 |
THE INVISIVLE HAZARDS OF THE WIRELESS AGE
|
 |
|
Hands-Free Mobiles Increase Radiation Risk Hands-Free Mobile Phones "Emit More Radiation" Mobile Phones Linked To Cancer Branson Warns On Mobile Phones After Banker Dies Is Your Cell Phone Frying Your Brain? Wireless Questions: Could Cell Phone Radiation Harm Your Child`s Brain? Warning On Kids And Cell Phones Children Absorb Twice As Much Radiation From Mobiles |
|
|---|---|---|
Hands-Free Mobiles Increase Radiation Risk
The Guardian
By: Sarah Boseley
Tuesday, April 04, 2000
Hands-free kits for mobile phones do not protect your brain from radiation---on the contrary, they channel three times the dose into the skull that you receive by holding the phone next to your ear, according to the Consumer's Association. The researchers found the wires leading from the phone into the ear acted like an aerial, conveying a more concentrated dose of waves than usual. The Consumer's Association says the findings on the hands-free kits were a surprise. "If you're worried about levels of radiation from your mobile phone, you shouldn't rely on a hands-free set," said Graeme Jacobs, editor of " Which " magazine. When Carphone Wharehouse was confronted about the findings, "the response was pretty disingenuous," says Which. The company said its fact-sheets "simply state the facts---it is a fact that ear pieces remove the phone away from the user's head". The company said its revised fact sheet would include the Which findings.
Hands-Free Mobile Phones "Emit More Radiation"
Yahoo.News (UK&Ireland)
Tuesday, April 04, 2000
Some hands-free kits for mobile phones can increase radiation exposure to the brain, according to new research. Consumer watchdogs found that the earpieces act like aerials, directing up to three times as much microwave radiation into the brain as a phone held next to the head. Some experts are now advising users to throw away the kits, millions of which have been bought by people believing they reduce the risk of cancerous brain tumors. Scientific tests were ordered in the wake of medical studies in Britain and overseas suggesting that mobile phone radiation is linked to brain tumors, genetic damage and a range of illnesses, including Alzheimer's.
The industry has consistently denied that there is any proof of danger, but many companies and individual users bought hands-free kits to cut exposure to radiation. The tests for the CA's Which? magazine found that instead of offering protection, the two devices tested actually acted as aerials, and chennelled three times as much radiation from the phones into the users' heads. The results from Which? - the trading arm of the CA - came from tests on hands-free kits for a Philips Savvy phone sold by BT Cellnet and for an Ericsson A101-8S sold at Carphone Warehouse. While the watchdog did not have time to test other kits, it said it believed the results would be similar. Graeme Jacobs, Editor of Which? magazine said: "If you're worried about levels of radiation from your mobile phone, you shouldn't rely on a hands-free set. The two models we tested triple the radiation to your brain, though we still don't know for certain whether that radiation is harmful."
Mobile Phones Linked To Cancer
BBC NEWS
Tuesday, November 09, 1999
An electronics expert has claimed that some people who use mobile phones heavily have started to develop cancer. Researcher Alisdair Phillips made the claim during a legal hearing brought by scientist Roger Coghill, who is trying to force retailers to put health warnings on mobile phones. Mr. Phillips told the court: "I have received frequent reports from regular phone users telling of headaches, loss of concentration, skin tingling or burning and twitching. "The complaints can involve eye tics, short-term memory [loss], buzzing in the head at night and other effects such as tiredness. "This is the first time in human existence that people have wandered around with radiating devices held close to their bodies. . . . "It is too early to say, but we are starting to see lymphomas of the neck in heavy phone users."
Branson Warns On Mobile Phones After Banker Dies
Sunday Mirror
Sunday, November 22, 1998
By: Cherry Norton
To many, the life of Michael von Clemm, a brilliant banker who traveled the world, was enviable. But now his friends are wondering whether his untimely death was caused by the curses of modern executives, long-haul flights and mobile phones. Von Clemm, who will be honoured by the unveiling of a bust by Eddie George, governor of the Bank of England, in Caruary Wharf, east London, next month, was an early and constant user of mobile phones. He flew on Concorde once a week and had persuaded his dentist to make him a full-length lead blanket to shield him from high-altitude radiation on these trips. Last week Richard Branson, one of his friends, warned his staff of the dangers of radiation from mobile phones. He believes they may have contributed to von Clemm's death from a brain tumor. "He was one of the first to have a mobile phone and used it all the time. The particular type of tumor he had and its position was consistent with where the phone would be," said Branson, founder of the Virgin business group. "I went to dinner with him just before he died and he said his surgeons were convinced that his extensive use of a mobile phone had caused his tumor."
Is Your Cell Phone Frying Your Brain?
