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Study Links Cell Phones to DNA Damage
Amit Malhotra was one of several readers to point out a story running on numerous sites about a study linking cell phone use to DNA Damage. Of course, a recent gammaworld campaign has served to remind me that mutations are almost always beneficial, so there is nothign to fear.
There's not nearly enough information here.
I'd like to see them cone down the exact wavelengths that are purported to be problematic. It may be only a certain portion of that band that causes enough resonance in the DNA molecule to break the molecular bonds. The EM spectrum is large... and this could be a very wavelength-specific phenomenon.
For example, everyone knows that Ultraviolet radiation is harmful to humans... it causes sunburns, skin cancer, etc. However, clinical effects within the ultraviolet range of the EM spectrum (consisting of UVA, UVB, and UVC in order of increasing frequency) vary significantly. UVA will tan your skin, but isn't terribly harmful otherwise. UVB, and part of UVC will cause Ultraviolet Keratitis ("welder's eye" or "snow blindness"), and UVC is the worst for causing skin cancer (UVB causes cancer too, but UVC is worse).
We frankly need much more information... particularly a bit more specifcity about what wavelengths of Cell phone radiation cause DNA damage. A shift of only 20-30 nanometers in the UV range can make a big difference in clinical effects... who knows where the sweet spot is in the cell band?
I'm not throwing away my cellphone until I know more... a LOT more.
Even if a man chops off your hand with a sword, you still have two nice, sharp bones to stick in his eyes.
ONLY ionizing radiation can cause dna breakage
Cell phones do NOT emit ionizing radiation, and therefore they can not cause dna breakage and cancer (byproduct of dna breakage). The article does mention SAR of non-ionizing radiation, but those levels are too low to even move molecules.
Non-ionizing radiation is also not cumulative.
This study is spreading FUD.
" In a separate announcement in Hong Kong, where consumers tend to spend more time talking on a mobile phone than in Europe, a German company called G-Hanz introduced a new type of mobile phone which it claimed had no harmful radiation, as a result of shorter bursts of the radio signal."
Non-ionizing radiation is not cumlative, and would not make a difference if the signal was sent in shorter bursts.
I wouldn't be suprised if this research company in Germany is tied to this G-Hanz company (also in Germany)