Radiation from
mobile phone handsets damages areas of the brain associated
with learning, memory and movement and may trigger Alzheimer’s
disease.
The study, which
was carried out on rats, adds to the long-time controversy
over mobile phone safety.
Rats aged between
12 and 26 weeks, whose brains are thought to be in the same
developmental stage as teenagers, were exposed to two hours
of radiation equal to that emitted by mobile phones.
Upon examination
50 days later, researchers found an abundance of dead brain
cells in rats that had been exposed to medium and high levels
of radiation.
A rat’s brain
is similar to a human brain--they have the same blood-brain
barrier and neurons--leading researchers to suggest that similar
effects would also occur in humans.
They also hypothesized
that in people whose neurons are prone to Alzheimer’s
disease, radiation from mobile phones may trigger the disease
earlier in life. However, evidence of this has not yet been
found.
The results indicate
that long-term mobile phone use may have negative health consequences,
however repeated studies are needed to verify these findings.
BBC
News February 5, 2003