There are two different types of radiations: ionizing and nonionizing. Ionizing radiation breaks the covalent binding in whatever it passes through, with X-rays and gamma rays being prime examples.
Nonionizing radiation breaks van der Waals bindings and could cause a significant DNA strand breakage at a low exposure level (0.0024 W/kg). Some of the examples of instruments that generate nonionizing radiation include microwaves, cellphones, Walkie-Talkies, smart readers, iPads, laptops and wireless routers.
The type of radiation coming out of a cellphone is nonionizing, and this electromagnetic field (EMF) is sometimes as strong as a low-powered microwave oven with two types of effects — thermal and nonthermal. The thermal effects can heat the biological tissue, while nonthermal effects include microwave electromagnetic radiation from the antenna with 20-80 percent penetration up to 2 inches into the adult brain, and more EMFs from the phone body itself.
Based on more than 2,000 refereed publications worldwide, there is a wide range of biological effects due to cellphone EMF. Insomnia can occur, along with poor REM sleep, changes in brain wave patterns, chronic sleep problems and sleep deprivation. These could eventually become the start for even larger problems including depression and hypertension.
Furthermore, gene and protein expression could be affected along with enzyme changes, which can eventually lead to DNA damage and altered cell growth. Also, it can cause chronic stress, leading to increased heart rate and heart irregularities.
EMFs can also prolong the life of free radicals (promoter and co-promoter of cancer), induce changes in the activity of antioxidant enzymes and electrolyte concentrations in various tissues. This is to the point that EMFs have been classified as a "possible human carcinogen" by The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
EMFs have reportedly caused altered brain waves, altered cognitive memory function, concentration problems, reduced brain activity, impaired learning and memory function, blood-brain-barrier modification, Alzheimer's disease, and neuro-hormone changes.
In terms of EMF effects on fertility, they have caused impaired fertility by neutralizing sperm in men and egg/embryo damage in females. Other situations such as diabetes, autism and immune function weakness could be caused by EMFs. Finally, EMFs have been reported to damage childhood development.
Research published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) studied radiation emitted after just 50 minutes on a mobile phone that increased the activity in brain cells. A team of 31 scientists from 14 countries, including the U.S., analyzed peer-reviewed studies on cellphone safety. As a result, they categorized personal exposure as "possibly carcinogenic to humans."
Cellphone subscriptions are now globally estimated to be at 5.9 billion (87 percent of the world population). While we're surrounded by electromagnetic radiation, researchers have identified several methods that can offer some level of defense.
Increasing melatonin and L-Carnitine through supplementation may help offset some of the effects. Furthermore, EMF levels are mainly dependent on the distance of the user from the device. In another article, we will provide some solutions and suggestions to minimize the EMF effects on human body.
