Octubre 2000

Are mobile phones safe? - a review

Drs. KR Foster and JE Moulder attempt to answer the above question in a recent review, which can be found at www.spectrum.ieee.org/publicfeature/aug00/prad.html

Reference: Foster KR, Moulder JE. Are mobile phones safe? IEEE Spectrum Online August 2000: 37 (8).

No effect on the rat brain from EM field

A recent study by Tsurita and colleagues has shown no effect of RF radiation on the brain of rats. The authors used a 1439 MHz TDMA field for one hour per day, five days per week, for up to four weeks. They did not find any changes in the blood-brain barrier or in the structure of the cerebellum, a region of the brain that has the propensity to be affected by environmental stress.

This study adds to the controversy surrounding the relationship between RF fields and the blood-brain barrier (BBB). As Tsurita and colleagues point out, although some studies have shown an increase in permeability of the BBB, it has been claimed that these results were dependent on thermal effects. Other studies have failed to show any effect on the BBB.

Reference: Tsurita G, Nagawa H, Ueno S, Watanabe S, Taki M. Biological and morphological effects on the brain after exposure of rats to a 1439 MHz TDMA field. Bioelectromagnetics 2000;21:364-371.