Moms-to-be
might want to add a little distance between their unborn children and cell
phones. The Yale School of Medicine released a study on the effect of
radiofrequency radiation on fetal mice this week. Researchers concluded that it
would be “sensible” for pregnant women to limit babies’ exposure to all
wireless devices, as simply using the devices could help lead to behavioral
disorders in children.
Behavioral
Disorders in Children, ADHD and Unborn Mice
“This is
the first experimental evidence that fetal exposure to radiofrequency radiation
from cellular telephones does in fact affect adult behavior,” said Dr. Hugh S.
Taylor, head author of the study.
For the
experiment, Taylor and other researchers placed a silenced cell phone above the
cage of pregnant mice for all 19 days of gestation. All rodents born in the
exposed group faced a series of psychological and behavioral tests; the exposed
mice were more hyperactive and had reduced memory capacity. Taylor believes the
exposure affected the rodents’ development of neurons in the prefrontal cortex
of the brain.
“The rise
in behavioural disorders in human children may be in part due to fetal cellular
telephone irradiation exposure,” Taylor concluded, though admitting more
research was needed.
Differences
in Mice and Men
Meanwhile,
experts from the University College of London scorned the study as alarmist for
comparing mice—smaller in size with a significantly shorter gestation period—to
people.
The dose of
radiation the unborn mice were exposed to was, in their view, disproportionate
to the amount received by a human fetus due to size and brain development stage
differences between the two species – essentially saying that behavioural disorder
in children due cell phone radiation exposure simply isn’t an issue. One might note, however, that 9 months of
gestation compared to 19 days might change the results, too.
More
Studies Needed
The
DailyMail received word from the Health Protection Agency, however, that the
latter “constantly monitors and reviews this scientific research and will
consider this study, along with other peer reviewed research, as part of that
process.”
Keep in
mind: two years ago, researchers from the University of California, Los
Angeles, concluded in a study involving 29,000 children that behavioural
disorders in children were more likely to occur due to cell phone exposure. In
fact, those exposed to cell phones in utero were 30 percent more likely to have
behavioural problems by age 7. Sceptical scientists claimed that other
factors—such as the attentiveness of mothers obsessed with cell phone use—might
have been at play.
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