Cell Phone Use By Pregnant Moms May Adversely Affect Kids
by Will Safer, posted May 19th 2008 at 11:30AM
Could pregnant women who use cell phones be unknowingly causing adverse effects in the brain function of their children?
According to a new study conducted by American and Danish researchers, the answer could well be yes.
Children whose mothers frequently used cell phones while pregnant were more likely to have problems with hyperactivity and social situations. Additionally, if the kids themselves were using cell phones before the age of seven, the problems were even more severe.
This is not the first time a study suggests there are adverse affects from using cell phones. This study, however, may have greater impact because one of the researchers -- UCLA Professor Leeka Kheifets -- has previously been skeptical of the effects of cell phone use on people's brains. This new study has enough evidence to change her mind.
The researchers asked the mothers of 13,159 children born in Denmark in the late 1990s about their use – and their kids' use – of cell phones. The time period is significant because cell phones were not yet in wide use so only about half of the mothers and their kids used them regularly. This allowed comparisons to be made.
The researchers do note that if they follow guidelines set by the official Russian radiation watchdog body, cell phone use by pregnant women and children is "not much lower than the risk to children's health from tobacco or alcohol."
Yikes.
As with any study, the authors of the report, which will appear in the July issue of Epidemiology, suggest more research is necessary. [Source: The Independent via Textually]
