"..the..model investigated the effect of electromagnetic radiation in
the field of 850 megahertz - about the range used by mobile phones -
on the blood cells.
"The molecules all ended up with their poles aligned in the same
direction. The forces between the cells unexpectedly jumped by about
11 orders of magnitude.
"If confirmed by experiments, the results could give an exmplanation
for tissue damage. Stronger attractive forces between cells might make
them clump together or cause blood cells to contract, New Scientist
said. Katie Daniel, deputy editor of the journal Physical Chemistry
Chemical Physics, said the finding was important.
"It highlights the idea that electromagnetic radiation might act on
cells by affecting the attractive forces between them rather than
simply causing heat damage to tissue," she said.
========BBC story:
Mobile phones 'harm blood cells'
Mobile phone radiation may damage cells by increasing the forces they
exert on each other, scientists have said.
The finding could be the key to claims that mobile phones cause cancer
and other health problems.
Swedish physicists looked at the effect of electromagnetic radiation
on red blood cells using a mathematical theory, New Scientist
reported.
Experts cautioned that the finding was theoretical and said there was
no evidence of a danger to health.
There have been suggestions that mobile phones can cause brain tumours
and Alzheimer's disease, but research has been inconclusive.
The conventional view has been that radio waves could only damage a
cell if they were energetic enough to break chemical bonds or "cook"
tissue.
But radiation given off by mobile phone handsets is too weak to do
this.
Bo Sernelius at Linkoping University, Sweden, looked at another
possibility by modelling the properties of red blood cells.
Water molecules have poles of positive and negative charge which
create forces between cells. These forces are normally extremely weak
- about a billion-billionth of a newton.
Mathematical
The simplified mathematical model investigated the effect of
electromagnetic radiation in the field of 850 megahertz - about the
range used by mobile phones - on the blood cells.
The molecules all ended up with their poles aligned in the same
direction. The forces between the cells unexpectedly jumped by about
11 orders of magnitude.
If confirmed by experiments, the results could give an exmplanation
for tissue damage. Stronger attractive forces between cells might make
them clump together or cause blood cells to contract, New Scientist
said.
Katie Daniel, deputy editor of the journal Physical Chemistry Chemical
Physics, said the finding was important.
"It highlights the idea that electromagnetic radiation might act on
cells by affecting the attractive forces between them rather than
simply causing heat damage to tissue," she said.
Camelia Gabriel, from King's College London, who is taking part in the
Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme funded by the
Government, said the theory was feasible.
But she said the model was extremely simple and may not apply to
larger numbers of cells.
"It needs to be tested experimentally," she said.
Dr Michael Clark at the National Radiological Protection Board said:
"You can do anything with numbers [oh really? try and find a number
which
equals itself plus one] It is very interesting, but I can't get
excited about it until somebody measures it."
Studies had not proved there was any danger to health from mobile
phones, he said.
"There is no evidence of cancer or anything else. So it is so far, so
good. But it is early days," said Dr Clark. [early days? so we keep
risking our own health unless and until there is 100% proof
it's dangerous?]
= = = =
STILL FEELING LIKE THE MAINSTREAM U.S. CORPORATE MEDIA
IS GIVING A FULL HONEST PICTURE OF WHAT'S GOING ON?
= = = =
Daily online radio show, news reporting: www.DemocracyNow.org
More news: UseNet's misc.activism.progressive (moderated)
= = = =
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