The U.S. National Research Council has advised researchers to study more children and pregnant women in trying to discover if cell phones or other wireless devices could have a damaging effect on users’ health.
A few studies have shown possible links between mobile phone use and tumors, but most research has shown no connection. As cell phones become more widely used, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked the National Research Council, which advises Congress and the federal government on scientific matters, to recommend lines of further study.
The council’s report says that most studies have focused only on short-term effects of mobile phone use for healthy adults. It calls for more studies to be done involving multiple, long-term, low-intensity RF exposure, especially on younger people and pregnant women.
The council said in a statement: “Measuring the amount of RF energy received by juveniles, children, pregnant women and fetuses from wireless devices and RF base station antennas could help define exposure ranges for various populations…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 recommended analyzing the various types of antennas for wireless devices, for the amount of RF energy they deliver to different parts of the body. So far, research has primarily looked at the effect of frequencies on the head.
Report Chairman Frank Barnes, a professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Colorado, told the Washington Post that research clearly needs to be done regarding long-term effects of the technology, as “there are no major acute effects from cell phone use that are showing up immediately.”
Filed Under: Infrastructure