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The Russians THE SAFETY CONTROVERSY guideline that is sixty to one hundred times lower
Are cell phones completely safe? There is than U.S. guidelines.
have no consensus on how to address this question Studies on the nonthermal biological effects
conducted with its various complex, multifaceted issues. of microwaves have taken place mostly outside of
many studies There are many factors to consider, such as the the U.S., on animals, cell cultures, and humans,
on the duration of exposure, a person’s age, whether the for the past several decades. This research has
radiation dose is cumulative or not, the long-term found effects at every level of organization of life,
non-thermal use over a person’s lifetime, pregnancy, and how from the behavior and performance of humans
effects of cell phones are being used—and stored—on the and animals down to the molecular and genetic
microwaves, body. levels. Studies show effects on the brain, stem
Cell phones and smart phones are powered cells, reproductive organs, enzyme activities,

and as a by microwaves, part of the electromagnetic spec- and sperm quantity and quality in animals and
result trum, which range from 300 to 3,000 megahertz humans. More specifically, changes in calcium
have adopted (MHz). The key frequencies used in cell phone transport from cells, altered enzyme activities,
communications worldwide are 850, 900, 1,800, increased cell proliferation of human epithelial
a more and 1,900 MHz (1.9 gigaHz). (A microwave oven, cells, increase in breaks in DNA in animal cells,
stringent which heats water and the water in food, works changes in brain blood flow in healthy people,

guideline that on 2450 MHz.) leakage of proteins through the blood brain bar-
Cell phones and smart phones both receive rier, and decreased sperm count and motility are

is sixty to one and emit these frequencies, smart phones emit- some changes that have been documented. Two
hundred times ting far more than the old clam-shell type of cell recent reviews on nonthermal effects summarize
lower than phone. The radiation they receive comes from the findings from over two hundred scientific
cell phone towers, which is ambient, meaning papers.
3, 4
U.S. guidelines. that it is everywhere, and we are all receiving Many of these nonthermal effects are con-
it, all the time. The radiation coming out of the sidered controversial because they have not been
smart phone is of much higher intensity than replicated by other researchers or published in
that coming from cell phone towers, unless one what are considered to be the top peer-reviewed
happens to be located very close to a tower. journals. There is also the paradox that lower
There are guidelines in the U.S. for short intensity microwaves sometimes produce larger
term exposure to cell phone frequency micro- biological effects than higher intensities, known
waves, defined in terms of the Specific Absorp- as the biological “window” effect. The physical
tion Rate (SAR), the rate at which energy is mechanisms of how low-level microwaves can
absorbed by the human body when exposed cause so many different biological effects are not
to radio frequency radiation. Specifically, the well understood. There is no unifying theory that
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in combines the many reported biological effects
the United States requires that phones sold have of low-level microwaves to explain the possible
a SAR level at or below 1.6 watts per kilogram health risks of cell phone radiation exposure.
(W/kg) taken over the volume containing a mass Most of the studies on cell phone radiation
of one gram of tissue that is absorbing the most and its biological effects are short-term exposure
signal. This is a guideline, not a standard, and studies. But some epidemiological studies sug-
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is solely based on heat generation by cell phone gest that chronic exposure to low-level micro-
microwaves, because microwaves are well waves may increase the risk for cancer and other
known to produce tissue heating. However, be- tumors. In fact, the World Health Organization's
sides heating, there are other types of biological (WHO) International Agency for Research on
effects from the extremely low-level microwaves Cancer (IARC) has classified radio frequency
associated with cell phones, called “nonthermal” electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic
effects. The Russians have conducted many to humans based on an increased risk for glioma,
studies on the nonthermal effects, which they a malignant type of brain cancer, and acoustic
consider more significant than thermal effects, neuroma, a benign tumor in the ear area, both
and as a result, they adopted a more stringent associated with wireless phone use. However,
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