Electromagnetic waves: are they dangerous for health?

Magnetic waves: what dangers for children?

The case of mobile telephony

Unlike streaming radio and television stations, cell towers and mobile phones send out pulsed waves. It is this jerky mode of emission which would be partly responsible for their harmfulness. Another important concept: the level of user exposure to these waves, expressed for mobile phones in watts per kilo. This is the famous SAR (or Specific Absorption Rate) whose characteristic we must look for on the instructions: the lower it is, the more the risks are, in principle, limited. It should not exceed 2 W / kg in Europe (but 1,6 W / kg in the United States). This exposure intensity is expressed, for equipment which is not in the immediate vicinity of the body, such as relay antennas, in volts per meter. A decree of May 3, 2002 set the maximum exposure threshold at 41, 58 and 61 V / meter for each of the frequencies used: 900, 1 and 800 megahertz, depending on the technology. The associations would like to lower these thresholds to 2 V / meter, a value considered high enough to make telephone calls in good conditions and low enough not to cause health risks. It is off the mark !

Too early to know the impact of electromagnetic waves

Researchers have carried out experiments on cells, plants and animals. We know, for example, that cell phone waves cause the production of stress proteins in tomato plants or that they can increase the risk of developing brain tumors in rats. These consequences are linked to a double effect of waves on biological tissues: by agitating the water molecules, they increase the temperature (thermal effect), and by weakening their genetic heritage, their DNA, they disrupt the functioning of cells and disrupt the immune system (biological effect). Of course, these results cannot be transposed directly to humans. So how do you know? Epidemiological surveys could provide valuable information on the possible increase of a particular disease among cell phone users. But this technology, which dates from the late 1990s, is still young and hindsight is lacking …

The effect of electromagnetic waves on the child

According to a 1996 study, the penetration of electromagnetic radiation from a cell phone into the brain is much greater at 5 and 10 years of age than in adulthood. This is explained by the smaller size of the skull, but also by a greater permeability of the child’s skull.

As for the risk of fetal exposure, it is still poorly documented. An American-Danish team did a good job of finding out the link between time spent on the phone during pregnancy and children’s behavioral disorders, by monitoring more than 100 pregnant women between 000 and 1996. Result: children particularly exposed to these waves in the prenatal and postnatal periods more often suffered from behavioral disorders and hyperactivity. According to the authors, these results should be taken with a grain of salt, as this study has possible biases.

We are awaiting the results of the Interphone study

Released in August 2007, the Bioinitiative report, a compilation of hundreds of studies, indicates that mobile phone waves may play a role in the development of brain tumors. The partial results of Interphone, an epidemiological study launched in 2000, carried out in 13 countries and which brought together 7 patients with tumors located in the head, provide more details: we do not notice an increase in risk in people who have used a laptop for less than ten years. However, beyond that, an increased risk of the appearance of two brain tumors (gliomas and acoustic nerve neuromas) was observed. An Israeli study also showed a greater risk of developing salivary gland tumors in heavy users and in those living in rural areas where the more widely spaced cell towers emit more intensely. Unfortunately, the publication of the results has been constantly postponed since 000.

 Quarrels of experts about the danger of electromagnetic waves

Since the early 2000s, the Priartem, Criirem and Robin des Toits associations have been campaigning to improve information about the dangers of electromagnetic waves. Reverse: the French Agency for Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (Afsset) issues a series of expert reports concluding that there is no risk. End of the first part: in 2006, the General Inspectorate revealed the collusion of several of these experts with mobile telephone operators! Resumption of the game: in June 2008, a call for caution was launched by a group of cancer doctors led by psychiatrist David Servan-Schreiber. Reply: the Academy of Medicine retorts them when the studies do not show any significant excess risk and invites the signatories of the call not to confuse the precautionary principle and the alarmist machine …

 Operators’ reaction

While operators suggest that cell towers are harmless, they are not ignoring the debate over exposure to electromagnetic waves. In order to show the 48 million French mobile phone users that they take the problem seriously, they have decided to play with transparency, in particular on the DAS of the telephone. Until now, you had to look for information in the technical data sheets of the devices. From now on, it will be highlighted and displayed in the shops of the operators. And soon, mobile phone buyers will receive a leaflet summarizing all the advice to limit exposure, starting with the use of the hands-free kit.

 Precautions to be taken against electromagnetic waves

While waiting to learn more, follow some common sense precautions, which all respond to an elementary principle: move away from the source of emission of the waves (the intensity of the field decreases considerably with distance). For the cell phone, it is better to avoid putting it in your pocket (even on standby, it emits waves), especially if you are a pregnant woman, use a hands-free kit and avoid making children phone calls. For other types of electromagnetic waves, we recommend turning off your Wi-Fi transmitter at night, not placing a low-energy bulb lamp too close to your head or a baby monitor too close to the baby’s bed, or do not stand in front of the microwave while the dish is heating.