Yale Researchers See Health Risk from Cellphone Use During Pregnancy
Fetal exposure to radiofrequency energy from cellphones may be harmful, Yale researchers say in a new report, the first to draw such a link. Mice exposed in-utero showed symptoms of hyperactivity and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), said the report by the Yale School of Medicine (http://xrl.us/bmyr3w).
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Researchers exposed pregnant mice to radiation from a muted cellphone positioned above the cage, that was on a call throughout the trial. The phone operated in the 800-1900 MHz range. “Here we used a mouse model to demonstrate that in-utero radiofrequency exposure from cellular telephones does affect adult behavior,” the report said. “Mice exposed in-utero were hyperactive and had impaired memory as determined using the object recognition, light/dark box and step-down assays.”
The report notes it’s the first to offer experimental evidence of neuropathology due to in-utero cellphone radiation. Some 3-7 percent of school-aged children suffer from ADHD, researchers said. “An association between prenatal cellular telephone use and hyperactivity in children has been postulated, yet the direct effects of radiofrequency radiation exposure on neurodevelopment remain unknown,” the report said. “Experiments are needed in humans or non-human primates to determine the risk of exposure during pregnancy."
Another study published two years ago in the journal Epidemiology found “only small differences in neurodevelopment scores between the offspring of cell phone users and nonusers” and does not draw the same link (http://xrl.us/bmyr76). Years of studies looking at whether cellphones cause cancer in users have offered similarly contradictory conclusions (CD June 1/11 p3).
"This new animal study presents results that, as the study authors themselves recognize, require other analysis and validation before any scientific conclusions may be reached of any relevance to human health,” said CTIA spokesman John Walls.