OXFORD, United Kingdom-A new study by the Italian-based National Research Council (NRC) has reawakened the long-running debate over cell-phone health hazards by claiming that radio frequency (RF) transmissions cause cancerous cells to replicate more aggressively.
Researchers at NRC said they found that up to 20 percent of leukemia cells exposed to 48 hours of continuous RF transmissions were killed. But those cells that survived this initial exposure then appeared to trigger a defense mechanism causing them to divide at a much faster rate. However, the scientists admitted that this laboratory test does not prove a direct threat to human health, only indicates that RF radiation can damage DNA and destroy the cell repair system, which can make tumors more difficult to combat.
Recent studies by a U.K. government body, the Australian Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, and the World Health Organization have all failed to conclusively prove any direct link between cell phone RF transmission and damage to users’ health. Many research bodies now recommend that children should be discouraged from excessively using mobile phones, claiming that their brains could be affected as they develop.
