Arsenic in Contaminated Water Increases Susceptibility to H1N1 Influenza

Arsenic in Contaminated Water Increases Susceptibility to H1N1 Influenza

Not everyone who is exposed to an infectious disease, even the widely-feared new "swine" flu (H1N1), gets sick. And many people who do come down with the flu or another illness get over it without much trouble. While a lot of factors can be at work, from good nutrition to physical fitness, a new study suggests an all-too-common toxin in the water you drink could play a role in whether an H1N1 infection makes you seriously ill.

According to scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, and Dartmouth Medical School, the ability to mount an immune response to H1NI infection, a form of influenza A, can be significantly compromised by even low levels of arsenic exposure that commonly occur through drinking contaminated well water.

Respiratory infections with influenza A virus are a worldwide health problem and kill about 36,000 people each year according to the CDC. The recent outbreak of a type of influenza A known as H1N1, or "swine flu", has killed over 70 Mexicans so far and at least six Americans. The fact that Mexico has large areas of very high arsenic in well water -- and these include the locations where H1N1 first appeared -- intrigued the MBL and Dartmouth research team.

"One thing that did strike us, when we heard about the recent H1N1 outbreak, is [that] Mexico has large areas of very high arsenic in their well water, including the areas where the flu first cropped up. We don't know that the Mexicans who got the flu were drinking high levels of arsenic, but it's an intriguing notion that this may have contributed," Joshua Hamilton, the MBL's Chief Academic and Scientific Officer and a senior scientist in the MBL's Bay Paul Center, said in a statement to the media.

Immune response seriously hampered by arsenic exposure
In a study just published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, Hamilton and his colleagues reported on their study of mice that ingested 100 ppb (parts per billion) of arsenic in their drinking water for five weeks and then were exposed to H1N1.

"When a normal person or mouse is infected with the flu, they immediately develop an immune response in which immune cells rush to the lungs and produce chemicals that help fight the infection," Hamilton stated in a press release. But in the lab animals exposed to arsenic in their water, something was clearly amiss. The researchers found that the animals' immune response to H1N1 infection was initially very weak. But, several days later, the rodents' immune systems produced a reaction that was too strong and too late.

"There was a massive infiltration of immune cells to the lungs and a massive inflammatory response, which led to bleeding and damage in the lung," Hamilton said in the media statement. He also noted that morbidity from the influenza infection was found to be significantly higher for the arsenic-exposed mice than the control animals who had not consumed arsenic-tainted water.

Hamilton and his research staff have been studying the effects of arsenic for years. They've found that arsenic exposure not only disrupts the immune system but also disrupts the endocrine system, causing unusually broad hormonal upheavals.

"Most chemicals that disrupt hormone pathways target just one, such as the estrogen pathway," Hamilton explained in the media statement. "But arsenic disrupts the pathways of all five steroid hormone receptors (estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, glucocorticoids, and mineralocorticoids), as well as several other hormone pathways. You can imagine that just this one effect could play a role in cancer, diabetes, heart disease, reproductive and developmental disorders -- all the diseases that have a strong hormonal component."

"We don't yet know how arsenic disrupts either system at the molecular level. But once we know how it affects one system, we will have a pretty good idea of how it affects the other systems as well," he added. Currently, Hamilton's lab is working on understanding the unusual dual effect arsenic has on the endocrine system. Very low amounts of arsenic stimulate or enhance hormone responses but at doses just slightly higher, like those found in drinking water, it appears to suppress those hormone responses. "Our principal focus is to figure out this switch. We think that will help us understand why arsenic does what it does in the body," Hamilton stated.

He explained that for arsenic to have health consequences, it requires exposure day after day, year after year, such as through drinking water -- and that's exactly the kind of exposure far too many Americans have to the toxin. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) claims 10 parts per billion (ppb) of arsenic in drinking water is "safe". However, according to Hamilton, concentrations of 100 ppb and higher are commonly found in well water in many regions of the country including Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Florida, and large parts of the upper Midwest, the Southwest, and the Rocky Mountains.

