Dr. Mercola February 07 2008 53,172 views
The U.S. National Research Council has advised that researchers should study children and pregnant women in order to determine if cell phones or other wireless devices could be causing health damage.
The U.S. FDA had asked the National Research Council, which advises the federal government on scientific matters, to recommend some future lines of study. Most studies of cell phones to date have looked only at short-term effects on healthy adults.
The Council noted that, "Although it is unknown whether children are more susceptible to RF exposure, they may be at increased risk because of their developing organ and tissue systems."
The Council also identified a number of other overarching issues that merit further study, such as differences between long- and short-term exposure, and possible biological mechanisms, other than simple heating, by which wireless radiation could affect cells.
Children today will experience previously unimaginable exposure to information-carrying radio waves from mobile phones because they start out using them at a very early age.
I am absolutely convinced that the explosion of cell phone usage around the world is a health disaster in waiting, and contributing to the rapid rise in several neurological epidemics, such as autism and early-onset of Alzheimer’s.
One reason for this is that the information-carrying radio waves from cell phone base stations and cell phones make children’s exposure to vaccines and heavy metals much more dangerous than they typically are. EMR can actually trap heavy metals inside your cells, causing cellular damage and hindering your body from detoxifying. For this reason -- while I realize that most people will not get rid of their cell phones because of their convenience -- I would still urge you to not let your kids use them.
I am so convinced this danger is real, on par with the dangers of tobacco, which all the “experts” claimed was safe, that I’m writing an entire book on the subject, due out in 2009.
And, I’m not alone in trying to educate the public. In fact, some European countries are already working on public health campaigns designed to warn school-age children of the dangers, by putting up posters in schools and community halls.
Will Europe Ban Cell Phones for “Under-age” Use?
The Vienna Medical Association is demanding the removal of zero tariffs and the banning of mobile phone advertising targeting children and adolescents. Says Erik Huber, environment advisor for the association: “Children under the age of 16 should never use a mobile phone.”
Many scientists and government agencies in Europe have already accepted that EMF from cell phones does pose health risks, reflected in Huber’s statement, “Scientists do not argue anymore whether mobile phones are harmful, but how harmful they are.”
Don’t be Deceived – SAR is Not an Indication of Safety
Although the National Research Council’s report states that Specific Absorption Rates (SAR) for children are likely to be higher than for adults, let’s not get confused.
Because the danger from most land-based portable phones, cell phones and WiFi routers is NOT from the magnetic radiation or the microwave carrier wave for which typical SAR ratings are given on phones. Unless you have massive exposures like you might expect in a microwave oven, these thermal effects are insignificant.
So simply lowering the allowable SAR will NOT make cell phones safer.
Instead, nearly all the biological damage comes from the modulated signals that are carried ON the carrier microwave. These modulated information carrying radio waves resonate in biological frequencies of a few to a few hundred cycles per second, and can stimulate your cellular receptors causing a whole cascade of pathological consequences that can culminate in fatigue, anxiety, neurological decline, and ultimately cancers.
The density of your child’s skull is also far less than yours, and therefore their brain is far more susceptible to these information-carrying radio waves.
This Deserves Your SERIOUS Attention The studies showing the long-term risks of cell phone use are just beginning to come in because cell phone use didn’t become widespread until the late 1990s. It typically takes at least 10 to 20 years for cancers to show up, so now is the time when these risks will become apparent.It is almost as if NO ONE was smoking and then all of a sudden nearly 90 percent of the planet started. Of course, we would not see any spectacular increase in major damage for more than 10 years. It takes time for this damage to accumulate and be noticed.Unfortunately, most people fail to correlate common symptoms and health problems to their exposure to cell phones and other radio frequencies, perhaps because these conditions can so easily be attributed to other causes (including so-called “unknown” causes) as well.
Take a look at these common illnesses and ailments, which have all been scientifically linked to cell phone information carrying radio waves:
Although cancer and brain tumors are most often cited as the potential health risks from cell phone radiation, as you can see, cancer is not the only, or most common danger that you and your children face.
