Study: Cell phones scramble DNA

[billbuckhead]

Study: Cell phones scramble DNA
Published: December 20, 2004, 11:21 AM PST

By Reuters

Radio waves from mobile phones harm body cells and damage DNA in laboratory conditions, according to a new study majority-funded by the European Union, researchers said on Monday.

The so-called Reflex study, conducted by 12 research groups in seven European countries, did not prove that mobile phones are a risk to health but concluded that more research is needed to see whether effects can also be found outside a lab.

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<http://news.com.com/Study+Cell+phones+scramble+DNA/2100-1039_3-5498198.html?tag=nefd.top>

But there is hope.

from same article.

"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."

[thoughtanarchist]

1. RA-DI-ATION. damn do-gooders always saying it's bad for you...

why anyone can handle 1000 chest x-rays a year...

:freak:

[Smirking_Chimp]

2. is that why my ear is so red?

[autorank]

3. ...and why I have that extra head?

[Rockerdem]

4. My kid is a boy and a girl

[autorank]

8. Cheap dates!

[unkachuck]

5. that could explain...

....the election results....

[slutticus]

6. These conclusions sound strange.

I didn't think that simply having single or double stranded DNA breaks was enough to cause mutations. In order for a mutation to occur, the bases themselves have to be altered, such as the pyrimidine dimers caused by UV radiation. In a worst case scenario, a cell with broken nucleic acid material will simply die. No mutations will be propagated from simply breaking the DNA, right? It's been a while since I've read about DNA repair machanisms. It may have something to do with recombination events. Hmmmm...



I'm interested in seeing the paper that comes out of this.

[kedrys]

7. I was in class last week, and a student's cell phone scrambled

the display on the computer monitor. The creepy part is that the display went bonkers 1 to 2 seconds before the phone actually rang. :scared:

[absolutezero]

10. that happens all the time

it's nothing to be worried about

[kedrys]

12. Mine's an older phone, and I always have it turned off

when I'm in class or in meetings or whatnot. I don't think it emits nearly as much random radiation as the new ones with the backlit screens and all that. Guess I'll have to run a few experiments now.

I figure I gotta die of *something*, so I'm not real worried...it was pretty spectacular, though.

[absolutezero]

9. thats a load of BS

Cellphones use radiowaves, which do not have enough energy to interfere with chemical bonds. This is one of the first things you learn in a 200 level chem course (go chem majors!)

Radio waves cause electrons in high level chemical bonds (if anyone remembers chemistry I'm talking about d shell orbitals) which are found in metals. Thats why radiowaves will cause a small current/magnetic field when they hit an antenna

Radiowaves are harmless

[northzax]

11. stop using science

we had a nice little cell-pjone hate going on, and you scientists always have to ruin it by pointing out the laws of physics. well, screw your laws of physics and your little theory of evolution.

[bobedwards]

13. Don't believe

all the hype about this or that causes cancer, mutations. People love to find reasons to get melodramatic about anything.