As reported in Natural News last fall (http://www.naturalnews.com/024909.html), research suggests the EPA's supposedly "safe" level of arsenic allowed in water supplies for public consumption isn't safe at all and could be causing a host of health problems, including high blood pressure and artery-clogging atherosclerosis. What's more, when the non-profit Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) analyzed data compiled by the EPA, the group's most conservative estimates based on the data indicated that more than 34 million Americans were drinking tap water supplied by systems containing average levels of arsenic that posed unacceptable cancer risks. Now it appears another serious health problem -- a higher susceptibility to a serious case of "swine flu" -- can be added to that list of arsenic-in-drinking-water linked worries.

Reference:
Kozul, C.D., Ely, K.H., Enelow, R.I., and Hamilton, J.W. (2009) Low dose arsenic compromises the immune response to influenza infection in vivo. Environmental Health Perspectives, doi:10.1289/ehp.0900911

For more information:
http://www.mbl.edu/news/press_relea...
http://www.mbl.edu/news/press_relea...
http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/...

Do Cell Phones Harm Unborn Babies?

Do Cell Phones Harm Unborn Babies?


Researcher Says Media Misinterpreted Study on Cell Phones, Behavior Problems
By DAN CHILDS
ABC News Medical Unit
May 20, 2008

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Medical experts say media reports of a study that suggests a pregnant woman's cell phone use could cause later behavioral problems in her baby raise unnecessary alarm.
A new study finds that heavy cell phone use may accelerate hearing loss.

In the study, slated for publication in the July issue of the journal Epidemiology, researchers at the Universities of California, Los Angeles, and Aarhus, Denmark, issued a survey to mothers of 13,159 children in Denmark. The survey asked the mothers questions about their use of cell phones during their pregnancy as well as their child's behavior and their current cell phone use.

The researchers found that the mothers who said they used cell phones during their pregnancy also reported a higher level of behavioral problems in their children.

But while the results suggested an increased risk of hyperactivity, impulsivity and difficulty concentrating in children whose mothers used cell phones during pregnancy, epidemiological experts -- including one of the paper's authors -- said it would be a mistake to assume that the findings were conclusive.
Related
The Pain of Staying Connected

In fact, Dr. Jorn Olsen, professor and chair of epidemiology at UCLA and a co-author of the paper, said media coverage of the research thus far has been off target.

Olsen specifically referred to a report in the British press with the headline "Warning: Using a Mobile Phone While Pregnant Can Seriously Damage Your Baby."

"That's clearly not what we wanted to suggest, and we think that there is no reason that pregnant women should be very alarmed at the findings we have," Olsen said.

He added that he and his colleagues had not expected the paper to be released until next month.

"I think that a number of journalists broke the story on this and that they did not take all of the assumptions into consideration [when reporting it]," he said.

Confounding Factors

Charles Poole, associate professor of epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said that a number of factors could have been at play in this preliminary study that would have thrown the results off one way or the other.

Continue reading...

Mythbusters: Busting Myths about Plastics

Mythbusters: Busting Myths about Plastics


Several myths about plastics have emerged over the last decade that may alarm the public without just cause and potentially harm consumer-friendly companies producing needed products. Urban myths spring from any number of sources, including:

* Environmental activists and non-government organizations promoting a specific agenda
* Journalists failing to do basic research
* Businesses with an alternative product or
* Retailers too quick to give in to the outcries of alarmist special interest groups.

Follow the links below to get the facts about the safe use of plastic products directly from the experts in government, academia and industry.

Urban Myths

1. Using plastic food containers or wraps in microwaves is dangerous.
2. Freezing water in plastic bottles releases dioxins into the water.
3. The number on the bottom of plastic cups, bottles and containers informs consumers about how to use a product or package.
4. Plastic food wraps and packages are made with phthalates.
5. Six-pack rings (beverage binders) are a hazard to wildlife.
Publish Post



Myth 1: Using plastic food containers or wraps in microwaves is dangerous.
Busted: Before entering the market for consumer use, the components of products that come in contact with food must be submitted for review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Plastics and additives, such as diethylhexyl adipate (DEHA—a plasticizer commonly used in cling film food wrap) are permitted only after the FDA reviews the scientific data and finds that they are safe for their intended use.

FDA's review includes an assessment of the potential for substances to migrate into the food. Contrary to one aspect of the myth, the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), the National Toxicology Program (NTP) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) do not classify DEHA as a human carcinogen.
According to the FDA, "While it is true that chemicals used to make plastics can leach into food from plastic containers and films, all of the regulated chemicals used to make plastics for food contact, including DEHA, have been reviewed by FDA and have been found safe for their intended use."

