percent (http://www.naturalnews.com/029100_cell_phones_radiation.html).

A presentation given at the 32nd Annual Bioelectromagnetics Society meeting in South Korea back in 2010 claimed that Interphone Study data showed an even high risk of cancer from cell phone use. According to that particular analysis, published risk figures from the study were underestimated by as much as 25 percent (http://electromagnetichealth.org).

"Flaws in the design and problems during conduct of the study led to biased estimates of the risk," says Michael Kundi, Professor of Occupational Health and Epidemiology at the Medical University of Vienna, about the inadequacy of the Interphone Study in exposing true cell phone risk. "We tried to assess the magnitude of this bias and correct the most important risk estimates. It turned out that after correction, the risk from mobile phone use is quite substantial and warrants precautionary activities."

Sources for this article include:

http://k1047.cbslocal.com

Suzanne

Suzanne, how do the levels of radiation compare between a normal cell phone and a wireless ear piece? Since the signal only has to go from the phone to the ear piece I'm guessing the radiation is lower. So are wireless ear pieces safe? What about wired ear buds? They're safe as far as I know. If they were dangerous, then hearing aids would also be dangerous.

I have already plugged a headset into my Samsung android note.

Suzanne, there are some weaknesses in the study about living close to cell towers and in the re-study. Here's a link to a reply by a group of doctors who have no apparent conflict of interest: http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/3/12/e003836.../reply#bmjopen_el_7666.

Your article stimulated my curiosity about the hazards posed by the full spectrum of electromagnetic radiation which is a form of radiant energy, propagating through space via electromagnetic waves and/or particles called photons at the speed of light. Like electricity, we can measure the properties of electromagnetic radiation but don't fully understand it. So I had a look at the spectrum which includes long radio waves, hundreds of miles in length, visible light in the middle with waves mush shorter at about one micron or .00039 in. long, and supper short gamma rays at the short end. The radio frequency range and the shorter micro-wave range are the ones that most communication signals are transmitted at.

Wikapedia has a good summary of the health risks posed by signals in the radio/micro wave frequency range: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_radiation_and_health.

Cell phone signals are broadcast in the UHF band - 300 - 3000 MHz. Common devices operating in that range include: Television broadcasts, Microwave ovens, Microwave devices/communications, radio astronomy, mobile phones, wireless LAN, Bluetooth, ZigBee, GPS and two-way radios such as Land Mobile, FRS and GMRS radios, amateur radio. The physical wave length in this class in a vacuum is about half a foot to three feet.