ZDNet
By: Jesse Berst
Tuesday, July 25, 2000
You remember that old anti-drug campaign featuring the egg. "This is your brain." Then the egg was fried in a pan: "This is your brain on drugs." Those commercials might be even more relevant today ... for cell phones. As cell phones become ubiquitous, their safety is coming into question. I'll tell you why some scientists are sounding the alarm and what you can do if you are concerned. THIS IS YOUR CELL PHONE The U.S. alone has more than 100 million wireless subscribers. By 2005, there will be an estimated 1.26 billion worldwide. Cell phones work by emitting radio frequency radiation (RFR) that transmits through the antenna into your phone. The phone that is right next to your brain. This radiation has some in the scientific community concerned. THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON A CELL PHONE? Can cell-phone use cause cancer? The answer to that question is an unequivocal ... no one knows.
A Florida man launched the debate in 1993 when he claimed his wife got brain cancer from her cell phone. The wireless industry vehemently denies any health risks. But then we've heard similar denial before from other big companies. Remember cigarettes? Remember Firestone? There have been some 200 studies on the safety of cell phones. And they all seem to conflict. Scientific American recently discussed a number of the studies and concluded that scientists still aren't sure as to the safety of cell phones. The catch is that these are short-term studies. Cell phones have only been in the mainstream for a few years. No one is sure of the long-term effects. JUST SAY NO?
Since there is no hard evidence yet, common sense is the best policy for now. Here's what the experts say: Limit time spent on your cell phone. Discourage children from using them. Studies show a cell phone's electromagnetic field penetrates deeper into a child's head. Don't use a cell phone if the signal is weak. The phone shoots out more radiation to compensate for a poor signal. Avoid talking on the phone while driving. (This has more to do with traffic safety than radiation.) Get an old-fashioned cell phone for your car, so the antenna is outside the vehicle. Some people have turned to headphones to reduce the radiation to their heads. But one study from England's Consumer Association said that some hands-free headsets actually deliver triple the radiation to your brain than the phone itself. As cell phones become more sophisticated and integral to our lives, it's important to follow these debates. To ask these questions now, before it is too late.
Wireless Questions: Could Cell Phone Radiation Harm Your Child`s Brain?
ABC News
By: Brian Ross with Isaiah Wilner
Thursday, November 23, 2000
NEW York, Nov. 23 - The Mickey Mouse cell phones are soon to be a thing of the past. In Response to a PrimeTime report, in which scientists criticize some in the cell phone industry for marketing phones to children at a time when there are gaps in knowledge about cell phone safety, the Walt Disney Co. disclosed yesterday that it will stop licensing its cartoon characters for cell phones. Disney made the announcement after PrimeTime approached Disney, the parent company of the ABC television network and ABCNEWS.com, for a comment. Mickey and Minnie Mouse appear on faceplates that can be attached to certain Nokia phones. "Because the well-being of our customers is our priority, we have decided to discontinue the licensing of our characters for use on cellular telephones until there is reliable scientific evidence establishing the absence of any such risk," said John Singh, spokesman for Disney Consumer Products.
Sales of cellular phones are booming. But a growing number of scientists and public officials are raising serious concerns about children's exposure to the microwave radiation that these phones emit. And some say companies should not market the phones to children - a recommendation that could be a huge setback for the cellular phone industry. "If there is a hazard from this technology, then the kids are more vulnerable," said Oxford University professor Colin Blakemore, a widely respected expert on brain development. "And I think if the industry were to behave truly responsible, they would play their part in discouraging children from unnecessary use."
Warning On Kids And Cell Phones
CBS NEWS
Monday, December 11, 2000
It's not a good idea, says a scientist who headed up a British government-commissioned probe into the safety of cell phones.
Sir William Stewart of Tayside University in Scotland says children should not use mobile phones until more is known about any effect they may have on still-developing skulls and nervous systems. Stewart at the same time noted that "no firm evidence" has been found linking cell phones to any risk to the health of the general population. He estimates it could take a decade for evidence of any risks to emerge and if harmful effects are found, they are more likely to be seen in children because their bodies are still developing.
"In line with our precautionary approach at this time we believe the widespread use of mobile phones by children for non-essential calls should be discouraged," cautioned Stewart, in a BBC radio interview. The report by Stewart and other scientists working on the inquiry could be a blow to the cell phone industry, which has sought to tap the vast youth market. Stewart says there is some "preliminary evidence" that emissions from mobile phones can cause subtle biological reactions, such as changes in response times. "That does not mean that these effects lead to disease," explains Stewart. "But this is a new technology and we are recommending...that a precautionary approach be adopted until new information is available."