Dioxins are another class of potentially harmful compounds that has been incorrectly linked to the use of plastic food wraps and containers in microwaves. Most plastics used for food packaging do not contain the chemicals that can produce dioxins. According to the FDA, "With regard to dioxins, we have seen no evidence that plastic containers or films contain dioxins and know of no reason why they would."
Furthermore, dioxins are only produced during combustion at extremely high temperatures (generally 700 degrees Fahrenheit or more).

The key point to remember is that plastic wraps and containers are not dangerous to use in the microwave if they are used in accordance with the directions on their packaging or the container itself. The public should be sure to use any plastics for their intended purpose and in accordance with directions. Many plastic wraps, packages and containers are specially designed to withstand microwave temperatures. Be sure yours is one of them by checking the item or its label.
The FDA does acknowledge that substances in plastics can leach into food when the plastic containers are used incorrectly. However, the FDA does not consider this to be a significant risk to humans. The FDA maintains that: "The agency has assessed migration levels of substances added to regulated plastics and has found the levels to be well within the margin of safety based on information available to the agency."

Myth 2: Freezing water in plastic bottles releases dioxins into the water.
Busted: The belief that plastic water bottles, if frozen, will release dioxins into the water they are holding is simply not true. Most plastics used for beverage bottles do not contain the chemicals that can produce dioxins. According to the FDA, "With regard to dioxins, we have seen no evidence that plastic containers or films contain dioxins and know of no reason why they would."

Dr. Rolf Halden, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health, speaks to the recent email warnings that claim dioxins can be released by freezing water in plastic bottles. " This is an urban legend," notes Dr. Halden. "There are no dioxins in plastics. In addition, freezing actually works against the release of chemicals. Chemicals do not diffuse as readily in cold temperatures, which would limit chemical release..."
Most plastics used in beverage bottles do not contain the chemical constituents that form dioxins. Furthermore, dioxins are only produced during combustion at extremely high temperatures (generally 700 degrees Fahrenheit or more) and do not form at room temperature or freezing temperature.


Myth 3: The number on the bottom of plastic cups, bottles and containers informs consumers about how to use a product or package.

Busted: This is false and potentially harmful misinformation. Many plastic items are marked with a resin identification code—usually a number or letter abbreviation—which indicates a specific kind of plastic material. The codes were originally developed by the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) to provide consumers and recyclers with a consistent, national system identifying resin types that can enter specific recycling streams for recycling plastics through the normal channels of collecting recyclable materials from households. The code is generally on the bottom of containers and is usually displayed inside a three-arrow recycling symbol. The resin identification codes do not provide guidance on the safe or intended use of a product and should not be used for this purpose.


Myth 4: Plastic food wraps and packages are made with phthalates.

Busted: This claim is false. Plastic food packaging or containers made in the United States do not contain "phthalates," which are a class of additives used only in those plastic products made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl) in order to make the material flexible. Vinyl shower curtains, cable and wire, and flooring are examples of flexible PVC products that can contain phthalates. Most plastic food packaging and storage items are made with other types of plastics and do not require agents to increase flexibility, such as phthalates. Although certain plastic food wraps are made with PVC, a different kind of agent to increase flexibility (adipates or citrates) is used instead of phthalates.


Myth 5: Six-pack rings (beverage binders) are a hazard to wildlife.

Busted: In 2006, the Warner Bros. animated movie Happy Feet featured a penguin character that becomes entangled by a six-pack ring, as his neck grows larger over the passage of time. The widely distributed movie caused a stir in the environmental and animal rights communities. However, the makers of the film did not do their homework. Under federal law, since 1989, six-pack rings have been required to be 100 percent photodegradable. Laws have also been passed in 26 states that also require that these devices be photodegradable. In other words, the inventor and sole global producer of this product manufactures it with a proprietary and proven resin that disintegrates in sunlight, beginning in just a few days. While the penguin in the film wore the ring over a long period of time, in reality, creatures overwhelmingly escape from brittle and crumbling rings. The Chicago-Sun Times reports that representatives from both the Sierra Club and Oceana state that six-pack rings are "not a major issue for them," and that the U.S. Department of Energy states on its Web site that "if an animal were to become entangled in [a] six-ring carrier, it could rip through the weakened pack to free itself."

