Mobile phones were at the center of a new health scare last night after claims they can seriously damage the heart and kidneys.
Earlier reports have already linked their use to brain tumours,
headaches and premature ageing. Now scientists sat exposure to the
phones' low-level radiation causes red blood cells to leak haemoglobin.
The build-up of haemoglobin, which carries oxygen around the body, can
lead to heart disease and kidney stones.
The findings will heighten alarm over the safety of mobile phones which
are used by more than 13 million people in Britain. In the latest
research, scientists exposed samples of blood to varying degrees of
microwave radiation for periods between ten to 60 hours.
Even at lower levels than those emitted by mobile phones, the cells
leaked haemoglobin. Professor Edward Tuddenham, a haemotologist at the
Imperial College Medical School based in Hammersmith Hospital, West
London, said the findings were worrying and he wanted to see the study
followed up. 'The accumulation of haemoglobin in the body could result
in heart disease or kidney stones,' he warned.
The Department of Health said yesterday that the new study - carried
out at the European Research Institute for Electronic Components in
Bucharest - would be examined by a Government-appointed committee due
to report on phone safety next year.
However, the Cambridge based consumer group Powerwatch said with evidence of the risks growing the go
vernment needed to do more.
'We are still very much investigating the biological consequences of
mobile phones. But there certainly seems to be enough laboratory
studies now saying there are effects, to be very concerned,' said a
spokesman.
Last month, scientists at Sweden's Lund University found that two
minutes of exposure to emissions from mobile phones can disable a
safety barrier in the blood causing proteins and toxins to leak into
the brain.
This can increase the chances of developing diseases such as
Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's. The Federation of the
Electronics Industry yesterday repeated its claim that there was no
conclusive proof that the phones were a health hazard. A spokesman said
mobiles operated within strict guidelines on radiation emissions. 'The
consensus of scientific opinion is that there is no consistent evidence
that mobile phones operating within these guidelines have any adverse
health effects,' he said.
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Cell Phones Cause Kidney Failures
12/28/08
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