Kids exposed to EMF radiation may develop cancer later in life, and the risk is much greater than previously thought. Should we really be all that concerned about radiation from our cell phones (which we carry with us everywhere) and our Wi-Fi (which is nearly ubiquitous these days)? The UN’s International Agency for Research on Cancer calls microwave radiation (MWR) a class 2B carcinogen, which means it possibly causes cancer in humans—it’s in the same category as lead, chloroform, gasoline fumes, and the pesticide DDT. Most of the research concerns a specific type of MWR: the radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF/EMF) given off by radios, televisions, microwave ovens, cell phones and Wi-Fi, and the smart meters installed in your home by the utility company. A new study published in the Journal of Microscopy and Ultrastructure says we are right to be concerned. Children are at dramatically greater risk from RF/EMF than adults because their brain tissues are more absorbent, their skulls are thinner, and their relative size is smaller. In general, the younger the child, the higher the risk, according to the study; fetuses are particularly vulnerable to MWR, which means pregnant women should take great care indeed. The study also found that adults are at a lower, but still significant, risk, echoing the findings of a 2013 case study from a team of breast cancer surgeons and pathologists who raised the possibility that nonionizing radiation from cell phone EMF exposures caused multifocal invasive breast cancer in four young women. These women, all between the ages of 21 and 39, regularly carried their smartphones directly against their breasts in their bras for up to ten hours a day, for several years. All four developed tumors in areas of their breasts immediately underlying the phones. All four had no family history of breast cancer, tested negative for BRCA1 and BRCA2, and had no other known breast cancer risks. The pathology of all four cases shows striking similarities in the tumor composition. The youngest of the group started carrying her cell phone in her bra at age 15. The Microscopy and Ultrastructure study made a particular recommendation that adolescent girls and women should never place cell phones in their bras or in hijabs (headscarves). The study noted that exposure limits in the US are inadequate. Exposure limits were set in the 1990s, before the plethora of scientific studies showing cancer risks at levels well below the current legal exposure limit. All of those studies are based entirely on short-term exposures, with no consideration at that time of long-term exposures. We now have an abundance of data showing just how dangerous EMF may be. Government warnings have been issued, but according to Forbes , most of the public is unaware of such warnings. Cell phone manual warnings make clear that an overexposure problem exists—but that is to limit legal liability, and besides, who reads cell phone manuals? Furthermore, FCC regulations state that devices should be tested under normal operating conditions—yet many RF/EMF products, including cell phones and laptops, usually measure exposure when the device is held 20 centimeters (a little less than 8 inches) from the body. People place laptops on their laps and keep cell phones in receiving mode (rather than the presumably safe airplane mode) in their pockets and bras all the time. Most people hold their cell phones to their heads to talk, rather than using speakerphone or a headset. As we noted in 2011, there have been multiple reports, mostly out of Europe’s premier research institutions, of cell phone use being linked to brain damage, early-onset Alzheimer’s, senility, DNA damage, and even sperm die-offs. But after this new study on the RF/EMF dangers to young children, concern is mounting about the growing number of children’s toys that use Wi-Fi technology—and that’s not counting the number of kids who play with tablets or carry cell phones these days. Proximity to the Wi-Fi device seems to be the most important factor. Under international guidelines, the rate that energy is absorbed into the body from Wi-Fi radio waves—the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)—cannot exceed two watts per kilogram when averaged over any ten grams of tissue. According to Apple, during testing, iPhone radios are set to their highest transmission levels and placed in positions that simulate use against the head, with no separation, and near the body, with 5 millimeter separation; iPads are placed in positions that simulate everyday use. Apple’s devices average 0.99 watts per kilogram. The SAR of other manufacturers’ devices vary, but are all below international guidelines; according to the Federal Communications Commission, all wireless devices sold in the US go through a formal FCC approval process to ensure that they do not exceed the maximum allowable SAR level when operating at the device’s highest possible power level. The World Health Organization (WHO), which has established an International Electromagnetic Fields Project (IEFP) to provide information on health risks, establish research needs and support efforts to harmonize RF exposure standards, provides additional information on RF exposure and mobile phone use. WHO notes the problem of determining long-term risks:
Epidemiological research examining potential long-term risks from radiofrequency exposure has mostly looked for an association between brain tumors and mobile phone use. However, because many cancers are not detectable until many years after the interactions that led to the tumor, and since mobile phones were not widely used until the early 1990s, epidemiological studies at present can only assess those cancers that become evident within shorter time periods.
WHO notes that the largest retrospective case-control study to date on adults was called
Interphone, coordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). It gathered data from thirteen participating countries, and was designed to determine whether there are links between use of mobile phones and head and neck cancers in adults. The study found some indications of an increased risk of gliomas for those who reported the highest 10% of cumulative hours of cell phone use, although there was no consistent trend of increasing risk with greater duration of use. While the researchers concluded that biases and errors limit the strength of these conclusions and prevent a causal interpretation, based largely on these data, IARC has classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B), a category used when a causal association is considered credible, but when chance, bias or confounding cannot be ruled out with reasonable confidence. As for the Wi-Fi in routers and laptops, the maximum signal strength next to a router or computer transmitter is 0.1 watts, and the power level falls off very rapidly beyond a few centimeter from the transmission points. However,
the more individual transmitters (the more laptops or tablets in a room), the greater the danger. It is believed that a classroom containing twenty laptops and two routers could combine and be equivalent to the emission from a mobile phone. Unfortunately, rather than erring on the side of caution or taking precautionary steps, the US seems to be moving in the opposite direction. The FCC has noted that
equipping schools with Wi-Fi is a national priority; the agency plans to invest an additional $2 billion in broadband service for schools and libraries by the end of the year. In our increasingly tech-intensive world, we need to do a better job of evaluating the risks of moving further and further away from nature. If you are concerned about RF/EMF exposure, consider some simple changes:
- Limit your cell phone usage. Carry it away from your body, in a purse or messenger bag, or at least carry it in airplane (non-receiving) mode, and use the speakerphone function or a wired headset for conversations. Use land lines where possible.
- Consider hardwiring your computers to the modem via Ethernet instead of using Wi-Fi (that’s what we do at the ANH-USA offices).
- Reduce your children’s access to cell phones, and limit time on tablets and other devices that have Wi-Fi.
- Opt-out of installing smart meters in your home (though this may be difficult in some states).
In response to public and governmental concern, WHO has established the International Electromagnetic Fields Project to assess the scientific evidence of possible adverse health effects from electromagnetic fields.
WHO will conduct a formal risk assessment of all studied health outcomes from RF fields exposure by 2016. Dr. Mercola, in
a powerful article on RF/EMF dangers, reported an interesting suggestion from a panel of experts: EMF-free zones where children, pregnant women (or those hoping to conceive), and others sensitive to EMFs, can be protected. It’s an excellent first step for protecting the most vulnerable members of our society.
from The Alliance for Natural Health USA
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