Protecting Yourself and Your Children From Dangerous RFThe best way to protect yourself would be to simply not use a cell phone and revert back to a corded phone. At the very least I would urge you to not let your kids use them or severely limit their use. Their developing nervous systems and thinner skulls are simply too vulnerable to cell phone damage.If you choose to keep your cell phone, make sure you use a non-Blue Tooth headset. Also remember, even when you’re not using your phone, keep it as far away from your body as possible. Do not keep it on your belt or in your pocket as the radiation WILL penetrate your body wherever the phone is attached. According to a scientific study published in Fertility and Sterility in May 2007, statistically significant changes were found in men’s sperm count and health of the sperm, based on cell phone use.
Their conclusion?
“Use of cell phones decreases the semen quality in men by decreasing the sperm count, motility, viability and normal morphology. The decrease in sperm parameters was dependent on the duration of daily exposure to cell phones, and independent of the initial semen quality.”
I hadn?t heard about the connection with Parkinson?s as well, but am not surprised. The brain and nervous system seems to be particularly vulnerable to EMF. I?m glad Dr. Mercola mentioned that it is the modulation of the signal that is the biggest problem, as it disrupts natural rhythms. The list he provides of related health issues leaves out much, such as decreased immune function and hormone disruption. I compiled the following list from Paul Doyon?s ?Do You Have Microwave Sickness,? (see http://omega.twoday.net/):
Symptoms known to be caused by exposure to microwave radiation: insomnia, headaches, swollen lymph nodes, depression, anxiety, loss of appetite, hypoxia (lack of oxygen getting to your tissues), inability to concentrate, forgetfulness, dizziness, irritability, nausea, hyperactivity, fatigue, vision problems, weakened immune system, etc. Also included are triggering or exacerbation of allergic reactions; mitochondria dysfunction, linked to fatigue and possibly even obesity; depolarization of the body's red blood cells, which can cause symptoms similar to altitude sickness: nausea, dizziness, inability to concentrate, and so on; a decrease in the numbers of Natural Killer (NK) cells, resulting in longer than normal recover time from day-to-day infections; abnormalities in the T-lymphocyte ratio, causing sore throats, low-grade fevers, weakness, persistent fatigue, and swollen lymph glands; increased viruses, bacteria, mold, parasites, and yeast in the blood; subliminal stress, causing the adrenal glands to excrete an abnormally greater amount of cortisol and adrenaline and eventually leading to adrenal exhaustion; low levels of serotonin, linked to anxiety and depression; decreased dopamine, linked with depression; decreased acetylcholine, linked to a number of neurological and neuromuscular disorders, including Alzheimer's; restlessness; altered cerebral blood flow; heart disease; (continued below)
(Continued from above) an abnormal increase in nitric oxide (NO), resulting in a damage-producing free radical or oxidant called peroxynitrite; and opening of the blood brain barrier (BBB), which may lead to viral and bacterial infections of the brain one would normally not get. Since the advent of mobile telephony, brain tumors have become the number two cause of death in children followed by leukemia. There have been numerous confirmed cases of deformities in animals and plants near cell phone towers.
As you can see, the problem is not limited to hand sets. The level of ambient microwave radiation from cell phone towers necessary to provide mobile communication can also cause these problems. I have never owned a cell phone, but in Tokyo I and my friends became progressively sicker, contracting age-related disorders not at the same age, but at the same time as our parents. Taking charge of my EMF environment (measuring it and taking steps to shield or avoid unhealthy fields) has helped me recover. I cannot say ?this isn?t rocket science.? It IS rocket science. It takes a determined effort to make a difference, but it is worth it.
In military survival training, I was told that if I had a wound and it got maggots in it, to leave them there. They'd eat up the gangrenous and infected matter and furthermore, if you got hungry, you could eat them. Insects, it seems are amazingly nutritious!
Dear Pnorris, you might do what a friend of mine in Japan did who was working as a salesman until he could arrange to retire from that (he found it was seriously harming his health). He got an old Bakelite rotary phone and attached the mobile to that. He reports the sound quality was much better and his symptoms were much improved. Like many people who discover the effects of microwave radiation for themselves, he was angry that no one had warned him, and the Bakelite phone really emphasized the point.