Perhaps the most important point here is that concerns about beverage binders and wildlife could be eliminated if humans would dispose of the rings properly. The Ring Leader Recycling Program is an educational experience for students about the proper disposal of six-pack rings. It is designed for implementation in both formal and informal educational environments to allow students to learn about and participate in an effective school recycling program.

Source

Don't Give Children Cough and Cold Medicines, Warn Health Watchdogs

Don't Give Children Cough and Cold Medicines, Warn Health Watchdogs

The United Kingdom's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued new guidelines advising parents not to prescribe over-the-counter cold and cough medicines to children under the age of six, and placing stricter restrictions on their sale.

"Coughs and colds can be distressing for both you and your child but they will get better by themselves within a few days. Using simple measures to ease symptoms is likely to be most effective," said MHRA Director of Vigilance and Risk Management of Medicines June Raine. "Over-the-counter medicines used to treat coughs and colds have been used for many years. However, they came into use when clinical trials were not required to demonstrate that they worked in children. This means they were not specially designed for children."

Although cold and cough medications have been tested in adults, there is no evidence that they work in young children. Potentially dangerous side effects, on the other hand, have been well documented. Therefore parents are advised not to give their young children any product containing antihistamines, antitussives (anti-cough), expectorants or nasal decongestants. Under no circumstances should the drugs be given to a child under the age of two.

"It is not right to assume safety and efficacy based on children being small adults," Raine said. "Children should have access to medicines that are acceptably safe and designed for their use."

In the United Kingdom, all cough and cold products marketed to children under the age of six will be phased out. Products for children between the ages of six and 12 will remain available, but must be purchased directly from a pharmacist.

The MHRA recommends that parents worried about colds and coughs in their younger children use natural remedies such as honey and lemon for a cough and saline drops for nasal congestion. If symptoms do not improve after five days, a doctor should be consulted.

Sources for this story include: www.reuters.com.

Using a cell phone as your home phone comes with a risk

Using a cell phone as your home phone comes with a risk

The economic downturn is causing more households to pare down services to save money. You'd think one of those might be service to the family’s cell phones, but according to a new Center for Disease Control (CDC) study, it's often the landline that's getting the ax.

During the last half of 2008, 20 percent of U.S. households used only cell phones, compared with 17 percent of the households with landlines that had no cell phones.

It easy to see why people would prefer the mobility of a cell phone over a stodgy landline, especially since falling rates for unlimited minutes are actually making them the better bargain. And, as the Associated Press reports, cell phones users are less likely to be annoyed by pollsters because federal laws prohibit them from using computers to place calls to wireless phones.

But landline connections do have one important advantage over cells: They're safer. With emergency calls made over a landline, 911 operators know for certain the address and location of call. Not so with cell phones, which use much less-direct—and less-consistent—system for connecting with emergency responders.

Newer fiber phone service uses the same long-proven location system as a landline phone. But cable-phone and other VoIP 911 services depend on the provider supplying local emergency services with your address, a federal requirement. The agency also requires that new VoIP customers be informed that emergency service "may in some way be limited in comparison to traditional 911 service."

Our advice: Supplement your cell and/or VoIP service with basic landline service to use at least for 911 calls. Such service typically costs about $20 a month, including fees and the like.

In another safety-related cell-phone development, a train accident in Boston that occurred while the train operator was texting has renewed questions about the safety of texting while driving. —Mike Gikas
For complete Ratings and recommendations on appliances, cars & trucks, electronic gear, and much more, subscribe today and have access to all of ConsumerReports.org.

Business Opportunity: Demand for Purple Corn May Soon Explode

Business Opportunity: Demand for Purple Corn May Soon Explode

Purple corn is being classified as a functional food. It is loaded with phenolics and anthocyanin, and has just about the highest antioxidant rating of any food including blueberries. The health benefits of purple corn are pervasive, and it has a normalizing effect on many systems of the body. Purple corn has even been shown able to shrink cancerous tumors. As the healing value of purple corn becomes apparent, researchers have jumped in to document its many benefits, and supplement companies have rolled out purple corn extracts. The only thing missing from all this is someone to put purple corn in the produce sections of the local grocery stores.

