Here’s how cellphone radiation is affecting your health

Mobile phone radiation may affect memory performance in adolescents, according to a new study.

Cellphone Rediation -The rapid evolution of information and communication technologies (ICT) goes along with an increase in exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) in our daily life.

The most relevant exposure source to the brain is the use of a mobile phone close to the head.

-Media usage and brain exposure in young adults

The study found that cumulative RF-EMF brain exposure from mobile phone use over one year may have a negative effect on the development of figural memory performance in adolescents, confirming prior results published in 2015. Figural memory is mainly located in the right brain hemisphere and association with RF-EMF was more pronounced in adolescents using the mobile phone on the right side of the head.

“This may suggest that indeed RF-EMF absorbed by the brain is responsible for the observed associations.” said Martin Roosli.

Other aspects of wireless communication use, such as sending text messages, playing games or browsing the Internet cause only marginal RF-EMF exposure to the brain and were not associated with the development of memory performance.

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“A unique feature of this study is the use of objectively collected mobile phone user data from mobile phone operators.” said Roosli. He emphasised that further research is needed to rule out the influence of other factors.

“For instance, the study results could have been affected by puberty, which affects both mobile phone use and the participant’s cognitive and behavioural state.”

The data gathered from the Health Effects Related to Mobile phone usE in adolescentS (HERMES) cohort looked at the relationship between exposure to RF-EMF and development of memory performance of almost 700 adolescents over the course of one year. Participants, aged 12 to 17 years, were recruited from 7th to 9th public school grades in urban and rural areas of Swiss-German speaking Switzerland.

-Minimising the risk of RF-EMF exposure

The potential effect of RF-EMF exposure to the brain is a relatively new field of scientific inquiry. “It is not yet clear how RF-EMF could potentially affect brain processes or how relevant our findings are in the long-term.” said Roosli.

“Potential risks to the brain can be minimised by using headphones or the loud speaker while calling, in particular when network quality is low and the mobile phone is functioning at maximum power.”(NEWS SOURCE : BS)

CT scan may increase brain tumor risk

A new study shows that CT Scans, commonly used in medical imaging, may increase the risk of brain tumors.

The use of computed tomography (CT) scans has dramatically increased over the last two decades.

While CT scans have greatly improved diagnostic capabilities, they also deliver higher radiation doses than any other test. Therefore, radiation protection is a concern. Especially among children, who may receive higher radiation doses, are more open to radiation-related malignancies than adults. Children also have more time to show effects.

Leukemia and brain tumors are the most common malignancies caused by radioactivity among children and young adults. Researchers have therefore evaluated brain tumor and leukemia risks following exposure to radiation from CT scans in children.

From a nationwide group of 168,394 Dutch children who received one or more CT scans between the year 1979 and 2012, researchers found cancer incidents and vital status by recording linkage.

The study found that cancer incidents 1.5 times higher than expected. For all kinds of brain tumors combined and for malignant and nonmalignant brain tumors separately, dose-response relationships were seen with radiation dose to the brain.

Relative risks have increased to between two to four for highest dose category. The radiation doses to the bone marrow, where leukemia originates, were found to be low.

The study also shows that this pattern of excess cancer risk may be partially due to confounding by indication, as the incidence of brain tumor was higher in the cohort than in the general population.

CT scans are sometimes also used to identify conditions related to an increase tumor risk.

“Epidemiological studies of cancer risks from low doses of medical radiation are challenging, nevertheless, our careful evaluation of the data and evidence from other studies indicates that CT-related radiation exposure increases brain tumor risk. Careful justification of pediatric CT scans and dose optimization, as done in many hospitals, are essential to minimize risks.” said the study’s principal investigator, Michael Hauptmann.

The findings appeared in the journal, Journal of National Cancer Institute.(SOURCE : BS)