
Cellphone Radiation May Alter Your Brain. Let’s Talk. - robg
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/31/technology/personaltech/31basics.html?_r=1&src=dayp
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revolvingcur
From the study:

"In healthy participants and compared with no exposure, 50-minute cell phone
exposure was associated with increased brain glucose metabolism in the region
closest to the antenna. This finding is of unknown clinical significance."

The specific finding referred to is localized mean differences in brain
glucose metabolism of 2.4 μmol/100 g per minute (a 7% increase).

The linked article is a fluff piece providing "advice" for people wanting to
avoid exposure to cell phone radiation. The study makes no claims regarding
possible health hazards related to their findings.

~~~
robg
_The study makes no claims regarding possible health hazards related to their
findings._

To do so at this point would be reckless. There's a concern here and certain
steps ("advice") seem reasonable.

It could be years, if not a decade or more, before any hazards are clearly
known. Better to be safe. We're born with only one brain and neural implants
are still a ways off.

~~~
Natsu
We've had cellphones in common use for, what? Two decades or so? Shouldn't we
have seen some indication of widespread harm by now, or inexplicable increases
in cancer rates and whatnot?

I'm not going to claim that it's impossible, just highly unlikely that this
causes significant harm.

~~~
limmeau
If the harm only consists of something like a permanently reduced ability to
concentrate or trouble falling asleep ( _which I don't claim it does_ ), then
we'd only have noticed that people get dumber and pupils don't learn like they
used to.

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derobert
Hopefully someone with access to the full article can answer these:

According to the abstract, they tested phones on and muted or off. A phone
that is powered on (but not on a call) shouldn't be expected to use the radio
much. Is it the case that the only difference was the power being on or off?

Any explanation given for why they compared powered-on vs. powered-off instead
of, e.g., airplane vs. non-airplane mode?

Next, every phone I've seen with a mute feature mutes the audio FROM your
phone, not TO your phone. Some phones also make a hiss even when they're
supposed to be silent. Electronics can themselves hum, sometimes at a high
enough frequency that only some people can hear it. Is it possible that there
was an auditory difference between the two test conditions?

Cell phones that are off vs. on look different (e.g., screen) and feel
different (e.g., heat generation). How was blinding maintained?

Speaking of that, how did they control for one being warmer than the other?
Abstract says it was placed on the ear, so assumably the subject could feel
that.

When they say that phones were placed on the left and right ears, what do they
mean? Hopefully they used a random ear for the "on" phone.

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kordless
Why not? After all gadgets alter your brain:
<http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/technology/07brain.html>