Why you might want to grow purple corn

The world is in a time of rapid change, moving away from dependence on chemicals and toward green living. This includes the movement toward green health care. People have had enough of the disease establishment and have learned there is nothing in it for them. This coming age will be one of personal empowerment in which more of us are willing to accept responsibility for ourselves including our health status. Demand for foods and products that can enhance and preserve health as well as help bring people back from disease has never been more brisk. As we turn our backs on the status seeking of mindless accumulation, we are becoming more mindful of the need to spend resources in a way that will benefit us as individuals.

Many areas of this newly emerging trend are already being mined. Almost weekly, new products show up on store shelves. Opportunity remains at the front end of this chain, where people produce the commodities that will be needed to support the increasing demand for products. Yet this is also a time of economic retrenchment, so what will work best will be those enterprises with low barriers to entry.

We are breaking from corporate ties and realizing we have to strike out on our own, and at the same time we are looking again to nature to guide us. It is a perfect convergence. What better way to stake a claim on life than to plant seeds in the ground and produce something of such great benefit?

Purple corn has what it takes to ward off aging and disease

Purple corn, also known as Zea mays, is a variety of sweet corn. By some quirk of fate, purple corn has one of the most deep, vibrant purple colorations in the plant kingdom. In the edible plant world, bright vivid color is a tip off that nature has created this plant to be enticing to people. Like the bright orange of carrots and the vibrant red of tomatoes, purple corn is purple to capture our interest.

The intense color in purple corn is the result of anthocyanins, water-soluble blue plant pigment. Anthocyanins are responsible for the spectrum of color in the plant world that ranges from purple to red. They belong to the larger class of phytochemicals known as flavonoids that are found in many food plants. This purple color has been prized by the people of the Peruvian Andes who use it as food and beverage coloring, a practice now becoming popular in other parts of the world. The Peruvians also make a fermented drink from purple corn kernels, called chica morada, which is said to lower blood pressure and reduce inflammation.

Purple corn is rich in antioxidants, compounds that neutralize the free radicals so responsible for the aging process. Its high phenolic content means it is well equipped to provide safety against degenerative diseases. Purple corn is a natural double play.

Purple corn out does blueberries

The mean anthocyanin content of whole, fresh purple corn from Peru was 16.4 mg/g, compared to the 1.3 to 3.8 mg/g range found in blueberries according to research from the Horticulture Department of Texas A&M University in Texas. The antioxidant capacity and anti-radical action were more than twice that measured in blueberries. (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, May, 2003)

This is an important finding for anyone contemplating growing purple corn. Blueberries sell at premium prices due to the high demand for their antioxidant benefits among the health conscious.

Cyanidin 3-glucoside (C3G) is the most abundant anthocyanin found in purple corn. Several studies have documented its power, including one that compared C3G to 13 other anthocyanins using oxygen radical absorption capacity (ORAC) as its measure. The ORAC rating of C3C was 3.5 times that of Trolox, a synthetic and potent antioxidant analogue of vitamin E.

Purple corn stops all growth and kills 20% of cancer cells in study

In a recent study, scientists from Ohio State University reported anthocyanins are potent antioxidants that may be protective against cancer. They compared the chemoprotective properties of anthocyanin extracts from purple corn, chokeberry, bilberry, purple carrot, grape, radish, and elderberry for their ability to inhibit colon cancer cell proliferation.

The researchers found that the amount of anthocyanin extract needed to reduce cancer cell growth by 50 percent varied among the plants tested. Extract derived from purple corn was the most potent, taking only 14 micrograms of C3G to reduce cancer cell growth by half. Extracts from chokeberry and bilberry were also fairly potent, though not as potent as the purple corn extract. Anthocyanins played a major role in the ability of the extracts to inhibit cancer, and they exerted an additive interaction with the other phenolics present.

In follow-up work, these researchers found that anthocyanin from red radish and black carrots slowed the growth of cancer cells anywhere from 50 to 80 percent. However, anthocyanins from purple corn and chokeberries not only completely stopped the growth of cancer cells, but also killed about 21 percent of cancer cells without having any effect on healthy cells. (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, October 22, 2008)

Purple corn color suppresses breast cancer resulting from gene damage

In another recent study completed in Japan where most of the research on purple corn is being done, scientists examined the influence of dietary purple corn color (PCC) extracted from purple corn seeds on induced mammary cancer in genetically damaged rats. They found that PCC significantly inhibited the cancer growth, and also significantly inhibited the growth of human mammary cancer implanted in the rats. PCC and C3G inhibited cell viability and induced appropriate cell death in the mammary tumor cells. The researchers concluded that C3G could act as a chemopreventive and also as a chemotherapeutic agent for cancers involving mutations in ras genes. Mutations in ras stimulate cell division and proliferation, and facilitate development of various cancers. (Cancer Science, September, 2008.

