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New doubts raised over mobile
phone safety
Nic Fleming
London
Telegraph
Thursday Aug 30, 2007
Just five minutes
of exposure to mobile phone emissions can trigger changes that
occur during cancer development, according to new research.
Scientists found mobile signals can activate cell division –
central to the growth of tumours - even at very low power levels.
Government guidance that mobile phone use is safe is based on
the mainstream scientific assumption that electromagnetic radiation
from devices such as mobiles could only cause health hazards as
a result of heating.
The new research, highlighted in this week’s New Scientist,
supports the position of some researchers who argue handsets can
trigger potentially harmful changes to cells irrespective of temperature
changes.
However other scientists said cell division is a natural process
that occurs constantly in the body and does not usually signify
health hazards.
(Article continues below)
Graham Philips, of the campaign group Powerwatch, said: "Current
safety guidelines assume health effects from mobiles can only
occur when significant heating of body tissue occurs.
"This study shows biological changes in response to low
level mobile phone radiation - something that could potentially
have implications for health.
"Further research is required, however guidance based purely
on thermal effects is clearly out of date."
Prof Rony Seger, a cancer researcher at the Weizmann Institute
of Science in Rehovot, Israel, and colleagues exposed rat and
human cells to electromagnetic radiation at a similar frequency
to that emitted by mobiles. The power of the signal was around
1/10th of that from a mobile.
After just five minutes the researchers identified the production
of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1/2) – natural
chemicals that stimulate cell division and growth.
Cancers develop when the body is unable to prevent excessive
growth and division of cells in the wrong place.
Prof Seger said: "The real significance of our findings
is that cells are not inert to non-thermal mobile phone radiation.
"We used radiation power levels that were around 1/10th
of those produced by a normal mobile. The changes we observed
were clearly not caused by heating."
The UK has adopted international safety standards for electromagnetic
radiation set by the International Commission on Non-Ionising
Radiation Protection (ICNRP).
These state the amount of energy absorbed from an electric field
or radio wave cannot exceed two watts per kilogram (W/kg) when
averaged over 10 grams of tissue.
Almost all mobile phone emit less that than one W/kg.
Other scientists pointed out cell division occurs naturally as
tissue grows or rejuvenates within the body, and that the preliminary
study did not prove any health effects.
Dr Simon Cook, a biochemist at the Babraham Institute near Cambridge,
said: "The reason people are intrigued by this is this pathway
is frequently activated in cancer.
"The research is certainly interesting, however they saw
a very transient activation of this pathway, which we know is
not sufficient to promote cell division.
"In cancer you see a much stronger, persistent and sustained
activation and even this is just one of many changes required
for cancer development."
Dr Simon Arthur, from the University of Dundee, said: "The
ERK1/2 pathway can be turned on by a huge variety of different
things such as natural compounds produced by the body that regulate
cell growth, and various forms of environmental and chemical stress.
"The research shows the effect on cells in culture in the
tightly controlled laboratory conditions, rather than cells in
a person or animal.
"In a living person there are lots of different processes
occurring at the same time, so we do not know whether the signal
from radio waves would produce a similar measureable effect."
The Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme (MTHR),
an £8.4 million Government and industry-funded investigation
into the potential health dangers of mobiles launched in 2001,
is expected to publish its final report next month.
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