If your child uses a cell phone, take note. A recent news report has prompted renewed concerns about the safety of cell phone use, especially by children.
In January, 2005, The National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), an independent research organization in the UK, announced that they are now advising parents not to let children under the age of eight use cell phones. Evidence of the potentially harmful effects of cell phone use, the NRPB explained, has become more persuasive over the past five years.
The NRPB’s parental warning is based on four recent studies, conducted in Europe, indicating that the potential hazards of cell phone use have been underestimated:
– A ten-year study in Sweden suggests that heavy cell phone users are more prone than non-users to develop non-malignant tumors in the ear and brain
– A Dutch study has suggested impaired cognitive function as a result of cell phone use
– A German study points to a probable increase in cancer around cellular base stations
– A project supported by the EU has shown evidence of cell damage resulting from exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) typical of those of cell phones
MALIGNANT AND NON-MALIGNANT TUMORS
While the tumors linked to cell phone use in the Swedish study were benign, other scientists suggest that the reality could be worse. They are concerned that prolonged contact with the radio waves emitted by cell phones could actually cause malignant tumors.
“Studies show there has been a 40 per cent across-the-board increase in the number of brain tumors in the past 20 years,” explains Senator Lyn Allison of Australia, where brain tumor is now the leading cause of death in children under 15. Senator Allison, who spent a year listening to scientists to find out what the risks are, points out, “That 20 years has coincided with the use of mobile phone and many other radio frequencies.”
In the U.S., Dr. George Carlo, a leading epidemiologist, was hired by the cell phone industry in 1993 to prove that cell phones are safe. After 6 years of revealing research, however, he found compelling evidence that cell phone use is NOT safe. Following his conscience, Dr. Carlo became a whistleblower.