Children have thinner skulls, smaller heads, and still-developing nervous systems, all factors which can make them more vulnerable to any adverse effects from the phones, according to Stewart. The British inquiry committee was established last year to investigate concerns that radiation from mobile phones might be able to trigger cancer, memory loss and Alzheimer's disease. Stewart says the public ought to have more information when they buy mobiles, and there should be better planning about the location of mobile phone antennas. Will Stewart continue to use cell phones, now that he's spent some time studying the increasingly popular devices? He says yes, but he will not recommend that his grandchildren do the same.
Children At Higher Risk Of Mobile Phone Radiation
Times
By: Rosie Waterhouse & Colin Brennan
Sunday, November 18, 2001
Young children absorb up to 50% more radiation in their brains than adults when they use mobile phones, research has revealed. The results will reinforce calls for parents to limit the use of the phones by schoolchildren. Radiation penetrates halfway through the brain of a five-year-old. The penetration falls to 30% for a 10-year-old, compared with just a small area around the ear in an adult. Absorption rates are greater in children because their ears and skulls are smaller and thinner, according to the study, led by Om Gandhi, professor of electrical engineering at the University of Utah.
Gandhi says the results suggest international safety tests used to measure the absorption of radiation are inadequate and should be changed to take account of the size and thickness of a child’s skull. Use of mobile phones by children has increased sharply in the past five years. The market research firm NOP says 56% of those aged between seven and 16 now own one — and among 15 and 16-year-olds the figure is 85%. Hundreds of thousands more will be sold in the run-up to Christmas. Although evidence that radiation poses a health risk is inconclusive, researchers have raised concerns about the possibility of a link with brain cancer, memory loss, irregular brain activity and headaches.
The government has given a warning that users under 16 should limit calls to essential purposes and keep them as short as possible. This followed a recommendation by an independent group of experts chaired by Sir William Stewart that a “precautionary approach” should be adopted. The government has printed 8m safety leaflets for distribution in libraries and mobile phone shops. However, on Friday only three out of 15 shops visited in London offered a leaflet when asked for advice on buying a phone for an eight-year-old. The European commission’s maximum safety limit for radiation from mobile phones is two milliwatts per gram of tissue. All phones sold in Britain comply with this limit. But the Utah study, to be published next spring, claims that a standard test set by the commission and accepted in America is conducted on a model of a large adult head with a plastic ear that blocks some radiation andgives misleading readings.
According to Gandhi, the test should be conducted on a smaller head with a non-plastic ear. He says many phones would exceed the radiation safety limit if the tests were carried out on this smaller model. There is no conclusive proof of a link between mobile phone use and brain tumours. There are also conflicting reports on whether hands-free kits, where an earpiece is used, reduce radiation to the head. A Consumers’ Association study claimed the device acted like an aerial, directing radiation to the head, but it was criticised as flawed by the industry. Last week a 34-year-old US brain tumor victim issued a writ for £600m damages. For the first time a British company, Vodafone, which owns 45% of the US firm that supplied his phone, was named.
Children Absorb Twice As Much Radiation From Mobiles
Irish Examiner
By: Micheal Lehane
Friday, November 09, 2001
Children using mobile phones absorb as much as double the amount of radiation through their heads as adults, research has revealed. A leading scientist found that young children under 10 years of age can absorb radiation across their entire brain. The latest research was carried out by Dr Om Ghandi, professor of electrical engineering at the University of Utah. "More radiation can go through. Since a child's ear is thinner, the telephone is closer to the head. Therefore, more is able to go past the ear and into the head. All it takes is two millimetres difference," Dr Ghandi said.
It is estimated that 87% of those between the ages of 10 and 19 in Ireland have mobile phones, if ownership figures are on par with those in Britain. This means as many as 491,000 people in the 10-19 age group have a mobile phone. Studies have shown that 40% of people in this category spend an average of 15 minutes per day talking on their phones. "We have no specific figures for the number of phones owned by different age categories, but the figures are comparable with those in the UK," Irish Cellular Industry Association spokesperson, Grainne Macken, said.
Currently 1.8m people own mobile phones here, and this figure is expected to pass the 2m mark within the next three years. "The number of Irish people who own mobile phones will increase, because if you look at Scandinavia, about 85% of people have mobiles. We're at 72% at the moment," Ms Macken said. Dr Ghandi is carrying out further research, using life-size models, to evaluate the impact of radio waves given off by mobile phones. However, years of extensive research has produced no clear evidence that low radiation levels can damage the brain. "I think the aspect of a cellular phone, in helping you in an emergency, is very persuasive, but for conservation all the time, I see no need for that," Dr Ghandi said. It's predicted that by 2005 a quarter of the world's population, or 1.5bn people, will own a cellular phone.