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A study has shown that radiation from mobile phones may cause a
substantial increase in the forces that living cells exert on each
other. Experts said this research could be critical to providing
answers to the question of whether radiation from mobile phones
is linked to cancer and other health problems. Although several
researchers believe this to be the case, they have been unable to
come up with ways that radiation could produce this affect and harm
biological tissue.
The conventional theory states the only way radio waves could harm
a cell would be if they were powerful enough to break chemical bonds
or heat the tissue, like microwaves. However, it was discovered
the radiation given off by the handsets on mobile phones was too
weak to result in either of these effects.
Research has shown that water molecules have poles of positive
and negative electric charges referred to as van der Waals forces,
which are known to produce attractive forces between cells. In a
study using a very simplified mathematical model of two red blood
cells, the effect of electromagnetic fields with different frequencies
of radiation was calculated.
This study determined that the water molecules within the cells
tried to reposition their negative and positive poles by altering
the field created by the radiation.
The results of this study didn’t prove negative effects from
mobile phone radiation, however if the effect could be proven based
on experimentation, it could provide the basis of an explanation
for tissue damage.
Future studies will be conducted to check the dielectric properties
of various types of biological tissue during exposure to radiation
across the range of frequencies normally used by mobile phones.
New
Scientist April 6, 2004
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