Purple corn color may be effective in preventing liver cancer

Other scientists in Japan found that the serum of rats treated with PCC provided evidence of significant antioxidant power. Micro array analyses showed PCC to induce RNA expression. They concluded that PCC may be effective as a chemopreventative agent against liver pre-neoplastic lesion development.

Hypertension and cholesterol are lowered by blue corn

Japanese scientists also investigated the effects of continuous administration of color from purple corn, purple sweet potato, and red radish to spontaneously hypertensive rats. The animals were fed with diets containing 1% of purple corn, purple sweet potato or radish color. They found that the body weight and daily food intake of administered rats were not different from those in the control group, and the blood pressure and heart rate of the hypertensive rats that were administered each color decreased compared to the control group. These results suggest that anthocyanins have strong anti-hypertensive effects. (Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology, February, 2007)

Other Japanese researchers performed an oral toxicity study of PCC with groups of rats fed the agent at dietary levels of 0%, 0.5%, 1.5%, and 5% for 90 days. No mortalities occurred during the treatment period, and there were no treatment-related changes in body weight, ophthalmology, hematology, organ weight, or histopathology. An unexpected finding was that on clinical chemistry analysis, total cholesterol, phospholipids, and triglycerides were significantly lowered in both female and male rats. The no-observed-adverse-effects-level (NOAEL) for PCC was judged to be 5% in the diet for both sexes. (Food Chemistry and Toxicology, February, 2008)

Anthocyanins from purple corn are stable when heated

Researchers in China evaluated the thermal stability of purple corn. Total anthocyanin content and total phenolic content were identified, and individual anthocyanins were determined. Seven main compounds were identified. The thermal stability of the corn was studied by differential scanning calorimetry. Thermodynamic analysis was completed, and relationships between the degree of conversion and time or temperature were examined. The researchers concluded that the evaluated purple corn hybrids are a natural source of anthocyanins that remain stable over a wide range of temperatures and time. (Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, November 26, 2008)

This finding means that blue corn can be used in many ways that people now use yellow corn. It can be cooked or baked without losing its potency. Popped blue corn might become a favorite.

The husks and cobs may be the best part

In a study from South Korea, the goal was to develop high-anthocyanin corn to enhance economic efficiency of anthocyanin production. The researchers determined and compared anthocyanin content from different parts of purple corn in various breeding lines. Results revealed that purple corn produced the anthocyanin pigment throughout the plant. It was found in especially high levels in the husk and cob regions. Anthocyanin levels of husks ranged from 17.3% to 18.9% of dry weight, roughly 10 times more than found in the kernel. (Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, December 10, 2009)

This means that the parts of the traditional corn plant that were thrown away have value if they come from purple corn plants. The higher levels of anthocyanins in the husks and cobs make there parts ideal for supplement manufacturers.

For more information see:

http://purplecorn.wordpress.com/

http://www.futurepundit.com/archive...

http://www.seriouseats.com/2008/11/...

Cell phone radiation may cause brain tumour

Cell phone radiation may cause brain tumour

ISLAMABAD: Cell phone use in Pakistan has grown amid potential health risks, including cancer, through radiofrequency (RF) energy emissions from cell phones. Up till now most studies have focused on whether RF energy can cause malignant brain tumors. The experts are of the opinion that cell phone users are exposed to RF energy, a non-ionising form of radiation, emitted by the cell phones and there is concern about the health implications due to widespread cell phone use. “The experiments investigating the effects of RF exposure characteristics of cell phones on animals have suggested low levels of RF could accelerate the development of cancer. However, many of the studies showing increased tumor development were using animals that had been genetically engineered or treated with cancer-inducing chemicals so as to be pre-disposed to develop cancer in the presence of RF exposure,” said Dr Masood Ahmad, an expert. He said the studies investigated any possible association between the use of wireless phones and primary brain cancer, glioma, meningioma, or acoustic neuroma, tumors of the brain or salivary gland, leukemia, or other cancers. “However, none of the studies can answer questions about long-term exposures, since the average period of phone use in these studies was around three years,” he added. app