TALKING TO DEATH: MOBILE PHONE USES FACE HIGH HEALTH RISKS

Five billion mobile phone users around the world need to be worried about getting to the grave ahead of non-users.

An article carried by the Australian publication “True Natural Health” and written by Lyn McLean says the health risks associated with mobile phone usage are high.

The full text of the article is published below for the benefit of our readers;

Beware! A popular social icon is teetering precariously on its lofty pedestal. When it crashes –as it inevitably will – it will send shock waves reverberating throughout the length and breadth of society.

That icon of connectivity, the mobile phone, is not as safe as we have been led to believe, it appears. In the short space of just six weeks in April and May 2011, no less than three major European authorities released statements warning about the risks of mobile phone technology, now used by 21 million Australians and five billion people worldwide.

On 31st May the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) jointly announced that mobile phone radiation was 'possibly carcinogenic'. The IARC based its decision on evidence of increased risks of some brain tumours from the radio-frequency radiation these devices emit. This is a radical about-face for the WHO, which has steadfastly refuted allegations that such radiation might be harmful. It is an admission that its standards are not providing adequate protection fro people and that the paradigms on which it has relied to date – namely, that only the short-term heating effects of radiation are harmful – are no longer relevant.

The collapse of these paradigms alone is enough to undermine the existing claims of mobile phone safety and challenge the marketing strategy of every mobile phone manufacturer and dealer worldwide.

If this wasn't enough to set alarm bells ringing, the Council of Europe knocked a further chink in the pedestal. On 27th May it released a statement declaring that mobile phone radiation is harmful, that standards are inadequate and that new and safer technologies should be developed. Certain frequencies, it said, either from powerlines or mobile telephony “appear to have more or less potentially harmful, non-thermal, biological effects on plants, insects and animals as well as the human body, even when exposed to levels that are below the official threshold values.”

The third European authority to sound a warning about mobile phone radiation was Russia's peak radiation body, the Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection. In a resolution published in April, it said that the “mobile phone is an uncontrolled source of harmful exposure” and that international standards do not guarantee health protection.

The Russian scientists and the Council of Europe agreed that children are more at risk from mobile radiation than adults. This is because their brains are less developed and absorb more radiation, they have more radiation-sensitive s

stem cells and they have a potential lifetime of exposure. There should be an education campaign aimed at making parents, teachers and children aware of the risks of mobile phone use, said the Council of Europe. Courses on mobile phone use should be included in schools, said the Russian scientists.

All three European authorities agreed that it is necessary to take precautions to reduce people's exposure. “It is important to take pragmatic measures to reduce exposure, such as hands-free devices or texting,” said Dr. Christopher Wild, Director of the IARC. The Russian scientists suggested using hands-free kits to keep the phone away from the head and also developing mobile phones with reduced functions or hands-free kits. The Council of Europe urged its 47 member states to “take all reasonable measures to reduce exposure to electromagnetic fields”.

Unfortunately, the radiofrequency radiation to which the three authorities referred is emitted not only by mobile phones. It's emitted not only by mobile phones. It's emitted by cordless phones, wireless networks, smart meters, mobile phone base stations and even some baby monitors as well. If mobile phones are a problem, these devices are likely to be problems as well. For this reason, the Council of Europe recommended that schools should “give preference to wired Internet connections”.

The announcements of the three European authorities mean that mobile phone radiation can no longer be claimed to be safe. There is a vital need for more appropriate standards and the development of safer technologies. However, in the meantime it's up to you and me to take precautions to protect our families. Here are some tips for doing so.

Limit your use of a mobile phone by using a wired landline phone wherever possible.

Install wired telephone and computer connections in your home, school and workplace.

Don't use a DECT baby monitor, which can emit radiofrequency radiation continuously.

Avoid using a mobile phone in a low-reception area or enclosed metal space such as a lift or car.

Keep your mobile phone away from your body whenever it is turned on.

Use a mobile phone only on speaker function or with an air-tube headset.

Don't use a mobile phone at all while pregnant.
Don't allow children to use mobile phones except for emergencies.

By Lyn McLean