USA: Geniet van de (draadloze) technologie en minimaliseer de risico's!

Gerelateerd bericht: www.www.stopumts.nl/doc.php/Berichten%20Internationaal/4217

Onderstaande artikel uit de Huntsville Times is om meerdere redenen interessant. Een hoogleraar Computer Engineering die naar aanleiding van een artikel in de Journal of the American Medical Association over nieuwe onderzoeksresultaten aanraadt om voorzichtig te zijn en het risico te minimaliseren, een dubieuze uitspraak dat de hoeveelheid elektromagnetische straling van een mobieltje minder zou zijn dan van de zon en het herhaalde mantra van de Telecomindustrie dat men binnen de wettelijke veiligheidsvoorschriften opereert:

Bron: The Huntsville Times 18 april 2011

New cellphone brain impact study has expert advising users to take care

Auteur: Lee Roop

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - A study in the February issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association is raising new questions about cell phone safety.

''Cell phone radiation may alter your brain,'' was the headline of a March 30 report on the research in The New York Times.

''Personally, I do believe they have health risks,'' said Dr. Emil Jovanov, associate professor of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, after reviewing the research. ''However, that does not prevent me from using them.''

Jovanov's approach - enjoy the technology but minimize the risk - seems to be the reaction of scientifically savvy Americans so far to suggestions of cell phone risks. A researcher for the National Institutes of Health told The New York Times, ''I'd never tell people to stop using them entirely.''

Instead, Jovanov and others follow a variety of precautions.

The JAMA study, conducted by a Swedish researcher and one from the University of Washington, monitored 47 subjects and found measurable increases in brain glucose metabolism after less than one hour of cell phone exposure.

''The finding is of unknown clinical significance,'' the researchers said.

UAH's Jovanov, who has participated in cell phone research in Australia, isn't surprised that researchers aren't drawing firm conclusions.

''Researchers do know that the electrical activity of the brain is changed by exposure to cell phone radiation,'' Jovanov said, ''but it is still not clear what the importance is of that.''

Cell phones generate small amounts of electromagnetic radiation, he explained. Even though the amount is less than you'd receive from the sun, the radiation does heat brain tissue over time.

CTIA, the international association of the wireless telecommunication industry, said in a statement Friday that the newest study will be put in context with a ''significant body of research and published literature on cell phone safety that has already been amassed.''

''All cell phones sold in the U.S. must comply with the FCC's (Federal Communications Commission) radio frequency exposure standards, which are designed to include a substantial margin of safety for consumers,'' the CTIA statement said. ''Numerous experts and government health and safety organizations around the world have reviewed the existing database of studies and ongoing research and concluded that (radio frequency) products meeting established safety guidelines pose no known health risk.''

One problem with evaluating risk is determining exactly how much radiation exposure is happening, Jovanov said. Researchers know that today's cell phones, even the smart ones, produce much less radiation than those from 10 years ago, but output varies widely as they try to keep in contact with cell phone towers.

A phone needs to work harder to maintain a signal in a rural area, for example, as well as from the inside of a car, which acts as a signal shield.

The trouble with understanding patterns of radiation output ''might be one reason these studies are inconclusive,'' Jovanov said.

Until researchers are sure if the risks are significant, Jovanov and other experts fully expect people to keep using them.

''I use an iPhone and I love it,'' Jovanov said. ''It's definitely a game-changer. But I'm still cautious.''

Jovanov said he chooses ''a phone on the basis of the features I'm interested in and try to minimize the risks.''

Dr. Emil Jovanov and others follow a variety of precautions, including:

Not carrying their phones close to their bodies for longer than necessary.

Using wired headsets, especially for long conversations. Holding a phone to your ear for a long car conversation is ''probably not a good idea,'' Jovanov said, in part because cell phones must send even stronger signals to penetrate cars and reach cell towers.

Holding the phone slightly away from your ear or using the speaker phone. ''Every millimeter counts,'' Jovanov said.

Texting where safe and possible. Texting produces less radiation, but the benefits are canceled out if you're holding the phone in your lap.

Voor het originele artikel zie:
blog.al.com/breaking/2011/04/new_cellphone_brain_impact_stu.html .

Lees verder in de categorie Berichten Internationaal | Terug naar homepage | Lees de introductie