Daily Mail

Scientist add kidney damage to the list of
mobile phone ills

December 13, 1999

Sarah Harris

Mobile phones were at the centre 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 tumors, headaches and premature aging.

Now scientists say 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 of between ten to 60 hours.

Even at levels lower than those emitted by mobile phones, the cells leaked haemoglobin.

Professor Edward Tuddenham, a haematologist 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 mew study – carried out at the European Research Institute of Electronic Components in Bucharest – would be examined by a committee due to report on phone safety next year.

However, the Cambridge based consumer group Powerwatch said with evidence of the risks growing, the Government 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 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.

Copyright 1999 Daily Mail

EMF Issues • EMF FAQ • Press Articles • Scientific • Press Releases • Products • About EMF Bio • ICS Website